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BMC Psychology Mar 2023Body dissatisfaction is a public health issue, however, low awareness of its seriousness, and stigma, may inhibit treatment seeking. The current study evaluated... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Body dissatisfaction is a public health issue, however, low awareness of its seriousness, and stigma, may inhibit treatment seeking. The current study evaluated engagement with videos promoting awareness of body dissatisfaction using a persuasive communication approach.
METHOD
Men (n = 283) and women (n = 290) were randomly allocated to view one of five videos; (1) Narrative, (2) Narrative plus persuasive appeal, (3) Informational, (4) Informational plus persuasive appeal and (5) Persuasive appeal only. Engagement (relevance, interest, and compassion) was examined post-viewing.
RESULTS
Among both men and women, superior engagement ratings (in compassion for women, and relevance and compassion for men) were demonstrated for the persuasive appeal and informational videos relative to narrative approaches.
CONCLUSION
Videos using clear and factual approaches may promote engagement in body image health promotion videos. Further work should be done to examine interest in such videos specific to men.
Topics: Male; Humans; Adult; Female; Body Image; Persuasive Communication; Health Promotion; Narration; Social Stigma
PubMed: 36991488
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-023-01120-7 -
Scientific Reports Mar 2022This study evaluates diabetes self-management mobile health applications available from European app stores with respect to quality, concordance with recommended...
This study evaluates diabetes self-management mobile health applications available from European app stores with respect to quality, concordance with recommended self-management tasks and implementation of persuasive system design principles. The European Play Store and Apple App Store were systematically searched and relevant apps were tested. Two raters independently assessed app quality using the Mobile Application Rating Scale and conducted a content analysis of provided persuasive system design principles and self-management tasks. A total of 2,269 mobile health applications were identified and 120 could be included in the evaluation. The overall quality was rated as moderate M = 3.20 (SD = 0.39, min = 2.31, max = 4.62), with shortcomings in the subcategories of engagement (M = 2.80, SD = 0.67) and information quality (M = 2.26, SD = 0.48). Scientific evidence is available for 8% of the apps. The reviewed apps implemented a median of three persuasive system design principles (range 0-15) and targeted a median of 4.5 (range 1-8) self-management tasks, however, with a lack of information about psychosocial coping strategies. Most available diabetes self-management apps lack a scientific evidence base. Persuasive system design features are underrepresented and may form a promising tool to improve app quality. Furthermore, the interaction of physical and behavioral health should be improved in existing diabetes self-management mobile health applications.
Topics: Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Mobile Applications; Persuasive Communication; Self-Management; Telemedicine
PubMed: 35256661
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07544-2 -
Social Science & Medicine (1982) Dec 2020Receiving a healthcare provider's recommendation is a well-documented predictor of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and yet recommendations remain understudied...
RATIONALE
Receiving a healthcare provider's recommendation is a well-documented predictor of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and yet recommendations remain understudied and undertheorized.
OBJECTIVE
To qualitatively describe strategies providers use to motivate HPV vaccination.
METHOD
We surveyed a national sample of 771 U.S. primary care physicians. Data came from an open-ended item that assessed physicians' perspectives on the most effective thing they could say to persuade parents to get HPV vaccine for their 11- to 12-year-old children. Using a standardized codebook and two independent coders, we conducted a thematic analysis to identify rhetorical strategies underlying physicians' responses.
RESULTS
We identified two sets of strategies for motivating HPV vaccination. One set drew parents' attention to specific actors or vaccine characteristics. Physicians using these strategies asked parents to consider their children's individual risk in the short-term, named specific diseases that could be prevented, emphasized the novelty of HPV vaccine as a cancer prevention tool, and gave their personal endorsement for HPV vaccination. In contrast, the second set of strategies was more distancing and impersonal. Physicians using these strategies referenced future risk, described cancer prevention in general terms, framed HPV vaccine as similar to other vaccines, and shared organizational endorsements for HPV vaccination. Across these two sets of strategies, a tension emerged between the goals of engaging parents' perceptions of HPV as a threat to their children versus framing HPV vaccination as a normative standard of care.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that theoretical frameworks, such as Construal Level Theory, may be helpful for positioning provider recommendations in the broader literature on persuasive communication. By identifying competing approaches to motivating HPV vaccination, this study lays the groundwork for future research to test the acceptability and impact of strategies for recommending routine preventive care.
Topics: Child; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Papillomavirus Infections; Papillomavirus Vaccines; Parents; Practice Patterns, Physicians'; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vaccination
PubMed: 33069959
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113441 -
Journal of Psychosomatic Research May 2020The apparent absence of any specific underlying diseases challenges patient-provider communication about medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). Previous research focused...
OBJECTIVE
The apparent absence of any specific underlying diseases challenges patient-provider communication about medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). Previous research focused on general communication patterns in these interactions; however, an overview of more detailed interactional and linguistic aspects is lacking. This review aims to gain a detailed understanding of communicative challenges in MUS consultations by synthesizing evidence from conversation and discourse analytic research.
METHODS
A systematic review of publications using eight databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Web of Science, MLA International Bibliography, LLBA and Communication Abstracts). Search terms included 'MUS', 'linguistics' and 'communication'. Additional studies were identified by contacting experts and searching bibliographies. We included linguistic and/or interactional analyses of natural patient-provider interactions about MUS. Two authors independently extracted the data, and quality appraisal was based on internal and external validity.
RESULTS
We identified 18 publications that met the inclusion criteria. The linguistic and interactional features of MUS consultations pertained to three dimensions: 1) symptom recognition, 2) double trouble potential (i.e. patients and providers may have differing views on symptoms and differing knowledge domains), and 3) negotiation and persuasion (in terms of acceptable explanations and subsequent psychological treatment). We describe the recurrent linguistic and interactional features of these interactions.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite the presence of a double trouble potential in MUS consultations, validation of symptoms and subtle persuasive conduct may facilitate agreement on illness models and subsequent (psychological) treatment.
Topics: Communication; Female; Humans; Linguistics; Male; Medically Unexplained Symptoms; Referral and Consultation
PubMed: 32179304
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.109994 -
Assessment of Communication Strategies for Mitigating COVID-19 Vaccine-Specific Hesitancy in Canada.JAMA Network Open Sep 2021Ensuring widespread uptake of available COVID-19 vaccinations, each with different safety and efficacy profiles, is essential to combating the unfolding pandemic.
IMPORTANCE
Ensuring widespread uptake of available COVID-19 vaccinations, each with different safety and efficacy profiles, is essential to combating the unfolding pandemic.
OBJECTIVE
To test communication interventions that may encourage the uptake of less-preferred vaccines.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This online survey was conducted from March 24 to 30, 2021, using a nonprobability convenience sample of Canadian citizens aged 18 years or older, with quota sampling to match 2016 Canadian Census benchmarks on age, gender, region, and language. Respondents completed a 2-by-2-by-2 factorial experiment with random assignment of brand (AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson), information about the vaccine's effectiveness against symptomatic infection (yes or no), and information about the vaccine's effectiveness at preventing death from COVID-19 (yes or no) before being asked about their willingness to receive their assigned vaccine and their beliefs about its effectiveness.
EXPOSURES
Respondents were randomly assigned a vaccine brand (AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson) and information about the vaccine's effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 infection (yes or no) and at preventing death from COVID-19 (yes or no).
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Respondents' self-reported likelihood of taking their assigned vaccine if offered (response categories: very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely, or not at all likely, scaled 0-1) and their beliefs about their assigned vaccine's effectiveness (response categories: very effective, somewhat effective, not very effective, or not at all effective, scaled 0-1) were measured.
RESULTS
A total of 2556 Canadian adults responded to the survey (median [IQR] age, 50 [34-63] years; 1339 women [52%]). The self-reported likelihood of taking an assigned AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson vaccine was higher for respondents given information about their assigned vaccine's effectiveness at preventing death from COVID-19 (b, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.06) and lower among those given information about its overall effectiveness at preventing symptomatic transmission (b, -0.03; 95% CI, -0.05 to 0.00), compared with those who were not given the information. Perceived effectiveness was also higher among those given information about their assigned vaccine's effectiveness at preventing death from COVID-19 (b, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.05) and lower among those given information about their assigned vaccine's overall efficacy at preventing symptomatic infection (b, -0.05; 95% CI, -0.08 to -0.03), compared with those who were not given this information. The interaction between these treatments was neither substantively nor statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
These findings suggest that providing information on the effectiveness of less-preferred vaccines at preventing death from COVID-19 is associated with more confidence in their effectiveness and less vaccine-specific hesitancy. These results can inform public health communication strategies to reduce hesitancy toward specific COVID-19 vaccines.
Topics: Adult; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Canada; Female; Health Education; Humans; Middle Aged; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Persuasive Communication; Self Report; Treatment Refusal; Vaccination
PubMed: 34591105
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.26635 -
PloS One 2022What types of public health messages are effective at changing people's beliefs and intentions to practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19? We conducted... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
What types of public health messages are effective at changing people's beliefs and intentions to practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19? We conducted two randomized experiments in summer 2020 that assigned respondents to read a public health message and then measured their beliefs and behavioral intentions across a wide variety of outcomes. Using both a convenience sample and a pre-registered replication with a nationally representative sample of Americans, we find that a message that reframes not social distancing as recklessness rather than bravery and a message that highlights the need for everyone to take action to protect one another are the most effective at increasing beliefs and intentions related to social distancing. These results provide an evidentiary basis for building effective public health campaigns to increase social distancing during flu pandemics.
Topics: Adult; Altruism; COVID-19; Female; Health Education; Health Promotion; Humans; Male; Persuasive Communication; Physical Distancing; Risk Reduction Behavior; Self Efficacy; Social Values
PubMed: 35320285
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264782 -
Journal of the American Medical... Jun 2024The main objectives of this research are (1) to uniquely design assistive behaviors for socially assistive robots using the principles of persuasion from behavioral...
OBJECTIVES
The main objectives of this research are (1) to uniquely design assistive behaviors for socially assistive robots using the principles of persuasion from behavioral psychology, and (2) to investigate caregivers' perspectives and opinions on the use of these behaviors to engage and motivate older adults in cognitive activities.
DESIGN
We developed 10 unique robot persuasive assistive behavior strategies for the social robot Pepper using both verbal and nonverbal communication modes. Robot verbal behaviors were designed using Cialdini's principles of persuasion; nonverbal behaviors included expansive movements of the body. Care providers' perceptions of the quality, strength, and persuasiveness of these robot persuasive behaviors were assessed based on the Perceived Argument Strength Likert scale.
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
Eighteen formal and informal care providers caring for older adults including those living with mild cognitive impairments participated.
METHODS
An online survey was designed consisting of short videos of the Pepper robot displaying each behavior. After viewing each video, care providers completed the Perceived Argument Strength Likert scale to evaluate 6 attributes for each behavior. They also provided comments.
RESULTS
Results show robot assistive behaviors using praise with emotion, along with emotion with commitment were the most positively rated by care providers. Qualitative responses indicate robot body language and speech quality were influencing factors in how a person perceives assistance in human-robot interactions.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Our findings provide new insights into incorporating persuasive strategies into the design of assistive social robot behaviors with the aim of engaging and motivating older adults in an activity. The majority of care providers rated the robot persuasive behaviors positively. In designing a persuasive socially assistive robot for older adults, it is beneficial to display a combination of persuasive strategies, such as praise and commitment with emotion, to address individual users' needs and cognitive levels.
PubMed: 38880121
DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105084 -
JMIR MHealth and UHealth Jan 2021It is unclear why some physical activity (PA) mobile health (mHealth) interventions successfully promote PA whereas others do not. One possible explanation is the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
It is unclear why some physical activity (PA) mobile health (mHealth) interventions successfully promote PA whereas others do not. One possible explanation is the variety in PA mHealth interventions-not only do interventions differ in the selection of persuasive strategies but also the design and implementation of persuasive strategies can vary. However, limited studies have examined the different designs and technical implementations of strategies or explored if they indeed influenced the effectiveness of the intervention.
OBJECTIVE
This scoping review sets out to explore the different technical implementations and design characteristics of common and likely most effective persuasive strategies, namely, goal setting, monitoring, reminders, rewards, sharing, and social comparison. Furthermore, this review aims to explore whether previous mHealth studies examined the influence of the different design characteristics and technical operationalizations of common persuasive strategies on the effectiveness of the intervention to persuade the user to engage in PA.
METHODS
An unsystematic snowball and gray literature search was performed to identify the literature that evaluated the persuasive strategies in experimental trials (eg, randomized controlled trial, pre-post test). Studies were included if they targeted adults, if they were (partly) delivered by a mobile system, if they reported PA outcomes, if they used an experimental trial, and when they specifically compared the effect of different designs or implementations of persuasive strategies. The study methods, implementations, and designs of persuasive strategies, and the study results were systematically extracted from the literature by the reviewers.
RESULTS
A total of 29 experimental trials were identified. We found a heterogeneity in how the strategies are being implemented and designed. Moreover, the findings indicated that the implementation and design of the strategy has an influence on the effectiveness of the PA intervention. For instance, the effectiveness of rewarding was shown to vary between types of rewards; rewarding goal achievement seems to be more effective than rewarding each step taken. Furthermore, studies comparing different ways of goal setting suggested that assigning a goal to users might appear to be more effective than letting the user set their own goal, similar to using adaptively tailored goals as opposed to static generic goals. This study further demonstrates that only a few studies have examined the influence of different technical implementations on PA behavior.
CONCLUSIONS
The different implementations and designs of persuasive strategies in mHealth interventions should be critically considered when developing such interventions and before drawing conclusions on the effectiveness of the strategy as a whole. Future efforts are needed to examine which implementations and designs are most effective to improve the translation of theory-based persuasive strategies into practical delivery forms.
Topics: Adult; Exercise; Exercise Therapy; Humans; Motivation; Persuasive Communication; Telemedicine
PubMed: 33459598
DOI: 10.2196/16282 -
Public Health Nutrition Jan 2024Given the aggressive marketing of foods and beverages to teenagers on digital platforms, and the paucity of research documenting teen engagement with food marketing and...
OBJECTIVE
Given the aggressive marketing of foods and beverages to teenagers on digital platforms, and the paucity of research documenting teen engagement with food marketing and its persuasive content, the objective of this study is to examine what teenagers see as teen-targeted food marketing on four popular digital platforms and to provide insight into the persuasive power of that marketing.
DESIGN
This is an exploratory, participatory research study, in which teenagers used a special mobile app to capture all teen-targeted food and beverage marketing they saw on digital media for 7 d. For each ad, participants identified the brand, product and specific appeals that made it teen-targeted, as well as the platform on which it was found.
SETTING
Online (digital media) with teenagers in Canada.
PARTICIPANTS
Two hundred and seventy-eight teenagers, aged 13-17 years, were participated. Most participants were girls (63 %) and older teenagers (58 % aged 16-17 years).
RESULTS
Participants captured 1392 teen-targeted food advertisements from Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. The greatest number of food marketing examples came from Instagram (46 %) (with no difference across genders or age), while beverages (28·7 %), fast food (25·1 %) and candy/chocolate were the top categories advertised. When it comes to persuasive power, visual style was the top choice across all platforms and participants, with other top techniques (special offer, theme and humour), ranking differently, depending on age, gender and platform.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides insight into the nature of digital food marketing and its persuasive power for teenagers, highlighting considerations of selection and salience when it comes to examining food marketing and monitoring.
Topics: Adolescent; Female; Humans; Male; Internet; Food Industry; Food; Marketing; Advertising; Beverages; Fast Foods
PubMed: 38269541
DOI: 10.1017/S1368980024000235 -
PloS One 2023Existing task-oriented virtual agents can assist users with simple tasks like ticket booking, hotel reservations, etc. effectively and with high confidence. These...
PURPOSE
Existing task-oriented virtual agents can assist users with simple tasks like ticket booking, hotel reservations, etc. effectively and with high confidence. These virtual assistants, however, assume specific, predictable end-user behavior, such as predefined/servable objectives, which results in conversation failures in challenging situations, such as when goals are unavailable.
METHODOLOGY
Inspired by the practice and its efficacy, we propose an end-to-end framework for task-oriented persuasive dialogue generation that combines pre-training and reinforcement learning for generating context-aware persuasive responses. We utilize four novel rewards to improve consistency and repetitiveness in generated responses. Additionally, a meta-learning strategy has also been utilized to make the model parameters better for domain adaptation. Furthermore, we also curate a personalized persuasive dialogue (PPD) corpus, which contains utterance-level intent, slot, sentiment, and persuasion strategy annotation.
FINDINGS
The obtained results and detailed analysis firmly establish the effectiveness of the proposed persuasive virtual assistant over traditional task-oriented virtual assistants. The proposed framework considerably increases the quality of dialogue generation in terms of consistency and repetitiveness. Additionally, our experiment with a few shot and zero-shot settings proves that our meta-learned model learns to quickly adopt new domains with a few or even zero no. of training epochs. It outperforms the non-meta-learning-based approaches keeping the base model constant.
ORIGINALITY
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first effort to improve a task-oriented virtual agent's persuasiveness and domain adaptation.
Topics: Persuasive Communication; Learning; Reinforcement, Psychology
PubMed: 36602995
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275750