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When is it OK to Joke? Adding humor to fear-based colonoscopy screening messages may increase compliance

  • Nick Carcioppolo

    Nick Carcioppolo (PhD, Purdue University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Miami and Affiliate Faculty at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. His research program is situated within persuasion and health communication traditions, aiming to develop, assess, and advance health communication theory designed to increase the efficacy of preventive health interventions.Email: carcioppolo.nick@gmail.com

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    , Aurora Occa

    Aurora Occa (Ph.D., University of Miami) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Kentucky. Her research is focused on advancing practical and theoretical knowledge in the area of health communication and intervention design. She is interested in understanding and addressing the challenges cancer patients and healthcare professionals encounter when discussing cancer treatment and the opportunity to join clinical trials. She also creates and evaluates multimedia messages to help individuals prevent or screen for cancer.

    and Elena V. Chudnovskaya

    Elena V. Chudnovskaya holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Miami. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Western Illinois University. The focus of her research is organizational, intercultural, and health communication. Elena is interested in evaluating cross-cultural differences in organizations and developing culturally sensitive strategies to frame health messages in diverse communities, including HIV prevention campaigns in Guatemala.

From the journal HUMOR

Abstract

Large scale campaigns frequently use humor to increase compliance with colonoscopy screening recommendations. Problematically, we know little about how humor functions to influence screening. This study seeks to understand whether and how messages framed using humor appeals function differently from those using fear appeals to increase colonoscopy intentions. An online experiment (N = 186) was conducted comparing colonoscopy screening messages framed with a fear appeal and mixed humor/fear appeal. The addition of humor was more effective among those with high frequency of cancer worry, whereas the fear appeal resulted in significantly higher response efficacy, which was in turn associated with increased colonoscopy intentions. These results begin to describe situations in which intervention messages framed with a mixed humor/fear appeal may be more or less effective than interventions framed with fear appeals alone. Practical and theoretical implications for persuasive message design are discussed.

Funding statement: This work was supported by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami

About the authors

Nick Carcioppolo

Nick Carcioppolo (PhD, Purdue University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Miami and Affiliate Faculty at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. His research program is situated within persuasion and health communication traditions, aiming to develop, assess, and advance health communication theory designed to increase the efficacy of preventive health interventions.Email: carcioppolo.nick@gmail.com

Aurora Occa

Aurora Occa (Ph.D., University of Miami) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Kentucky. Her research is focused on advancing practical and theoretical knowledge in the area of health communication and intervention design. She is interested in understanding and addressing the challenges cancer patients and healthcare professionals encounter when discussing cancer treatment and the opportunity to join clinical trials. She also creates and evaluates multimedia messages to help individuals prevent or screen for cancer.

Elena V. Chudnovskaya

Elena V. Chudnovskaya holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Miami. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Western Illinois University. The focus of her research is organizational, intercultural, and health communication. Elena is interested in evaluating cross-cultural differences in organizations and developing culturally sensitive strategies to frame health messages in diverse communities, including HIV prevention campaigns in Guatemala.

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Published Online: 2020-04-10

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