Thesis
PROMOTING COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING UPTAKE: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FEAR APPEALS ON ATTITUDE, INTENTION, AND SELF-EFFICACY
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
12/2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000007260
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health concern being the third most diagnosed cancer in both men and women in the U.S. Regular screening can effectively reduce CRC incidence and mortality rates (Siegel et al., 2023). This study (N =155) examined the effectiveness of fear appeal messages in promoting CRC screening attitudes, intentions, and the potential moderating role of optimism. Based on the Extended Parallel Process Model, fear appeal and neutral control messages were designed and tested in an online experiment.
The study found no significant differences between fear appeal and control messages in their impact on perceived risks, efficacy beliefs, attitudes, or intentions toward CRC screening. The moderating effect of optimism was also not supported. Post-hoc analyses revealed that control messages were more effective in encouraging online information seeking about CRC screening.
These results suggest that fear appeals may not have enhanced participants' efficacy beliefs sufficiently, potentially leading to defensive responses rather than behavior change. The lack of moderation by optimism highlights the complex relationship between emotional appeals and health behavior change. Factors such as participants' readiness to change, potential message fatigue, and the need for more tailored communication strategies may have influenced the outcomes. The study's limitations include its single-exposure online design, reliance on self-reported measures, and demographically homogeneous sample. Future research should explore more diverse populations, utilize ecological momentary assessments, and investigate how messages can be tailored to different stages of behavior change readiness. Practical implications for health communicators in developing more effective CRC screening promotion strategies are discussed.
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Details
- Title
- PROMOTING COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING UPTAKE
- Creators
- Albert Junior Nyarko
- Contributors
- Wei Peng (Chair)Paul David Bolls (Committee Member)Porismita Borah (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 90
- Identifiers
- 99901195638301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis