Health marketing communications: An integrated conceptual framework of key determinants of health behaviour across the stages of change

Abstract

Despite the development of many health behaviour theories across various topics, the inconsistency in empirical support for their propositions and the on-going criticism about their limitations highlight the need for an adjusted and integrated approach. These theories have never been ‘abandoned’ or altered significantly to address their limitations, since their conceptualisations. The aim of this paper was to make a conceptual contribution by integrating distinct health behaviour theories (i.e. Health Belief Model, Extended Parallel Process Model, Transtheoretical Model), with a popular information-processing and attitude change theory from the marketing communications arena (namely, the Elaboration Likelihood Model). The specific objectives of this paper were: (1) to address limitations of prevailing health behaviour theories, by identifying key determinants of health behaviour across the most commonly used health behaviour theories; (2) to identify source, consumer, channel, and message characteristics, in addition to executional/situational factors and attitudinal variables, which may influence health behaviour; and lastly, (3) to explain under which conditions (i.e. stage of change) these determinants and factors are likely to impact health behaviour change and maintenance. In doing so, four assumptions and several propositions are developed. Future research directions and practical implications for creating health marketing communication messages are also discussed.

Keywords::

• marketing communications
• health behaviour determinants
• stages of change
• attitude change
• information processing

Notes

^1. For consistency and simplification purposes, in this paper we use the term ‘consumers’ (instead of similar terms such as individuals, people, populations, segments, etc.) to describe the potential recipients of health marketing communication messages. This term has been used regularly in marketing and health literatures, and does not imply the purchase of health-related products.

^2. See Section 3.3.4 for a review of literature related to this proposition and for evidence from prior empirical work in regards to the effects of these factors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Danae Manika

Danae Manika is a Lecturer in Marketing at the School of Business and Management, at Queen Mary University of London. Her research interests fall broadly within the areas of consumer behaviour and marketing communications, often with a focus on health and environmental issues and behaviour change. Her other research interests include social marketing and advertising. Before joining Queen Mary University of London, she worked as a Lecturer in Marketing at Durham University Business School, and prior to that as an Assistant Instructor in Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin, in the USA, where she also received her Ph.D. Her research has been published in journals, such as the Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Marketing Management, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Health Marketing Quarterly and the Academy of Health Care Management Journal.

Diana Gregory-Smith

Diana Gregory-Smith is a Lecturer in Marketing at the Management School, University of Sheffield. Her research interests lie in the area of consumer psychology (particularly applied to ethical/environmental consumption) and social marketing (in relation to health and environmental experiments among both consumers and employees). She is also interested in tourism marketing. Prior to joining Sheffield University, she was Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Durham and a Teaching Assistant in Marketing at Nottingham University Business School. Diana published both in subject-specific and interdisciplinary journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Marketing Management, International Journal of Tourism Research and Interface Focus. She has also contributed with a chapter on Marketing Innovations for Sustainable Destinations, edited by Fyall, A. et al. published in 2009.