ArticlePreventive medicine2018
The relative persuasiveness of narrative versus non-narrative health messages in public health emergency communication: Evidence from a field experiment.
Article in Preventive medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of Entertainment-Education interventions on persuasive health outcomes.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Individual Characteristics in the Comprehension of Pandemic Video Communication: Randomized Controlled Between-Subjects Design.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Trial
- Assessing the Effect of Nonvisual Information Factors in Pandemic-Related Video Communication: Randomized Controlled Between-Subjects Experiment.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Trial
- A Thematic Analysis Exploring Bowel Cancer Screening Promotional Visuals in the United Kingdom and India.Health literacy research and practice · 2026Article
- Inclusive Crisis Communication in a Pandemic Context: A Rapid Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Review
- Interactive Narrative-Based Digital Health Interventions for Vaccine Communication: Protocol for a Scoping Review.JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
- Narrative Messages and the Use of Emotional Appeals on Endometriosis Screening Intention: The Mediating Role of Positive Affect.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Effects of rhetorical devices on audience responses with online videos: An augmented elaboration likelihood model.PloS one · 2023Article
- The Effects of the Type of Information Played in Environmentally Themed Short Videos on Social Media on People's Willingness to Protect the Environment.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Engaging social media users with attitudinal messages during health crisis communication.Lingua. International review of general linguistics. Revue internationale de linguistique generale · 2022Article
- The Role of Recipient Characteristics in Health Video Communication Outcomes: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Article
- Health authorities' health risk communication with the public during pandemics: a rapid scoping review.BMC public health · 2021Article
- Framing Effects and Evidence Type: Influence on the Persuasive Effect of Myopia Prevention Messages Among Elementary School Students in China.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Previous studies indicated that narrative health messages are more effective than non-narrative messages in influencing health outcomes. However, this body of evidence does not account for differences in health domain, and little is known about the effectiveness of this message execution strategy during public health emergencies. In this study, we examined the relative effectiveness of the two formats in influencing knowledge and perceived response efficacy related to prevention of pandemic influenza, and determined whether effects of message format vary across population sub-groups. Data for the study come from an experiment fielded in 2013 that involved a nationally representative sample of 627 American adults. Participants were randomly assigned to view either a narrative (n=322) or a non-narrative (n=305) video clip containing closely matched information about knowledge and preventive actions related to pandemic influenza, and completed pre- and post-viewing questions assessing knowledge and perceived response efficacy related to the prevention of pandemic influenza. Results indicated that participants in the non-narrative condition reported greater knowledge and rated pandemic influenza prevention measures as more effective compared with those in the narrative condition. Message format effects did not vary across population sub-groups; post-viewing scores of knowledge and perceptions related to pandemic influenza were consistently higher in the non-narrative condition compared with the narrative condition across five socio-demographic groups: age, gender, education, race/ethnicity and income. We concluded that didactic, non-narrative messages may be more effective than narrative messages to influence knowledge and perceptions during public health emergencies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.