Enhancing Self-Referencing to Health Messages: Implications for Public Health Campaigns

Abstract

A mediation model in which internal and external request tactics enhances the perceived effectiveness of a public health messages by increasing self-referencing, but only for persons concerned about the targeted health issue. For those concerned about hepatitis B (but not for those who are not concerned), using second-person pronouns rather than third-person terms (an internal request tactic) and using rhetorical questions rather than declarative statements in the ad headings (an external request tactic) enhance perceived message effectiveness. As expected, both processes are mediated by increased self-referencing.