Prevention and Intervention 2

Information-based intervention 

Information based intervention: provide information about risks (or benefits) of behavior 

Example: you should get a flow shot because it helps prevent you from getting the flu 

• This is usually not effective because people usually already know 

What are emotion-based interventions?

Emotion based intervention: may induce positive or negative emotions to motivate change behavior  

• Manipulated emotions to get someone on board to something 

E.g, fear based messages (another way to use emotion) 

Is it effective? No, not by themselves

How effective are fear-based interventions (e.g., Leventhal et al., 1965)? 

• Fear-based messages can make people feel guilty knowing they are doing something they arent supposed to do 

Problem: anxiety leads to impaired cognitive processing if there's too much fear  

-fear by itself isn't sufficient to have a health behavior change

People fail to learn when they are scared  

  - remember fear and anxiety 

How effective are information-based interventions (e.g., Leventhal et al., 1965)?

Leventhal et al., tetanus shots 

• Fear + strategy (students were shown images n were given fear but were told how the campus has free tetanus shots and gave them steps/strategeties)(many got the tetanus shot)  

• Fear only (students were told all the gory details of people with tetanus and were shown images) (hardly anybody got the tetanus shot) 

Takeaway: While the information-only condition resulted in zero tetanus shots, the fear + strategy condition resulted in more vaccines. 

The younger generation focuses on

• Focus on short-term consequences 

Younger individuals tend to be affected more by short-term consequences instead of long-term. 

• Image of having a particular condition 

Statistical significance doesn't really affect people but imaging does 

• Example: how during COVID we were shown how airplanes kept crashing down

What factors contribute to the effectiveness of fear-based interventions?

Fear appeals

When does fear work? 

• Moderate level of fear

• Provide a specific strategy for change 

Give people enough fear to motivate change with goals or steps in order to do the behavior 

What are behavioral nudges?

Behavioral nudges: interventions that aim to promote positive behaviors without limiting choice (Thaler and Sunstein)

• Example: at a campus lunch, what you see first is desserts instead of food, which nudges you to get the dessert 

• Making a desired behavior easier for you to do 

What were the results of Dai et al.’s (2021) study on behavioral nudges and Covid-19 vaccinations?

Intervention to increase COVID vaccine behavior (Dai et al) 

To test whether people will or will not get the vaccine 

• Sent invitations to schedule vaccine appointments to patients 

• IV: randomized to receive a test message reminder to schedule an appointment and link to the scheduling website 

• IV: addressed motivation with message creating feelings of psychological ownership (this worked) vs. no message increasing ownership that it belongs to them (the vaccine has just been made available for you; claim your dose)  

People either did or did not get a message for COVID vaccine 

• IV: video (challenging misperceptions about vaccine, increasing vaccine intentions) vs. no video

Takeaway: the behavior nudge of getting a text reminder was effective 

Takeaway: The most effective type of nudge was the one that included a type of ownership

What were the 5 conditions of Dai et al.'s study?

5 conditions:

Holdout group didn't get anything 

Ownership reminder with video 

Basic reminder with video 

Owner reminder 

Basic reminder