Online health promotion strategies and appeals in the USA and South Korea: a content analysis of weight-loss websites

Abstract

Despite the potential utility of the Internet as a health promotion medium, relatively few studies have been devoted to online health promotion strategies and appeals in cross-cultural settings. This study explores how theory-based health promotion strategies and appeals are used differently in US and South Korean weight-loss websites. The findings of this study indicate that collectivistic culture-bound health promotion strategies are more prevalent in South Korean weight-loss websites than in their US counterparts. Furthermore, testimonials were the most dominant appeals shared by the two countries’ websites while the use of advertising appeals (i.e., comparison, caricature/animation, demonstration, threat, and sex appeals) is significantly different between the two countries. Practical implications for both health communication and international advertising are discussed in detail.

Keywords:

• cultural difference
• online health promotion strategy
• advertising appeal
• weight-loss website

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Washington, DC, USA. The authors would like to thank Karen W. King and Vicki Freimuth for their invaluable contributions and input on this research.