Health brief: Language that inspires action

#3 of 4 health miniblogs to celebrate the end of the year here at Justmeans

Researchers report in the Journal of Health Communications that the language used to describe a clinical trial can influence participation. And we aren't even talking about the health intervention, but rather the methodology.

Researchers used a couple of metaphors to explain randomization to rural, generally low educated prospective participants. One metaphor used pregnancy as an example: A woman has an equal chance of having a boy or girl, and doesn't know which she'll have. The second  explanation was the old flip-of-the-coin example: With a fair coin you have equal chances of getting heads or tails and don't know which you'll flip.

Which was more compelling for participants? More volunteers signed up from the group that heard the pregnancy example than the group that heard about the coin flip. The theory is that the flipped coin brings to mind winners and losers, which is not something you want to think about when signing up for a health study. The baby story, meanwhile, is health related as well as being generally speaking to the average person.

Are there any words or images in particular that are more or less likely to motivate you take healthy action?

Other posts in this series:

#1: The death of mortality as a meaningful measure?

#2: Online tools for social support

#4: Emotional intelligence in private vs. public sectors

Photo credit: The author