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Do media messages change people's risk perceptions for binge drinking?
1Department of Psychology, Centre for the Study of Health and Well-Being, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
Alcohol and Alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)
|May 20, 2011
Summary
Media health messages effectively reduce comparative optimism regarding alcohol-related risks. Imagining oneself in anti-drinking scenarios enhances this effect, demonstrating the power of imagination in risk perception modification.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Health Communication
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Binge drinking among young adults poses significant health risks.
- Understanding how media messages influence risk perception is crucial for public health interventions.
- Comparative optimism, the tendency to perceive oneself as less vulnerable than others, can impede risk-reducing behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the impact of a media health message about drinking on young adults' risk perception estimates.
- To compare the effects of actively imagining versus passively watching an anti-drinking scenario.
Main Methods:
- Young adults who regularly consumed alcohol were exposed to an anti-drinking scenario.
- Two intervention groups: 'imagine' (n=30) and 'watch' (n=35).
- A control group (n=59) completed questionnaires without the scenario exposure. Comparative optimism was assessed for alcohol-related accidents, unprotected sex, car accidents, and cirrhosis.
Main Results:
- Both intervention groups showed significantly lower comparative optimism for accidents and unprotected sex compared to the control group.
- The 'imagine' group exhibited significantly lower comparative optimism for accidents than the 'watch' group.
- Media messages demonstrably alter risk perception, with imagination amplifying this effect.
Conclusions:
- Media health messages can effectively modify risk perception related to alcohol consumption.
- The use of imagination in conjunction with media messages is a potent strategy for altering risk perceptions associated with binge drinking.
- Interventions leveraging imaginative engagement may be more effective in reducing optimistic bias regarding alcohol-related harms.
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