Effects of Responsibility Attribution and Message Source on Young Adults' Health Attitudes and Behaviors

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of message attributes on responses to health messages. The authors examined 3 variables—responsibility attribution (individual vs. social), source (personal blog vs. online magazine), and illness (stigmatized vs. nonstigmatized)—for effects on young adults' health-related attitudes and behaviors. Responsibility attributions influenced attitudes about individual responsibility for health but did not alter participants' behavioral intentions. Further, individuals exposed to a story from a health magazine exhibited stronger intentions to communicate about health than individuals exposed to a personal health blog. Although women's attitudes regarding social responsibility for health did not differ by illness type or responsibility attribution, men's attitudes did.

Notes

¹Few respondents had had an STI (5.8%), HPV (3.9%), or skin cancer (2.6%). Nearly 91% had tanned in the sun. These variables were eliminated as alternative explana-tions.

²None of the remaining alternative variables (knowing someone with cervical cancer, knowing someone with HPV, knowing someone with an STI, and having used a tanning parlor) had important effects on dependent variables. The sole significant effect was the main effect of having used a tanning parlor on intentions to communicate, but the effect was small (effect size =.042). The next largest effect size was .024.

Note. Effect of type of attitude significant, p = .000; effect of Responsibility × Attitude interaction significant, p = .001.

Note. Interaction among gender, responsibility, and cancer type significant, p = .007.