Enhancing web-based kidney disease prevention messages for Hispanics using targeting and tailoring

The goal of this experiment was to assess the effects of targeted and tailored web-based messages on Hispanics' perceived susceptibility to kidney disease, and on their intention to talk to a doctor about kidney disease (the recommended behavior). Two-hundred-seventeen English-speaking Hispanics age 40 and older were recruited using an online survey service, and they were assigned randomly to read one of four messages (i.e., control, generic, targeted, and tailored). The hypothesis predicted a positive linear trend between type of message received and perceived susceptibility and intentions. Results were partially consistent with this hypothesis. Specifically, perceived susceptibility to kidney disease was highest in the tailored condition, followed by the generic and targeted conditions (which did not differ from each other), followed by the control condition where perceived susceptibility was the lowest. For behavioral intention, those in the tailored, targeted, and generic conditions did not differ from one an other; however, all three did report greater intentions to ask a doctor about kidney disease than those in the control condition. The theoretical and practical insights and implications of these findings are discussed.