Message Framing in Consumer Food Conservation: The Interaction Effects of Message Framing and Time Metaphors

Effects of message framing and health literacy on intention to perform diabetes self-care: A randomized controlled trial

Many adults worldwide do not meet current physical activity (PA) guidelines. Mental fatigue decreases the likelihood of choosing to engage in PA. Message framing may enhance PA motivation when fatigued. We examined the effects of mental fatigue and message framing on PA motivation with additional focus on the messaging "congruency effect." Three hundred and twenty undergraduates completed measures of dispositional motivational orientation and were exposed to either gain-framed or loss-framed messages before completing an effort discounting questionnaire. Results showed lower motivation to engage in PA of higher intensities and longer durations. Direct effects of message framing on PA motivation were not significant. Interaction effects revealed that participants receiving messages congruent with their dominant motivational orientation showed increased motivation for light-intensity PA and decreased motivation for vigorous-intensity PA as mental fatigue increased. Findings suggest that providing messages congruent with one's dominant motivational orientation may increase motivation for engaging in light-intensity PA when fatigued.

We adopted a two-way analysis of variance to evaluate the effect of positive and negative message framing and consumers' regulatory focus (promotion- and prevention-focused) on the perceived credibility of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and purchase intention. Participants were 344 adults in Taiwan aged between 20 and 60 years. Results show that (a) prevention-focused (vs. promotion-focused) consumers perceived eWOM had greater credibility when they were presented with a negatively framed message, (b) negative (vs. positive) message framing increased the perceived credibility of eWOM for prevention-focused consumers, (c) promotion-focused (vs. preventionfocused) consumers had a stronger purchase intention when presented with a positively framed message, and (d) both prevention- and promotion-focused consumers had stronger purchase intention when exposed to a positively (vs. negatively) framed message. Our findings may provide a reference for companies to establish a set of eWOM marketing strategies.

Purpose In an era of information overload, advertising is an effective mean of influencing consumers’ food preferences. This study focuses on advertising message design and explores how temporal distance and message framing can be effectively combined to promote healthy food consumption. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in construal level theory, this study developed a conceptual model to examine the interactive effect of temporal distance (present vs. future) and message framing (positive vs. negative) on healthy food purchase intentions through three studies. Findings Study 1 found that when the message was negatively framed, the present temporal distance significantly increased purchase intentions for healthy food. In contrast, no significant effect of temporal distance was observed in positive framing. Study 2 discovered that conceptual fluency mediates this interaction effect. Study 3 demonstrated the moderating effect of general health interest (GHI). Specifically, a significant interaction effect between temporal distance and message framing on healthy food purchase intentions was observed only among consumers with low GHI, while those with high GHI were unaffected by message design. Research limitations/implications This study reveals that multidimensional message designs (temporal distance and message framing) in advertising influence consumers’ healthy food purchases through information processing mechanism (conceptual fluency), thereby enriching research related to message design and information processing in persuasive communication and providing valuable theoretical insights into healthy food advertising. Based on the findings of this study, the stakeholders, including managers, marketers and government agencies in the health food and wellness industry, can create more effective advertisements to promote healthy consumption, which enhances both business outcome and overall social benefits. Practical implications Based on the findings of this study, the stakeholders, including managers, marketers and government agencies in the health food and wellness industry, can create more effective advertisements to promote healthy consumption, which enhance both business outcome and overall social benefits. Originality/value In the healthy consumption context, this study elucidates the critical role of message framing in influencing how temporal distance affects consumers’ purchase intention from a persuasive advertising design perspective. Furthermore, it identifies the underlying information processing mechanism underpinning this interactive effect, which enriches the theoretical understanding of the mechanisms driving healthy food advertising effectiveness.

Roughly half of all new sexually transmitted infections (STI) occur in adolescent and college-aged populations. College students tend to underestimate their personal risks of contracting STIs. Consequently, many college students do not engage in protective behaviors that would reduce STI transmission rates. This study examined the effect of source credibility (high vs. low) and message framing (positive vs. negative) on college students’ behavioral intentions to get screened for STIs via a 2 × 2 experiment (n = 207). Further, drawing on both Prospect Theory and Protection Motivation Theory, the study tested whether coping and threat appraisals mediated the effects of source credibility and message framing on behavioral intentions. Results reveal that both highly credible sources and negatively framed messages influenced behavioral intentions to screen for STIs. However, the interaction term of source credibility by message frame was not significant. Mediation models suggested that efficacy perceptions partially explained the effect of source credibility on behavioral intentions, but not for the effect of message framing. Perceptions of severity and susceptibility did not mediate the effect of either source credibility or message framing. Practical and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

This study examined the effects of message framing, image valence, and issue involvement on consumers’ advertising attitudes, brand attitudes and purchase intention in the context of green advertising. A 2 (message frame: gain vs. loss) X 2 (image valence: positive vs. negative) between-subjects randomized experimental study was conducted to address the proposed hypotheses. A total of 285 participants of the main study was recruited. This study found congruency between message framing and image valences affected consumers’ advertising and brand attitudes, and purchase intention. Consumers had positive advertising and brand attitudes toward gain-framing with positive image while they had negative advertising and brand attitudes toward loss-framing with negative image. However, for incongruent advertising, the effects of image valence diminished the effects of message framing. Specifically, regardless of message framing, positive images triggered positive advertising and brand attitudes while negative images lead to negative advertising and brand attitudes, and purchase intention. Last, this study found interesting results about issue involvement as a moderator. When consumers with low involvement were exposed to incongruent green advertising, image valence had stronger effects on their advertising and brand attitudes than message framing. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Engaging in regular physical activity and a healthy diet, in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, have robust benefits on physical and mental health. One way to influence behaviour change is by improving the effectiveness of health communication. This study of 190 participants explored the effectiveness of message framing and temporal focus on behavioural intention to increase physical activity and improve diet. In this cross-sectional between-subjects design, ANCOVAs were conducted to investigate the main effects of message frame, message focus and the interaction effects on behavioural intentions with respect to diet and PA. Furthermore, regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of behavioural intentions (including perceived stress and BMI). Previous research suggests that BMI moderates responses to gain-framed messages, while stress impairs impulse control and affects dietary choice, making them critical variables in understanding behaviour change. Therefore, BMI and stress are included in the study because both factors could influence health behaviours and the effectiveness of message framing. There were no significant main effects or two-way interactions for the frame of focus on intentions to be more physically active. However, there was a significant three-way interaction between temporal focus, message frame and stress, such that people with higher perceived stress had a greater intention to improve their diet when the message was gain-farmed and had a focus on short-term rather than long-term gains. Furthermore, BMI was a significant predictor of both diet and intentions to be more physically active. The findings highlight the need for more research on the potential efficacy of message framing in health communication for preventive behaviours.

The debate about which communication strategies are most effective for inducing consumers to behave sustainably remains open, despite growing attention on more sustainable forms of fashion consumption. To further this understanding, we investigate the effectiveness of positive and negative message framing in promoting sustainable fashion consumption, where the beneficial versus detrimental environmental consequences of choosing second-hand clothing were highlighted. Across two experiments, positively framed messages were more effective than negatively framed ones in prompting consumers to engage in sustainable fashion consumption. Elevation was the anticipated emotion responsible for this effect, while consumers’ subjective beliefs about the ethicality of advertising messages promoting sustainable consumption served as a moderator. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of this research together with its limitations and directions for future research.

With the advancement of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) technology, understanding drivers’ responses to takeover requests is crucial for ensuring safety and operational efficiency when driving with ADAS. However, existing research mainly focused on providing information through different modalities (e.g., visual or audial), while the combined effects of transparency and message framing on drivers' perception and behaviors when faced with takeover requests have not been thoroughly explored from an information design-based perspective. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of transparency (i.e., transparent vs. not transparent) and message framing (i.e., gain vs. loss) on drivers’ perceptions of designed information and behaviors (takeover time, emotional reaction, and message attitude) during takeover requests. Thus, the experiment employed a 2×2 within-subject design, with 31 participants (i.e., 23 females and 8 males) completing a driving simulator study featuring four distinct message prompts. The results indicated that: (1) The transparency significantly impacts drivers’ takeover performance, with longer takeover time observed when the information is not transparent; (2) The message framing significantly influences drivers’ emotional reactions, in which loss-framed messages evoke stronger emotional reactions compared to gain-framed messages; (3) Both the transparency and message framing significantly influence drivers’ attitudes towards the designed messages. More specifically, transparent messages generally result in more positive attitudes, while gain-framed messages consistently lead to higher message attitudes compared to loss-framed messages. The findings of this study underscore the critical role of transparency and message framing in enhancing the safety of drivers when driving with ADAS, which could be used to guide the design of human-machine interaction interfaces, foster drivers’ acceptance of ADAS, and further calibrate drivers’ mental models of and trust in ADAS.

PurposeConsumers frequently have to choose between products that differ in price and quality. This study aims to hypothesize that involvement would moderate the effect of message framing on consumers' perceived monetary gain when considering cheaper products, as well as on product choice.Design/methodology/approachA total of 238 participants were randomly assigned to either a positively or a negatively framed message, and either a high or low involvement condition.FindingsThe study finds that presented with a negative relative to positive frame, highly involved participants perceived a higher monetary gain when purchasing the cheaper product; no corresponding differences were found for low‐involved participants. Message framing did not affect either highly or low‐involved participants' product choice.Research limitations/implicationsExplanations for the results are offered and future research is suggested in order to determine whether the effect of message framing on the perceived monetary gain of highly involved consumers choosing cheaper products does affect their product choice.Practical implicationsIf future research confirms this hypothesis, both retailers and highly involved consumers should consider the possible effect of message framing on the perceived monetary gain and on the choice between products that differ in price and quality.Originality/valueThis study is the first demonstration of the moderating effect of involvement on the effect of message framing on consumers' perceived monetary gain when choosing between products that differ in price and quality.

This study examined the effect of message framing on African American women’s intention to participate in health-related research and actual registration in ResearchMatch (RM), a disease-neutral, national volunteer research registry. A community-engaged approach was used involving collaboration between an academic medical center and a volunteer service organization formed by professional women of color. A self-administered survey that contained an embedded message framing manipulation was distributed to more than 2,000 African American women attending the 2012 national assembly of The Links, Incorporated. A total of 391 surveys were completed (381 after exclusion: 187 containing the gain-framed message and 194 containing the loss-framed message). The majority (57%) of women expressed favorable intentions to participate in health-related research, and 21% subsequently enrolled in RM. The effect of message framing on intention was moderated by self-efficacy. There was no effect of message framing on RM registration; however, those with high self-efficacy were more than 2 times as likely as those with low self-efficacy to register as a potential study volunteer in RM (odds ratio = 2.62, 95% confidence interval [1.29, 5.33]). This investigation makes theoretical and practical contributions to the field of health communication and informs future strategies to meaningfully and effectively include women and minorities in health-related research.

The effect of risk message framing on travel intention requires more empirical investigations in long-term high-risk situations like the current COVID-19 pandemic. Based on frame theory, this study employed an experimental design to examine how two contrasting approaches of COVID-19 risk message framing (amplifying vs. attenuating) affected post-pandemic travel intention via the mediation of perceived safety and travel fear, and how resilience and impulsivity as tourist traits moderate these relationships. Survey results based on 481 responses revealed that: (1) risk messages significantly predicted tourists’ perceived safety, travel fear, and travel intention; (2) tourists’ perceived safety and travel fear mediated the effects of risk messages on travel intention; (3) while resilience moderated the effects of message framing on perceived safety and travel intention, impulsivity only moderated the effect of message framing on travel fear. The study provides a theoretical basis and practical implications for destination risk communications.

The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of the message framing on the perceived psychological risk on green environmental issues. Consumers nowadays have become more critical about issues on green consumer due to the increasing levels of consumers’ knowledge. Government and marketers also should perform active movement to increase consumers’ awareness of their environment. Those include giving a message to the consumers. When marketers deliver the message, they need to concern about message framing. Message framing is likely to influence the consumer's perception. Research design used in this study is design experiments. In this case the message was manipulated by message framing: positive and negative. The hypothesis of this study, H1: There are differences in perceived psychological risk perception on advertising by using positive and negative message framing, H2: There are differences in perceived psychological risk of consumers on advertising by using positive and negative framing that is reinforced with consumer knowledge. The analysis results of hypothesis 1 showed that there are significant differences in perceived psychological risk on advertising by using positive and negative message framing. Consumers feel that perceived psychological risk is lower in the ad with a positive message framing. Therefore, on advertising products related to green consumer issues, using positive message framing will be more effective. The analysis result of hypothesis 2 showed that there are no significant difference in perceived psychological risk on advertising by using positive and negative message framing that is reinforced by consumer knowledge. Consumer knowledge did not moderate the effect of message framing on perceived psychological risk.

A growing number of American colleges and universities have become vape-free campuses in response to the high e-cigarette use prevalence among young adults. However, little is known about communication or social-psychological factors associated with campus members’ support for a tobacco policy prohibiting e-cigarette use on the campus (vape-free policy support). The present study explores the main and interaction effects of affirmation and message framing on the vape-free policy support among college students who vary in their vaping status. We conducted a computer-based experiment with a two (affirmation: self vs. group) by two (message framing: gain vs. loss) by two (vaping status: vapers vs. non-vapers) between-subjects design. Our analysis indicated that self-affirmation is associated with a higher level of vape-free policy support than group-affirmation. The main effects of message framing as well as two-way interactions between framing and affirmation were not statistically significant. A notable finding was the three-way interaction effect among affirmation, framing, and vaping status. For vapers, the level of policy support was the highest when they were self-affirmed and exposed to a gain-framed message. For non-vapers, the level of policy support was the highest when they were self-affirmed and exposed to a loss-framed message. Our findings suggest that colleges may use varied approaches in communicating a vape-free campus policy based on the target students’ vaping status, and the group-pride or collective identity appeals may not be effective in promoting such policy.

During a public health crisis, the provision and dissemination of health-related information are important for the relevant authorities to keep the public informed. By using different types of message framing, the authorities can effectively guide and persuade people to adopt health-related behaviors (such as vaccination). In this study, a web-based experiment using a 2 × 2 (message framing: gain framing versus loss framing) × (message presentation: narrative versus non-narrative) design was conducted to investigate the effects of different message frames on vaccination promotion. In total, 298 college students were recruited to participate in this study. The results suggest that, for message framing, loss-framed (vs. gain-framed) messages lead to higher intentions to get vaccinated. Furthermore, compared with non-narrative messages, narrative messages are more persuasive in promoting vaccination behavior. However, the interaction effect between gain–loss message framing and narrative framing is not significant. Additionally, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived costs mediate the effect of narrative framing on behavioral intentions. In other words, compared with non-narrative messages, narrative messages lead to higher levels of perceived severity and perceived benefits, and a lower level of perceived costs, which in turn increase intentions to get vaccinated. This paper provides insightful implications for both researchers and practitioners.