Keywords
Behavioral Attitudes
Prevention Measures
Health Education
Brazil
How to Cite
Abstract
Previous studies show that the type of content and format of messages employed in campaigns about COVID-19 can influence the attitudes and behaviors of the population, increasing their commitment and engagement with measures to contain the disease. This study describes two experiments with 998 Brazilian adults, which main objective was to test the possible effects of two types of messages on behavioral attitudes toward the pandemic. One message was informative only, and the other was framed to mobilize empathy in viewers. The results indicate that exposure to both messages contributed to an increase in behavioral intentions of participants, when compared to others who formed a control group. Data also suggest that socioeconomic conditions are an important factor to consider when analyzing the effects of these messages on people’s behavior. We discuss the importance of considering the scientific evidence regarding the format and content of messages aired to the population. We also discuss the need to implement initiatives to protect people in more vulnerable socioeconomic conditions, so that actions in the field of Health Education may effectively contribute to combat the pandemic.
References
Barnett-Howell, Z., Watson, O. J., & Mobarak, A. M. (2021). The benefits and costs of social distancing in high- and low-income countries. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 115(7), 807–819. http://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/traa140
Bezerra, A. C. V., Silva, C. E. M. D., Soares, F. R. G., & Silva, J. A. M. D. (2020). Fatores associados ao comportamento da população durante o isolamento social na pandemia de COVID-19. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 25(suppl.1), 2411-2421. http://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232020256.1.10792020
Boschiero, M. N., Palamim, C. V. C., Ortega, M. M., Mauch, R. M., & Marson, F. A. L. (2021). One year of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Brazil: a political and social overview. Annals of global health, 87(1). http://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.3182
Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912-920. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8
Calmon, T. V. L. (2020). As condições objetivas para o enfrentamento ao COVID-19: abismo social brasileiro, o racismo, e as perspectivas de desenvolvimento social como determinantes. NAU Social, 11(20), 131-136. http://doi.org/10.9771/ns.v11i20.36543
Campos, G. W. D. S. (2020). O pesadelo macabro da Covid-19 no Brasil: entre negacionismos e desvarios. Trabalho, Educação e Saúde, 18(3). http://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol00279
Ceylan, M., & Hayran C. (2021). Message framing effects on individuals' social distancing and helping behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Psychol, 22(12), 579164. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.579164
Chu, I. Y. H., Alam, P., Larsan H. J., & Lin, L. (2020). Social consequences of mass quarantine during epidemics: a systematic review with implications for the COVID-19 response. Journal of Travel Medicine 27(7), 1-14. http://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa192
Coyne, S. M., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Holmgren, H. G., Davis, E. J., Collier, K. M., Memmott-Elison, M. K., & Hawkins, A. J. (2018). A meta-analysis of prosocial media on prosocial behavior, aggression, and empathic concern: a multidimensional approach. Developmental Psychology, 54(2), 331-347. http://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000412
De Groot, J., & Lemanski, C. (2021). COVID-19 responses: infrastructure inequality and privileged capacity to transform everyday life in South Africa. Environment and Urbanization, 33(1), 255–272. http://doi.org/10.1177/0956247820970094.
Ding, F., & Lu, Z. (2016). Association between empathy and prosocial behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Advances in Psychological Science, 24(8), 1159-1174. http://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2016.01159
Favero, N., & Pedersen, M. J. (2020). How to encourage “Togetherness by Keeping Apart” amid COVID-19? The ineffectiveness of prosocial and empathy appeals. Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, 3(2), 1-18. http://doi.org/10.30636/jbpa.32.167
Habersaat, K. B., Betsch, C., Danchin, M., Sunstein, C. R., Böhm, R., Falk , A., Brewer, N. T., Omer, S. B., Scherzer, M., Sah , S., Fischer , E. F., Scheel , A. E., Fancourt, D., Kitayama, S ., Dublé, E., Leask , J., Dutta, M., MacDonald, N. E., Temkina, A..., & Butler, R. (2020). Ten considerations for effectively managing the COVID-19 transition. Nature Human Behaviour, 4(7), 677-687. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0906-x
Heffner, J., Vives, M. L., & FeldmanHall, O. (2021). Emotional responses to prosocial messages increase willingness to self-isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personality and Individual Differences, 170 (15), 110420. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110420
Heydari, S. T., Zarei, L., Sadati, A.K., Moradi, N., Akbari, M., Mehralian, G., & Lankarani, K. B. (2021). The effect of risk communication on preventive and protective Behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak: mediating role of risk perception. BMC Public Health, 21. http://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10125-5
Hoffman, M. L. (2000). Empathy and moral development: implications for caring and justice. Cambridge University Press. http://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511805851
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. (2021). Indicadores IBGE: Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua. Trimestre Móvel. fev-abr, 2021. https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/periodicos/2421/pnact_2021_1tri.pdf.
Jordan, J. J., Yoeli, E., & Rand, D. G. (2020). Don’t get it or don’t spread it? Comparing self-interested versus prosocial motivations for COVID-19 prevention behaviors. PsyArXiv. http://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/yuq7x
Kawamura, Y., Ohtsubo, Y., & Kusumi, T. (2021). Effects of cost and benefit of prosocial behavior on reputation. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(4), 452- 460. http://doi.org/10.1177%2F1948550620929163
Kelly, B. J., & Hornik, R. C. (2016). Effects of framing health messages in terms of benefits to loved ones or others: an experimental study. Health Communication, 31(10), 1284-1290. http://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2015.1062976
Kim, E., & Muralidharan, S. (2019). The role of empathy and efficacy in public service announcements. Journal of Advertising Research, 60(4), 452-466. http://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-2019-039.
Komatsu, B. K., & Menezes-Filho, N. (2020). Simulações de impactos da COVID-19 e da renda básica emergencial sobre o desemprego, renda, pobreza e desigualdade (Policy Paper, Nº 43). Retrieved from: Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa. https://www.insper.edu.br/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Policy-Paper-v14.pdf
Loss, J., Boklage, E., Jordan, S., Jenny, M. A., Weishaar, H., & El Bcheraoui, C. (2021). Risk communication in the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic: challenges and promising approaches. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 64(3), 294-303. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-021-03283-3
Nichols, A. L., & Maner, J. K. (2008). The good-subject effect: Investigating participant demand characteristics. The Journal of General Psychology, 135(2), 151-166. https://doi.org/10.3200/GENP.135.2.151-166
Peng, L., Shen, L., Vanderbilt, R. R., Kim, Y & Foley, K. A. (2020). The impact of fear versus state empathy on persuasion and social stigma. Media Psychology, 23(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2018.1535321.
Petrocchi, S., Bernardi, S., Malacrida, R., Traber, R., Gabutti, L., & Grignoli, N. (2021). Affective empathy predicts self-isolation behaviour acceptance during coronavirus risk exposure. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89504-w.
Pfattheicher, S., Nockur, L., Böhm, R., Sassenrath, C., & Petersen, M. B. (2020). The emotional path to action: empathy promotes physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Psychological Science, 31(11), 1363–1373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620964422.
Rosenthal, R. (1991). Meta-analytic procedures for social research. Sage Publications.
Sambuichi, R. H. R., Almeida, A. F. C. S. D., Perin, G., Spínola, P. A. C., & Pella, A. F. C. (2020). O Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos (PAA) como estratégia de enfrentamento aos desafios da COVID-19. Revista de Administração Pública, 54(4), 1079-1096. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-761220200258
Shen, L. (2015). Targeting smokers with empathy appeal antismoking public service announcements: a field experiment. Journal of Health Communication, 20(5), 573-580. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2015.1012236.
Slovic, P. (2007). Psychic numbing and genocide. American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2007/11/slovic
Spinrad, T. L., & Eisenberg, N. (2014). Empatia, comportamento pró-social e desenvolvimento positivo nas escolas. In Furlong, M.J., Gilman, R., & Huebner, E.S. (Eds.), Manual de psicologia positiva nas escolas. (p. 82–98). Routledge.
Venkateswaran, T. V. (2020). Tale of two videos: Frame and narrative structure analysis of two COVID-19 communication social media messages. Journal of Scientific Temper, 8, 18-37.
Wilson, V. L., & Putnam, R. R. (1982). A meta-analysis of pretest sensitization effects in experimental design. American Educational Research Journal, 19(2), 249–258. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312019002249
World Health Organization. (2020). Considerations for implementing and adjusting public health and social measures in the context of COVID-19. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/considerations-in-adjusting-public-health-and-social-measures-in-the-context-of-covid-19-interim-guidance
Young, G., Xiao, P., Newcomb, K., & Michael, E. (2021). Interplay between COVID-19 vaccines and social measures for ending the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. arXiv preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.06120
Zhang, L., Li, H., & Chen, K. (2020, March). Effective risk communication for public health emergency: reflection on the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) outbreak in Wuhan, China. Healthcare, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8010064
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2022 Leonardo Rodrigues Sampaio, Isabele Tenório dos Santos, Tamires de Lima Sousa Santos, Michelle França Dourado Neto Pires, Marya Klara Rodrigues Constantino, Luciana Maria Caetano, Betânia Alves Veiga Dell’Agli