Bavin Lynda M, Owens Richard Glynn
a Health Psychology , University of Auckland.
Health Commun. 2016 Oct;31(10):1258-65. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2015.1055537. Epub 2016 Mar 23.
Storylines in fictional television programs may be an effective medium for health-promoting messages. This randomized pretest-posttest (N = 111) with follow-up (n = 71) study examined the persuasive impact of an alcohol poisoning story in the program ER on viewers' drinking-related beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and behavior. The perception of persuasive intent is theorized to be a key factor influencing a narrative's impact; therefore, this study also examined the influence of perceived persuasive intent on viewing outcomes. Viewing group participants were asked to view a specific upcoming episode of ER when it was first scheduled to air on national television in New Zealand. The results suggest that the alcohol poisoning story had a beneficial impact on viewers' drinking-related beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. Perceived persuasive intent was not a significant predictor of viewing outcomes. This study is the first randomized experiment that has used a live-to-air stimulus to examine the impact of a health-promoting storyline in a fictional television program that has been created and broadcast in a developed nation. The significant effects found at post-viewing and follow-up provide further empirical support to the existing experimental literature, with enhanced ecological validity, for the potential positive impact of health-promoting storylines in fictional television programs.
虚构电视节目的故事情节可能是传播健康促进信息的有效媒介。这项随机前测-后测（N = 111）并进行随访（n = 71）的研究，考察了电视剧《急诊室的故事》中一个酒精中毒故事对观众与饮酒相关的信念、态度、意图和行为的说服效果。理论上，对说服意图的认知是影响叙事效果的关键因素；因此，本研究还考察了感知到的说服意图对观看结果的影响。观看组参与者被要求在《急诊室的故事》在新西兰国家电视台首次播出时观看特定的一集。结果表明，酒精中毒故事对观众与饮酒相关的信念、态度和意图产生了有益影响。感知到的说服意图并不是观看结果的显著预测因素。本研究是首个采用直播刺激来考察在发达国家创作并播出的虚构电视节目中健康促进故事情节影响的随机实验。观看后和随访时发现的显著效果为现有实验文献提供了进一步的实证支持，证明了虚构电视节目中健康促进故事情节具有潜在积极影响，且具有更高的生态效度。
