Young People’s Response to Intended ‘Shocking’ Road Safety Messages (Traffic Safety Education Workshop 2007)

A popular form of health message is the fear appeal – to scare people into change

Fear appeals can be effective – only if: properly designed do more than just frighten

Fear is multidimensional Pushing somebody to change their behaviour when

they are not ready, invariably leads to resistance

Fear Appeals

Fear appeals create an impression of message effectiveness

Unfortunately audience judgments of perceived effectiveness of an advertisement has been shown NOT to be a reliable predictor of behaviour

To be effective, media campaign should be integrated with supportive activities

TAC Media Campaigns provides public education support to enforcement activities, legislative change and raises community awareness

Fear Appeals

The Deficit Model

Pre-existing beliefs, attitudes and prior behaviour acts as a screen for messages from the media and society

Prior knowledge and experiences determine the extent to which threat communications are accepted/discounted and subsequent strategies they engage in

Young people are in a critical stage of development – when they shift their key point of reference from family to peer group

Young People

Young people more likely to assess risks for opportunity for gains, compared to adults who tend to focus on opportunity for loss

Opportunity for gain – include peer approval, self-image, self-esteem

Need to understand What belief do young people hold? Who are their relevant referents? What are the barriers to desired behaviour change?

Young People

Shock tactics are designed to lead to fear response and subsequent behaviour change

Shock tactics can evoke a range of affective responses including fear, anger, puzzlement, guilt, shame

It cannot be assumed that a threat appeal will evoke a fear response

Fear is multidimensional and complex Inhibitory Fear – where the audience makes an effort

to reduce the anxiety caused by the stimulus Anticipatory Fear – related to the perceived likelihood

of experience the threat, where the aim is the deal with the threat rather than avoid the anxiety

Shock Tactics and Fear

Fear can evoke a range of cognitive responses: Third Person Effect Optimistic Bias Maladaptive Coping Responses

Fatalism Avoidance Religious faith reliance Inaccurate information beliefs Denial

Shock Tactics

People motivated to take action to protect themselves from a health threat, according to:

Severity - Perceived severity of threat Vulnerability - Perceived probability of its

occurrence Response Efficacy - Perceived efficacy of

advocated response Self Efficacy - Perceived self-efficacy to perform

the response

Protection Motivation Theory – Rogers (1983)

Vulnerability – predictive of intention and behaviour

Response Efficacy – predictive of intention

Tay & Watson 2002:

1. Low/Moderate Fear & High Response Efficacy

2. High Fear & High Response Efficacy

3. High Fear & Low Response Efficacy

Shock tactics – what works

Frames – Tversky and Kahneman Emotional Interest Concreteness Proximity Delivery and wording appropriate to the target group

Communication Features of Shock Tactics

The health message must penetrate several levels of passive and active defenses

Threat based advertising while relevant and influential for some segments, may not be relevant and influential for the entire audience Fear more effective with adults and with children

or young people Fear arousing messages more effective for the

converted

Shock Tactics and Young People

Fail to increase perception of vulnerability Fail to promote high response efficacy – instead

maladaptive actions occur As fear appeals increase in strength, so do

defensive responses

Why Shock Tactics fail

Shock Tactics – HIV / AIDSThe Grim Reaper Campaign

Given the 2 distinct (heterogeneous) target groups – focus on the toxic side effects of antiviral treatments

To increase sense of vulnerability:1. Risk of HIV transmission

2. HIV Transmission

3. Disease Progression

4. Increased viral load – antiviral therapy recommended

5. Antivirals associated with lipodystrophy/lipoatrophy prescribed

6. Lipodystrophy/lipoatrophy develops

Why not Grim Reaper II ?

Confuses the debate about HIV transmission Significant possibility of detrimental effects

Reduce QoL for people living with HIV HIV positive individuals deferring, rejecting or poorly

adhering to antiviral therapy Increased disease progression among HIV positive Increased communal viral pool Increases in HIV transmission

Why not Grim Reaper II ?

Quit Victoria has conducted graphic smoking cessation campaigns for many years

Negative health effects of smoking well known and undisputable

Tools Taxes on cigarettes Regulations at point of sale Advertising ban on cigarette promotion Quit programs, Quitline, pharmacological quitting aids Anti-smoking mass media campaigns

Shock Tactics – Smoking CessationQUIT Campaign 1998

Shock Tactics – Smoking CessationQUIT Campaign 1998

Shock Tactics – Smoking CessationQUIT Campaign 1998

NOT stand alone media campaigns! Effective Shock Tactic Campaigns integrated into

evidence-based behavioural programs in the community. Drive Drive – Random breath testing, increase

penalties and enforcement Grim Reaper – Safe Sex Education, Free Needle

Exchange programs QUIT – Quitline, Quit programs in workplaces,

advertising bans at point of sale, smoking restrictions Stand-alone/One-off events or campaigns – do not

work.

Effective Shock Tactic Campaigns

Whilst fear appeals may have a motivational role, prevention programs are more like to be effective if they focus on:

Building Decision Making Skills General Coping Skills Assertive Skills / Resist Peer Pressure Self-Esteem/Self-efficacy Encourage Conversations/Discussions Similar Communicator & Credible

Things to Remember When Working with Young People

Provides New Facts Disablement Rather Than Death / Short Term and

Social (Peer) Effects Personal Relevance Avoid A Paternalistic Approach Avoid A Didactic Approach Avoid Single, One-off “Events” Low-Moderate Fear & High Response Efficacy

Things to Remember When Working with Young People