Comparing the effectiveness of affective and cognitive messages for improving attitudes and intentions to take breaks from sitting at home and at work
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Authors
Gharib, Hoda
Date
2016-04-27
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
sedentary behaviour , breaks from sitting , affective , cognitive , Theory of Planned Behaviour , health messaging , message framing , social marketing , persuasion , matching effects , attitudes , intentions
Alternative Title
Abstract
There is a lack of evidence regarding the types of messages that are effective in combating the growing issue of sedentary behaviour among adults. The purpose of the study presented in this thesis was to test the effectiveness of affective, cognitive, and control messages for improving adults’ attitudes and intentions to take breaks from sitting at home and at work. The study also sought to understand whether a match or a mismatch between message type (affective, cognitive) and participant attitude basis (affective, cognitive) resulted in greater attitude change.
Two-hundred and ninety-one working adults were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants completed a pre-message questionnaire that assessed leisure-time physical activity, sitting time and habit, break frequency, perceived behavioural control (PBC), social norms, intentions, and overall, structural, and meta-cognitive attitudes towards breaks from sitting at home and at work. Participants were then randomly assigned to one of three message conditions before completing the post-message questionnaire that reassessed all attitudes, intentions, PBC, and social norms, as well as need for affect and need for cognition. ANCOVAs and repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to explore differences between the conditions and domains, respectively. Regressions were used to test for matching/mismatching effects.
Study findings indicate that there was a significant difference between the affective and control conditions on intention change (home; p<0.05), such that participants in the affective condition showed significantly greater intention change (home) compared to participants in the control condition. There were no significant differences between the affective and control conditions on the remaining attitude and intention change variables (ps>0.05), nor any significant differences between the affective and cognitive conditions on any of the attitude and intention change variables (ps>0.05). In addition, there were no significant differences between domains in attitude or intention change (ps>0.05). Finally, regressions revealed a relative matching effect for attitudes (home), such that of participants with an affectively-based attitude, those exposed to an affective message had significantly greater positive attitude change compared to those exposed to a cognitive message (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in attitude change (home) in response to the different messages in those with cognitively-based attitudes (p>0.05). No effects were found for attitudes (work; p>0.05). Future studies should test the impact of these messages on behaviour.
Description
Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2016-04-27 16:19:46.704
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ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.