Keeping it Natural: Does Persuasive Magazine Content Have an Effect on Young Women’s Intentions for Birth?

Abstract

Information in the popular media tends to be biased toward promoting the benefits of medicalized birth for low-risk pregnancies. We aimed to assess the effect of communicating the benefits of non-medicalized birth in magazine articles on women’s birth intentions and to identify the mechanisms by which social communication messages affected women’s intentions for birth. A convenience sample of 180 nulliparous Australian women aged 18–35 years were randomly exposed to a magazine article endorsing non-medicalized birth (using either celebrity or non-celebrity endorsement) or organic eating (control) throughout June–July 2011. Magazine articles that endorsed non-medicalized birth targeted perceived risk of birth, expectations for labor and birth, and attitudes toward birth. These variables and intention for birth were assessed by self-report before and after exposure. Exposure to a magazine article that endorsed non-medicalized birth significantly reduced women’s intentions for a medicalized birth, regardless of whether the endorsement was by celebrities or non-celebrities. Changes in perceived risk of birth mediated the effect of magazine article exposure on women’s intentions for a medicalized birth. Persuasive communication that endorses non-medicalized birth could be delivered at the population level and may reduce women’s intentions for a medicalized birth.

KEYWORDS:

• celebrities
• childbirth
• intention
• intervention
• magazines
• media
• public health

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are thankful to those women who participated in this study. The authors are also grateful to Rachel Thompson for her advice on creating the magazine article stimuli, to Julie Hennegan for her guidance on the mediation analyses, and to Gabrielle Stevens and Helen Haines for providing comments on earlier drafts of this article. This study formed part of Kate Young’s honors thesis in Psychology from the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. Yvette Miller was supported by the Queensland Government during the time this work was completed. The authors acknowledge that this work is based on a fundamental philosophical position that respects and prioritizes women’s right to autonomy and self-determination in their health care decision-making.