Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Perceived and Actual Message Effectiveness: A Randomized Trial.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Communication Studies
• Psychology

Background:

• Adolescent vaping remains a significant public health concern.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of public health campaigns is crucial for optimizing their impact.
• Understanding the relationship between how messages are perceived and their actual effects is key to developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between perceived message effectiveness (PME) and actual message effectiveness (AME) in a randomized trial of vaping prevention advertisements.
• To determine if PME can predict AME among adolescents exposed to anti-vaping messages.
• To investigate the mediating role of PME in the relationship between advertising exposure and vaping susceptibility.

Main Methods:

• A 3-week randomized trial involving 1,514 US adolescents.
• Participants were assigned to view either "The Real Cost" vaping prevention ads or control videos.
• Surveys assessed perceived message effectiveness (effects and message perceptions) and actual message effectiveness (susceptibility to vaping) at multiple time points.

Main Results:

• "The Real Cost" ads significantly reduced susceptibility to vaping compared to control ads (improved AME).
• Higher PME ratings (both effects and message perceptions) were elicited by the intervention ads.
• PME at baseline predicted reduced susceptibility to vaping across all follow-up assessments.

Conclusions:

• Perceived message effectiveness, particularly effects perceptions, is strongly related to actual message effectiveness in reducing adolescent vaping susceptibility.
• PME can serve as a valuable tool in pre-testing messages to identify those with the greatest potential for behavior change.
• Findings support the use of PME as a predictor of campaign success in public health communication efforts targeting youth.