Showing papers in "Health Psychology in 2003"
TL;DR: The associations of physical activity and sedentary behavior with barriers, enjoyment, and preferences were examined in a population-based mail survey of 1,332 adults and respondents reporting high enjoyment and preference for physical activity were more likely to report high levels of activity.
Abstract: The associations of physical activity and sedentary behavior with barriers, enjoyment, and preferences were examined in a population-based mail survey of 1,332 adults. Respondents reporting high enjoyment and preference for physical activity were more likely to report high levels of activity. Those reporting cost, the weather, and personal barriers to physical activity were less likely to be physically active. Preference for sedentary behavior was associated with the decreased likelihood of being physically active, and the weather as a barrier to physical activity was associated with the increased likelihood of sedentary behavior. These constructs can be used to examine individual and environmental influences on physical activity and sedentary behavior in specific populations and could inform the development of targeted interventions.
879 citations
TL;DR: Positive reappraisal coping at study entry predicted positive mood and perceived health at 3 and 12 months and posttraumatic growth at 12 months, whereas benefit finding did not predict any outcome.
Abstract: Predictors and outcomes of benefit finding, positive reappraisal coping, and posttraumatic growth were examined using interviews and questionnaires from a longitudinal study of women with early-stage breast cancer followed from primary medical treatment completion to 3 (n=92) and 12 months (n=60) later. Most women (83%) reported at least 1 benefit of their breast cancer experience. Benefit finding (i.e., identification of benefits, number of benefits), positive reappraisal coping, and posttraumatic growth had distinct significant predictors. Positive reappraisal coping at study entry predicted positive mood and perceived health at 3 and 12 months and posttraumatic growth at 12 months, whereas benefit finding did not predict any outcome. Findings suggest that benefit finding, positive reappraisal coping, and posttraumatic growth are related, but distinct, constructs.
806 citations
TL;DR: Ass associations between perceived stress and fat intake, exercise, alcohol consumption, and smoking behaviors are examined to suggest that the association between stress and disease may be moderated in part by unhealthy behaviors.
Abstract: The study examined associations between perceived stress and fat intake, exercise, alcohol consumption, and smoking behaviors. Data were from surveys of 12,110 individuals in 26 worksites participating in the SUCCESS project (D. J. Hennrikus, R. W. Jeffery, & H. A. Lando, 1995), a study of smoking cessation interventions. Linear regression analyses examined cross-sectional associations between stress level and health behaviors. Analyses were stratified by gender and controlled for demographics. High stress for both men and women was associated with a higher fat diet, less frequent exercise, cigarette smoking, recent increases in smoking, less self-efficacy to quit smoking, and less self-efficacy to not smoke when stressed. Stress was not associated with alcohol intake. Findings suggest that the association between stress and disease may be moderated in part by unhealthy behaviors.
635 citations
TL;DR: Empirical articles published between 1997 and 2001 from 4 health psychology journals that tested or applied 1 or more social cognition models were scrutinized for their pragmatic and conceptual basis.
Abstract: Empirical articles published between 1997 and 2001 from 4 health psychology journals that tested or applied 1 or more social cognition models (theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behavior, health belief model, and protection motivation theory; N = 47) were scrutinized for their pragmatic and conceptual basis. In terms of their pragmatic basis, these 4 models were useful for guiding research. The analysis of their conceptual basis was less positive. First, these models do not enable the generation of hypotheses because their constructs are unspecific; they therefore cannot be tested. Second, they focus on analytic truths rather than synthetic ones, and the conclusions resulting from their application are often true by definition rather than by observation. Finally, they may create and change both cognitions and behavior rather than describe them.
435 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated implicit biases and their modifiability, against overweight persons and found strong implicit anti-fat attitudes and stereotypes using the Implicit Association Test, despite no explicit antifat bias.
Abstract: Three studies investigated implicit biases, and their modifiability, against overweight persons. In Study 1 (N = 144), the authors demonstrated strong implicit anti-fat attitudes and stereotypes using the Implicit Association Test, despite no explicit anti-fat bias. When participants were informed that obesity is caused predominantly by overeating and lack of exercise, higher implicit bias relative to controls was produced; informing participants that obesity is mainly due to genetic factors did not result in lower bias. In Studies 2A (N = 90) and 2B (N = 63), participants read stories of discrimination against obese persons to evoke empathy. This did not lead to lower bias compared with controls but did produce diminished implicit bias among overweight participants, suggesting an in-group bias.
384 citations
TL;DR: A modified emotional Stroop task was used to index the distracting effects of smoking-related cues and found smokers who showed greater attentional bias were significantly more likely to lapse in the short-term, even when controlling for self-reported urges.
Abstract: Most attempts to quit smoking end in failure, with many quitters relapsing in the first few days. Responses to smoking-related cues may precipitate relapse. A modified emotional Stroop task-which measures the extent to which smoking-related words disrupt performance on a reaction time (RT) task-was used to index the distracting effects of smoking-related cues. Smokers (N = 158) randomized to a high-dose nicotine patch (35 mg) or placebo patch completed the Stroop task on the 1st day of a quit attempt. Smokers using an active patch exhibited less attentional bias, making fewer errors on smoking-related words. Smokers who showed greater attentional bias (slowed RT on the first block of smoking words) were significantly more likely to lapse in the short-term, even when controlling for self-reported urges at the test session. Attentional bias measures may tap an important component of dependence.
329 citations
TL;DR: Investigating associations between stress and dietary practices in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 4,320 schoolchildren found that greater stress was associated with more fatty food intake, less fruit and vegetable intake, more snacking, and a reduced likelihood of daily breakfast consumption.
Abstract: Baseline data from the Health and Behavior in Teenagers Study (HABITS) were used to investigate associations between stress and dietary practices in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 4,320 schoolchildren (mean age = 11.83 years). Male (n = 2,578) and female (n = 1,742) pupils completed questionnaire measures of stress and 4 aspects of dietary practice (fatty food intake, fruit and vegetable intake, snacking, and breakfast consumption) and also provided demographic and anthropometric data. Multivariate analyses revealed that greater stress was associated with more fatty food intake, less fruit and vegetable intake, more snacking, and a reduced likelihood of daily breakfast consumption. These effects were independent of individual (gender, weight) and social (socioeconomic status, ethnicity) factors. Stress may contribute to long-term disease risk by steering the diet in a more unhealthy direction.
325 citations
TL;DR: Results suggest that psychosocial intervention emphasizing prosocial roles and social identity, and incorporating peer outreach strategies, can reduce HIV risk in low-income, drug-using communities.
Abstract: A network-oriented HIV prevention intervention based on social identity theory and peer outreach was implemented for HIV positive and negative drug users. A community sample of 250 were randomly assigned to an equal-attention control condition or a multisession, small-group experimental condition, which encouraged peer outreach; 94% of participants were African American, and 66% used cocaine or opiates. At follow-up, 92% of participants returned, and experimental compared with control group participants were 3 times more likely to report reduction of injection risk behaviors and 4 times more likely to report increased condom use with casual sex partners. Results suggest that psychosocial intervention emphasizing prosocial roles and social identity, and incorporating peer outreach strategies, can reduce HIV risk in low-income, drug-using communities.
323 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest that African Americans may be particularly vulnerable to the burden of chronic stress.
Abstract: This study examined the association between a composite index of stress that included measures of life events, ongoing stress, discrimination, and economic hardship and subclinical carotid disease among 109 African America and 225 Caucasian premenopausal women. African Americans reported more chronic stress and had higher carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) as compared with Caucasians. Among African Americans only, the composite stress index and unfair treatment were associated with higher IMT. These effects were partially mediated by biological risk factors. African American who reported experiencing racial discrimination had marginally more carotid plaque than did those who did not report experiencing racial discrimination. The results suggest that African Americans may be particularly vulnerable to the burden of chronic stress.
305 citations
TL;DR: Assessment of how support for HIV surveillance policies is related to AIDS stigma and negative attitudes toward groups disproportionately affected by the epidemic found supporters of name-based surveillance expressed significantly more negative feelings toward people with AIDS, gay men, lesbians, and injecting drug users.
Abstract: Data from a 1999 national telephone survey with a probability sample of English-speaking U.S. adults (N = 1,335) were used to assess how support for HIV surveillance policies is related to AIDS stigma and negative attitudes toward groups disproportionately affected by the epidemic. Anonymous reporting of HIV results to the government was supported by a margin of approximately 2-to-1, but name-based reporting was opposed 3-to-1. Compared with other respondents, supporters of name-based surveillance expressed significantly more negative feelings toward people with AIDS, gay men, lesbians, and injecting drug users. More than one third of all respondents reported that concerns about AIDS stigma would affect their own decision to be tested for HIV in the future. Implications for understanding the social construction of illness and for implementing effective HIV surveillance programs are discussed.
305 citations
TL;DR: Men who were recently treated for prostate cancer were randomly assigned to a control group, a group education intervention (GE), or agroup education-plus-discussion intervention (GED), and both GE and GED increased prostate cancer knowledge.
Abstract: Men who were recently treated for prostate cancer (N = 250) were randomly assigned to a control group, a group education intervention (GE), or a group education-plus-discussion intervention (GED). Both GE and GED increased prostate cancer knowledge. In the year postintervention, men in the GED condition were less bothered by sexual problems than men in the control condition, and they were more likely to remain steadily employed (93.0%) than men in the GE (75.6%) or control (72.5%) conditions. Among noncollege graduates, GED and GE resulted in better physical functioning than the control condition, and GED resulted in more positive health behaviors than the control or GE condition. Among college graduates, controls were comparable with the GE and GED groups in physical functioning and positive health behaviors.
TL;DR: Results show considerable diversity in binge drinking patterns and the correlates of bingeing across trajectory classes.
Abstract: Latent growth mixture modeling was used to identify developmental trajectories (described in terms of demographics, exposure and resistance to a pro-drug environment, and deviant behavior) of binge drinking among 5,694 individuals who completed 6 surveys from ages 13 to 23 years: nonbingers (32%); moderate stables (37%), who had consistently low levels of bingeing; steady increasers (16%), who increased from the lowest to highest level of bingeing; adolescent bingers (9%), whose early rise in bingeing was followed by a decrease to a moderate level; and early highs (6%), who decreased from the highest level of bingeing to a moderate level. Results show considerable diversity in binge drinking patterns and the correlates of bingeing across trajectory classes.
TL;DR: Subanalyses of affective, social, objective physical outcome, and specific QOL measures revealed that SCT-based interventions had significantly higher effect sizes; inclusion of SCT components resulted in significantly lower effect sizes on subjective physical and functional outcomes.
Abstract: Social cognitive theory (SC) provides a theoretical framework to evaluate improved quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes through interventions with cancer patients To assess whether inclusion of SCT components predicted better outcomes, focused comparisons were used to integrate results from 38 randomized studies. Interventions with more SCT components had significantly larger effect sizes than studies with fewer or no SCT components for the overall analysis (Z = 3.72, p < .01). Subanalyses of affective, social, objective physical outcome, and specific QOL measures revealed that SCT-based interventions had significantly higher effect sizes; inclusion of SCT components resulted in significantly lower effect sizes on subjective physical and functional outcomes. Results suggest that using SCT-based interventions maximizes improvement in overall QOL outcomes for adult cancer patients.
TL;DR: Comparing the effectiveness of 4 videotaped educational programs designed to motivate HIV testing among low-income, ethnic minority women found that among women who perceived the outcome of HIV testing as relatively uncertain, gain- and loss-framed videos led to similar rates of self-reported testing.
Abstract: This study compared the effectiveness of 4 videotaped educational programs designed to motivate HIV testing among low-income, ethnic minority women. Four hundred eighty women were assigned randomly to watch one of 2 gain-framed or 2 loss-framed videos. Consistent with prospect theory, participants' perceptions of the certainty of the outcome of an HIV test moderated the effects of framing on self-reported testing behavior 6 months after video exposure. Among participants who reported being certain of the test's outcome, those who saw a gain-framed video reported a higher rate of testing than those who saw a loss-framed message. Among women who perceived the outcome of HIV testing as relatively uncertain, gain- and loss-framed videos led to similar rates of self-reported testing, with some advantage for the loss-framed message.
TL;DR: Findings underscore the resilience of older women and their capacity to reestablish connections, but point to the need for services that strengthen social support among women who have difficulty during this transition.
Abstract: This study examined whether widowhood was associated with physical and mental health, health behaviors, and health outcomes using a cross-sectional (N = 72,247) and prospective (N = 55,724) design in women aged 50-79 years participating in the Women's Health Initiative observational study (85.4% White). At baseline, married women reported better physical and mental health and generally better health behaviors than widowed women. Whereas women who remained married over the 3-year period showed stability in mental health, recent widows experienced marked impairments and longer term widows showed stability or slight improvements. Both groups of widows reported more unintentional weight loss over the 3-year period. Changes in physical health and health behaviors were inconsistent, with generally small effect sizes. Findings underscore the resilience of older women and their capacity to reestablish connections, but point to the need for services that strengthen social support among women who have difficulty during this transition.
TL;DR: Findings suggest the importance of addressing weight-body concerns within prevention programs and extending interventions beyond classroom settings to ensure changes in weight-related norms among peer groups and family members.
Abstract: This study aimed to identify correlates of unhealthy weight-control behaviors in adolescents to guide the development of programs aimed at the primary prevention of disordered eating. A model explaining unhealthy weight-control behaviors was tested among 4,746 adolescents using structural equation modeling. Models fit the data well and explained 76% of the variance in unhealthy weight-control behaviors among girls and 63% among boys. Weight-body concerns were a strong correlate of unhealthy weight-control behaviors in both girls and boys. Models also emphasized the importance of weight-specific social norms within the adolescent's proximal environment. Findings suggest the importance of addressing weight-body concerns within prevention programs and extending interventions beyond classroom settings to ensure changes in weight-related norms among peer groups and family members.
TL;DR: In this paper, social norms and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were tested as predictors of self-reported intentions and behaviors in two domains, eating and physical activity, in a 2-week longitudinal study of 279 adolescents.
Abstract: Guided by the theory of planned behavior, this 2-week longitudinal study examined health behaviors in a sample of 279 adolescents. Social norms and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were tested as predictors of self-reported intentions and behaviors in 2 domains, eating and physical activity. Differentiating, as opposed to aggregating, parent and peer norms provided unique information. For PBC, the authors distinguished global causality beliefs from self-related agency beliefs and intraself (effort, ability) from extraself (parents, teachers) means. Intraself agency beliefs strongly predicted healthy intentions, whereas intraself causality beliefs had a negative influence. Patterns differed somewhat across behaviors and gender. Results highlight theoretical issues and provide potential targets for research on health promotion programs for youth.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focused on the mechanism through which social and problematic support affects psychological adjustment in chronic illness, and they hypothesized that self-esteem would mediate the relations between social support, problematic support and adjustment.
Abstract: The present study focused on the mechanism through which social and problematic support affects psychological adjustment in chronic illness. The authors hypothesized that self-esteem would mediate the relations between social and problematic support and adjustment. Eighty-six end-stage renal disease patients were assessed twice for social support, problematic support, and self-esteem. Adjustment was assessed twice by depression and optimism. Mediational analyses indicated that social support operated through self-esteem to influence optimism cross-sectionally and prospectively and depression cross-sectionally. Social support was associated with high self-esteem, which in turn increased optimism and was related to decreased depression. Problematic support was unrelated to self-esteem obviating mediational analysis. Disaggregating social support into subscales showed that belonging support predicted decreases in depression, and both tangible and belonging support predicted increases in optimism.
TL;DR: Factors that influence body image and strategies to either lose weight or increase muscle among children, as well as self-esteem and positive and negative affect, were evaluated.
Abstract: This study examined factors that influence body image and strategies to either lose weight or increase muscle among children. Participants were 237 boys and 270 girls. Body mass index (BMI), body dissatisfaction, cognitions and behaviors to both lose weight and increase muscles, as well as self-esteem and positive and negative affect, were evaluated. Self-esteem was associated with body satisfaction, positive affect predicted strategies to lose weight and increase muscles, and negative affect predicted body dissatisfaction and cognitions to lose weight and increase muscles. Boys were more likely to focus on changing muscles. Respondents with higher BMIs were more focused on losing weight but not muscle. The discussion focuses on health risk behaviors related to eating and exercise among children.
TL;DR: Results suggest that teaching older adults to integrate physical activity into their lives via GMCB leads to better long-term outcomes than standardized exercise therapy.
Abstract: In this 12-month trial standard exercise training was compared with a group-mediated cognitive-behavioral (GMCB) intervention with respect to effects on long-term adherence and change in physical function of older adults who were either at risk for or had cardiovascular disease. Participants (147 older men and women) were randomized to the 2 treatments. Outcomes included self-reportedphysical activity, fitness, and self-efficacy. The GMCB treatment produced greater improvements on all outcomes than did standard exercise therapy. Regardless of treatment assignment, men had more favorable change on the study outcomes than did women. Analysis of a self-regulatory process measure in the GMCB group revealed that change in barriers efficacy was related to change in physical activity and fitness. Results suggest that teaching older adults to integrate physical activity into their lives via GMCB leads to better long-term outcomes than standardized exercise therapy.
TL;DR: The utility of measuring coping style and the predictive ability of coping on physical health in a healthy sample is demonstrated and the greater the students' use of both problem- focused coping and approach emotion-focused coping, the less their physical health deteriorated.
Abstract: Medical students in their 1st year (N=71) were assessed prior to starting training and at year's end. Coping styles reported at baseline were strongly related to coping styles at the end of the year. Students' physical health and psychological well-being declined over the course of the year. The greater the students' use of both problem-focused coping and approach emotion-focused coping, the less their physical health deteriorated. Psychological well-being at year's end was more strongly related to baseline functioning, and coping style did not predict change. This study demonstrated the utility of measuring coping style and the predictive ability of coping on physical health in a healthy sample.
TL;DR: It is suggested that enhancing methadone maintenance with an intervention targeting HIV-seropositive IDUs increases both harm reduction and health promotion behaviors.
Abstract: This study randomized 90 HIV-seropositive, methadone-maintained injection drug users (IDUs) to an HIV Harm Reduction Program (HHRP+) or to an active control that included harm reduction components recommended by the National AIDS Demonstration Research Project. The treatment phase lasted 6 months, with follow-ups at 6 and 9 months after treatment entry. Patients in both treatments showed reductions in risk behaviors. However, patients assigned to HHRP+ were less likely to use illicit opiates and were more likely to adhere to antiretroviral medications during treatment; at follow-up, they had lower addiction severity scores and were less likely to have engaged in high risk behavior. Findings suggest that enhancing methadone maintenance with an intervention targeting HIV-seropositive IDUs increases both harm reduction and health promotion behaviors.
TL;DR: Students' perceived norms and personal concern about alcohol use were examined in 4 experiments and additional evidence suggested that students were not merely engaging in impression management.
Abstract: Students’ perceived norms and personal concern about alcohol use were examined in 4 (N 971)experiments. Men reported that same-sex peers were less concerned about campus alcohol practices thanthemselves or female students; women believed that they were more concerned about campus alcoholpractices than both same- and opposite-sex peers (Experiments 1 and 2). Additional evidence suggestedthat students were not merely engaging in impression management. Men reported more social pressureto drink and greater embarrassment about expressing drinking-related concerns; women expected moresevere consequences if they drank excessively (Experiment 3). A male student (vs. female student)expressing concerns about alcohol was believed to experience greater difficulties fitting in (Experiment4). Implications for peer influence and drug use intervention are discussed.Key words: college student alcohol use, pluralistic ignorance, social influence, substance abuse
TL;DR: Participants with higher body image perceptions had significantly higher self-efficacy in coping compared with participants with lowerBody image perceptions and there were no significant racial or ethnic differences in coping, self- efficacy in cope, or body images perceptions.
Abstract: Although more White women develop breast cancer, African American women more frequently die of the disease (American Cancer Society, 2003). Despite higher morbidity among African American women, few studies have included racially diverse samples. The purposes of this study were to explore racial and body image differences in coping and self-efficacy in coping and racial differences in body image perceptions among breast cancer patients. The 92 participants ranged in age from 28 to 86 years (M=57.64, SD=12.48). Participants with higher body image perceptions had significantly higher self-efficacy in coping compared with participants with lower body image perceptions. There were no significant racial or ethnic differences in coping, self-efficacy in coping, or body image perceptions.
TL;DR: The results provided evidence for a significant DRD2 * SLC6A3 interaction effect on prolonged smoking abstinence and time to relapse at EOT, independent of treatment condition.
Abstract: This study examined the role of dopaminergic genes in prospective smoking cessation and response tobupropion treatment in a placebo-controlled clinical trial. Smokers of European ancestry (N 418)provided blood samples for genetic analysis and received either bupropion or placebo (10 weeks) pluscounseling. Assessments included the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) genotype, dopamine transporter(SLC6A3) genotype, demographic factors, and nicotine dependence. Smoking status was verified at theend of treatment (EOT) and at 6-month follow-up. The results provided evidence for a significantDRD2 SLC6A3 interaction effect on prolonged smoking abstinence and time to relapse at EOT,independent of treatment condition. Such effects were no longer significant at 6-month follow-up,however. These results provide the first evidence from a prospective clinical trial that genes that alterdopamine function may influence smoking cessation and relapse during the treatment phase.Key words: tobacco, smoking, treatment, genetics, bupropion, dopamine
TL;DR: Age, gender, education, and prior completion of an advance directive were all related to preference stability, and evidence indicated that declines in physical or psychological functioning resulted in decreased interest in life-sustaining treatment.
Abstract: The use of instructional advance directives assumes that preferences for life-sustaining medical treatment remain stable over time and across changes in life condition. A sample of 332 older adults recorded their preferences for 4 life-sustaining treatments in 9 illness scenarios. These preferences were elicited again 1 and 2 years after the original interview. Overall, preferences for life-sustaining treatment were moderately stable over time, but stability varied significantly across judgments. Preferences were most stable for illness scenarios that were most and least serious and for decisions to refuse treatment. Age, gender, education, and prior completion of an advance directive were all related to preference stability, and evidence indicated that declines in physical or psychological functioning resulted in decreased interest in life-sustaining treatment.
TL;DR: Interactions with ambivalent network members (characterized by both positive and negative feelings) were associated with the highest ambulatory systolic BP, an effect that was independent of the familial effects on BP.
Abstract: Healthy normotensive men and women (N = 102) underwent a 3-day ambulatory blood pressure (BP) assessment in which a BP reading was taken 5 min into each social interaction. After each interaction, participants completed a diary that included structural categorization of the relationship and ratings of the quality of the relationship with the interaction partner. Random regression analyses revealed that interactions with family members and spouses were associated with lower ambulatory BP. Interactions with ambivalent network members (characterized by both positive and negative feelings) were associated with the highest ambulatory systolic BP, an effect that was independent of the familial effects on BP. Although there were psychological correlates associated with both structural and functional aspects of relationships, no evidence was found that these mediated the primary findings involving ambulatory BP. These data highlight the influence of both structural and qualitative aspects of relationships on ambulatory BP and possibly health.
TL;DR: The present study examined the relationship between spiritual health locus of control, breast cancer beliefs, and mammography utilization among a sample of 1,227 African American women from urban public health centers.
Abstract: The present study examined the relationship between spiritual health locus of control, breast cancer beliefs, and mammography utilization among a sample of 1,227 African American women from urban public health centers. Spiritual health locus of control was conceptualized as having an active and passive dimension, empowering individuals in their health beliefs and behaviors or rendering them to rely on a higher power (e.g., God) to determine their health outcomes, respectively. The active dimension was negatively associated with perceived benefits of mammography and positively associated with perceived barriers to mammography. The active and passive spiritual dimensions are distinct from internal and external health locus of control. Further study of their associations with other health-related beliefs and behaviors is warranted.
TL;DR: A follow-up conducted with the beach sample indicated that UV photo information also produced greater protective behaviors for incidental sun exposure and that the combination of UV photo and photoaging information resulted in substantially lower reported sunbathing.
Abstract: Two appearance-based interventions designed to increase sun protection intentions and behaviors were evaluated. Sixty-eight college students in Experiment 1 and 76 beachgoers in Experiment 2 were randomly assigned to receive or not receive a photoaging (premature wrinkling and age spots) information intervention and, separately, to receive or not receive a novel ultraviolet (UV) photo intervention that makes the negative-appearance consequences of UV exposure more salient. Both experiments indicated that the UV photo intervention significantly increased intentions to use sunscreen in the future. A follow-up conducted with the beach sample indicated that UV photo information also produced greater protective behaviors for incidental sun exposure and that the combination of UV photo and photoaging information resulted in substantially lower reported sunbathing.
TL;DR: Results indicated that across the sample of studies, communications taught recipients about facts related to HIV and also induced favorable attitudes and expectancies, greater control perceptions, and stronger intentions to use condoms in the future.
Abstract: This meta-analysis examined the validity of various theoretical assumptions about cognitive and behavioral change following a communication recommending condom use. The synthesis comprised 82 treatment and 29 control groups included in 46 longitudinal reports with measures of perceived severity and susceptibility, attitudes and expectancies, norms, perceptions of control, intentions, knowledge, behavioral skills, or condom use. Results indicated that across the sample of studies, communications taught recipients about facts related to HIV and also induced favorable attitudes and expectancies, greater control perceptions, and stronger intentions to use condoms in the future. Moreover, messages that presented attitudinal information and modeled behavioral skills led to increased condom use. Results are discussed in the context of theories of human behavior and change and in reference to HIV-prevention interventions.