Promoting Physical Activity With Group Pictures. Affiliation-Based Visual Communication for High-Risk Populations. Issue 2 (1st February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reifegerste, Doreen; Rossmann, Constanze
• Is Part Of: Health communication. Volume 32:Issue 2(2017)
• Page Start: 161
• Page End: 168
• Publication Date: 2017-02-01
• Subjects: Communication in medicine -- Periodicals; Health in mass media -- Periodicals; 362.1014
• DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2015.1110007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1041-0236

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Past research in social and health psychology has shown that affiliation motivation is associated with health behavior, especially for high-risk populations, suggesting that targeting this motivation could be a promising strategy to promote physical activity. However, the effects that affiliation appeals (e.g., pictures depicting companionship during physical activities) and accompanying slogans have on motivating physical activity have been largely unexplored. Hence, our two studies experimentally tested the effects of exposure to affiliation-based pictures for overweight or less active people, as well as the moderating effect of affiliation motivation. The results of these two studies give some indication that group pictures (with or without an accompanying slogan) can be an effective strategy to improve high-risk populations' attitudes, self-efficacy, and intentions to engage in physical activity. Affiliation motivation as a personality trait did not interact with these effects, but was positively associated with attitudes, independent of the group picture effect.