Narrative Health Communication and Behavior Change: The Influence of Exemplars in the News on Intention to Quit Smoking

Hyun Suk Kim, Cabral A. Bigman, Amy E. Leader, Caryn Lerman, Joseph N. Cappella

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study investigated psychological mechanisms underlying the effect of narrative health communication on behavioral intention. Specifically, the study examined how exemplification in news about successful smoking cessation affects recipients' narrative engagement, thereby changing their intention to quit smoking. Nationally representative samples of U.S. adult smokers participated in 2 experiments. The results from the 2 experiments consistently showed that smokers reading a news article with an exemplar experienced greater narrative engagement compared to those reading an article without an exemplar. Those who reported more engagement were in turn more likely to report greater smoking cessation intentions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)473-492
Number of pages20
JournalJournal of Communication
Volume62
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2012
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication
  • Language and Linguistics
  • Linguistics and Language

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Narrative Health Communication and Behavior Change: The Influence of Exemplars in the News on Intention to Quit Smoking'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this