Preventive Behaviors for Cognitive Health Maintenance: Understanding the Role of Message Framing and Involvement
type: CreativeWork
description: Introduction: Neurocognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, associated with decline in cognitive functioning and progression to loss of mental and physical functioning are on the rise due to lack of available treatment and increasing proportion of aging population. There are 5.3 million Americans currently with Alzheimer’s disease and the number is expected to rise to 1.1. trillion by 2050 with equally exponential rise in costs, morbidity and mortality. In such times, efforts are being made by national organizations such as National Institute of Health and CDC to increase awareness of early identification and engagement in behaviors which preserve cognitive functions. Such efforts have highlighted the importance of effective communication in disseminating information about cognitive health. Communications need to address the prevailing concerns of the target older adult population and encourage them to engage in preventive behaviors for maintenance of cognitive health. Psychosocial research in communication has depicted that the manner in which the information about preventive behaviors can influence the perceptions, judgements, decisions and behaviors. At the same time, individual characteristics like the involvement (e.g., personal relevance) can affect the predisposition towards a behavior. The current study therefore aimed at evaluating the effect of message framing and involvement on intention to engage in preventive behaviors. Methods: The study was an experimental, cross-sectional factorial survey design consisting of two factors each with two levels: (a) Message-framing (positive-framing and negative-framing) and (b) Involvement (Low and High). Protection motivation theory of fear appeals was used to develop a conceptual model. The proposed model was developed measured the association between the manipulated factors levels of message-framing and involvement on constructs of PMT namely perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, response-efficacy, self…
abstract: Introduction: Neurocognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, associated with decline in cognitive functioning and progression to loss of mental and physical functioning are on the rise due to lack of available treatment and increasing proportion of aging population. There are 5.3 million Americans currently with Alzheimer’s disease and the number is expected to rise to 1.1. trillion by 2050 with equally exponential rise in costs, morbidity and mortality. In such times, efforts are being made by national organizations such as National Institute of Health and CDC to increase awareness of early identification and engagement in behaviors which preserve cognitive functions. Such efforts have highlighted the importance of effective communication in disseminating information about cognitive health. Communications need to address the prevailing concerns of the target older adult population and encourage them to engage in preventive behaviors for maintenance of cognitive health. Psychosocial research in communication has depicted that the manner in which the information about preventive behaviors can influence the perceptions, judgements, decisions and behaviors. At the same time, individual characteristics like the involvement (e.g., personal relevance) can affect the predisposition towards a behavior. The current study therefore aimed at evaluating the effect of message framing and involvement on intention to engage in preventive behaviors. Methods: The study was an experimental, cross-sectional factorial survey design consisting of two factors each with two levels: (a) Message-framing (positive-framing and negative-framing) and (b) Involvement (Low and High). Protection motivation theory of fear appeals was used to develop a conceptual model. The proposed model was developed measured the association between the manipulated factors levels of message-framing and involvement on constructs of PMT namely perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, response-efficacy, self…
author: Sawant, Ruta V.
language: eng
keywords: Cognitive Health, Preventive Behaviors, Alzheimer's Disease
date published: 2018-05
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:32:27Z
provider: University of Houston
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Houston

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/10657/3100