Matching health messages to monitor-blunter coping styles to motivate screening mammography.
This study examined whether providing messages matched to women's monitor-blunter coping styles is effective in encouraging mammography utilization. Female callers to a cancer information hotline were assessed at the end of their regular telephone call and classified as monitors or blunters. A randomly assigned message promoting mammography utilization, tailored for monitors or blunters, was delivered on the telephone, and a similarly tailored brochure and refrigerator magnet were mailed to participants immediately after their call. Women were telephoned 6 and 12 months later to determine whether they had obtained a mammogram. Messages matched to a woman's monitor-blunter coping style encouraged mammography after 6 months more effectively than mismatched messages and were significantly more effective for blunters but not for monitors.
Williams-Piehota
Pamela
P
Health, Emotions, and Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8205, USA.
Pizarro
Judith
J
Schneider
Tamera R
TR
Mowad
Linda
L
Salovey
Peter
P
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008327:Mammography / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010174:Pamphlets; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D018570:Risk Assessment