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Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
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Concrete Messages Increase Healthy Eating Preferences
Emily Balcetis1, Madhumitha Manivannan1, E Blair Cox1
1Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education
|September 20, 2021
Summary
Public health messages promoting healthy eating are more effective when using concrete language. Describing specific outcomes, rather than abstract concepts, increases preferences for healthy foods.
Area of Science:
- Health Communication
- Behavioral Science
- Nutrition Psychology
Background:
- Public health campaigns aim to promote healthy eating habits through strategic messaging.
- Understanding message components that influence food preferences is crucial for effective health promotion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how message framing (gain vs. loss), language abstractness (abstract vs. concrete), and temporal distance (near vs. far outcomes) affect preferences for healthy foods.
Main Methods:
- An online experimental study involved 1676 American participants.
- Participants were exposed to health messages varying in framing, language abstractness, and temporal distance.
- Preferences for healthy versus unhealthy foods were measured.
Main Results:
- Concrete language significantly increased the frequency of choosing healthy foods over unhealthy foods.
- Message framing (gain vs. loss) did not significantly impact food preferences.
- Temporal distance to outcomes also did not significantly affect food preferences.
Conclusions:
- Concrete language in health messages may be a more effective strategy for motivating healthier food choices.
- Future public health campaigns should consider using concrete descriptions to enhance message impact.
- Findings contribute to theories of persuasion and social cognitive behavior.
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