Healthy Skepticism Library item: 19054

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Schwartz LM, Woloshin S.
The case for letting information speak for itself.
Eff Clin Pract 2001; 4:(2):76-9
http://www.acponline.org/clinical_information/journals_publications/ecp/marapr01/schwartz.htm

Abstract:

Some health messages, like those in Figure 1, use fear to persuade people to do the “right” thing to stay healthy. These messages are motivated by the belief that if more people adopted specific healthy behaviors (e.g., had mammograms, ate more fruits and vegetables, stayed out of the sun), they would live longer, healthier lives. While some persuasive messages encourage people to adopt a recommended behavior by making them feel good (e.g., “do something healthy, eat 5 fruits a day”), many use fear to promote change (e.g., “do this or else…”). The messages in Figure 1 say that “if you feel well, you may still be sick—you may even have cancer.” Are these messages fair? Do they promote health? The purpose of this essay is to consider different types of health messages, to highlight some problems with persuasive messages (particularly scary ones), and to make recommendations about when persuasion might be justified and when we should let the information speak for itself. …

Keywords:
Health Behavior* Health Education* Humans Patient Acceptance of Health Care* Persuasive Communication*