How public health campaigns promote public health disparities

Journal article


Gans, R. 2019. How public health campaigns promote public health disparities. Southern Communication Journal. 85 (2), pp. 85-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2019.1704048
AuthorsGans, R.
Abstract

It is often claimed that interventions aimed at promoting healthy behaviors tend to be most effective among people whose behavior least needs to change and least effective among those most in need of change. If true, the inevitable result would be widening disparities in health engagement between these groups. Using a between-subjects experimental design, this study examined the effects of a directive advocacy message based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on groups with different pre-existing levels of engagement in healthy behaviors. The results confirmed that, compared to effects of a non-persuasive control message, the TPB-based message produced greater disparities in engagement between the group lowest in pre-existing health engagement and groups with greater pre-existing levels of engagement. The study suggests well-intended public health initiatives may seem to provide a net benefit to society but, in fact, actually contribute to the persistence of the disparities they attempt to address.

KeywordsBoomerang effects; Health disparities; Patient engagement; Health engagement; Health communication; Public health campaigns;; Theory of planned behavior (TPB)
Year2019
JournalSouthern Communication Journal
Journal citation85 (2), pp. 85-96
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN1041-794X
1930-3203
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2019.1704048
Official URLhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1041794X.2019.1704048
Publication dates
Online17 Dec 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited14 Nov 2022
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Output statusPublished
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https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/93151/how-public-health-campaigns-promote-public-health-disparities

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