Interplay of threat appeal and presentation form on health message processing outcomes

Abstract

This study examined the interplay of threat appeal and message presentation form on memory, arousal, attitudes, and behavioral intention. An experimental study found that message presentation form significantly moderates the effect of threat appeal on choosing public service announcements (PSAs) for friends who want to quit smoking, such that a more frequent choice for high threat appeal-based PSAs was found for those participants who saw PSAs in a dynamic form than for those who saw PSAs in a static form. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.