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Abstract
This study examined the effects of sequencing different types of antismoking threat and efficacy appeals on smoking cessation intentions for smokers with low and high levels of readiness to quit. An experiment was done to test predictions based on Witte's (1992) Extended Parallel Process Model and research by Cho and Salmon (Citation2006). A national probability sample of 555 adult smokers was recruited to take part in this study. Results found a positive two-way interaction effect between message threat and perceived level of message efficacy on intentions to seek help for quitting. A three-way interaction effect was found between message threat, perceived level of message efficacy, and readiness to quit on quitting intentions. Both threat and efficacy were important for smokers with low readiness to quit, whereas efficacy was most important among smokers with high readiness to quit. Implications of the results for antismoking campaigns are discussed along with limitations and future directions.
Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Health Communication Division at the 2007 annual conference of the National Communication Association in Chicago, IL. This project was funded by a grant from the Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research at the University of Pennsylvania, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to acknowledge Amy Leader, Caryn Lerman, Andrew Strasser, Cabral Bigman, Megan Kasimatis, Danielle Mittermaier, and Mario Giorno for their assistance with this study.