Source Credibility and Evidence Format: Examining the Effectiveness of HIV/AIDS Messages for Young African Americans

Abstract

Using experimental methodology, this study tests the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention messages tailored specifically to college-aged African Americans. To test interaction effects, it intersects source role and evidence format. The authors used gain-framed and loss-framed information specific to young African Americans and HIV to test message effectiveness between statistical and emotional evidence formats, and for the first time, a statistical/emotional combination format. It tests which source—physician or minister—that young African Americans believe is more effective when delivering HIV/AIDS messages to young African Americans. By testing the interaction between source credibility and evidence format, this research expands knowledge on creating effective health messages in several major areas. Findings include a significant interaction between the role of physician and the combined statistical/emotional format. This message was rated as the most effective way to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention messages.

Notes

¹Messages were pretested with a group of 24 students. Students identified the profession of each source correctly (physician: 24 correctly identified; minister: 23 correctly identified). During the pretest, students were asked to identify whether each message was primarily emotional, statistical, or combined emotional/statistical. Although we did not find significant differences between evidence formats because of the lack of power, the means were in the appropriate direction.

²Before the messages were pretested, a group of 20 students identified whether the statements used in the messages were statistical or emotional and whether the statements were gain or loss. All 20 students identified whether the statements were emotional or statistical correctly, 18 students identified the loss statements correctly, and 19 identified the gain statements correctly.

³To control for order effects, alternate versions of the messages were recorded. One version included HIV testing first and condom use second. The second version included condom use first and HIV testing second. The counterbalancing was effective. No differences occurred on the basis of which message participants viewed first.

⁴Stories were pretested with a group of 24 students. Students identified the profession of each source correctly (physician: 24 correctly identified, minister: 23 correctly identified; differences were significant). The researchers tried to find an African American female physician to participate in the study, but scheduling conflicts preventing anyone from helping us. During the pilot test, students were asked whether they believed the physician was a physician and the minister was a minister: 24 students said they believed the physician was a physician and 23 said they believed the minister was a minister. A second pilot test was conducted with 20 students, and all 20 said both the physician and the minister were credible and believable.

⁵Analysis produced no significant findings between the students from the historically Black colleges and universities and the students attending the other university.

⁶We used the questions about source attractiveness to check for any differences between the minister or physician. There was not a significant difference in attractiveness between the two sources. This is the result we wanted because we were only interested in the effect of the source's occupation not their physical appearance.

⁷The questions for message effectiveness and message characteristics may also be found at http://www.msu.edu/~wittek/scale/html.

The credibility index ranged from 20 to 140.

*p < .05.

Easiness of HIV testing ranged from 1 to 7.

*p < .05.