Culturally tailored narrative evidence about family health history: a moderated mediation analysis

ABSTRACT

This study tests a theoretical model named the Extended Elaboration Likelihood Model for Narrative Evidence Processing (EELM-NEP) to investigate associations between message processing, message outcomes, and behavioral intentions (BI) in the context of family health history communication. Furthermore, to investigate the role of cultural tailoring within these associations, this study explores how the type of culturally tailored narrative evidence and participants’ cultural identity moderate the relationships between message processing, message outcomes, and BI. A percentile bootstrap method and pairwise comparison tests in structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed. According to the results, identification significantly predicted engagement, and engagement had significant and positive effects on perceived message quality (PMQ), comprehension, perceived message effectiveness (PME), and BI. PME and resistance to counter-arguing significantly and positively affected BI. Importantly, the EELM-ENP model as well as pairwise comparison tests revealed that the messages were more effective when the participants read culturally distant messages. Findings suggest that cultural novelty might be more effective than cultural closeness in narrative persuasion.

KEYWORDS:

• Narrative persuasion
• narrative evidence
• family health history
• cultural tailoring
• cultural novelty

Acknowledgments

This study is based on the author’s doctoral dissertation. She wishes to thank her dissertation committee members, Dr. Roxanne Parrott (dissertation advisor), Dr. Jon Nussbaum, Dr. Rachel Smith, and Dr. Collins Airhihenbuwa for the insight they provided during her doctoral research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Soo Jung Hong is a postdoctoral fellow in Huntsman Cancer Institute – the University of Utah. Her academic interest centers on the development of culturally tailored health messages and socio-cultural influences on individuals' health-related beliefs and behaviors.