title: Promoting fruit and vegetable intake through messages tailored to individual differences in regulatory focus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Researchers must identify strategies to optimize the persuasiveness of messages used in public education campaigns encouraging fruit and vegetable (FV) intake.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study examined whether tailoring messages to individuals' regulatory focus (RF), the tendency to be motivated by promotion versus prevention goals, increased the persuasiveness of messages encouraging greater FV intake.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (n = 518) completed an assessment of their RF and were randomly assigned to receive either prevention- or promotion-oriented messages. Messages were mailed 1 week, 2 months, and 3 months after the baseline interview. Follow-up assessments were conducted 1 and 4 months after the baseline assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analyses revealed that at Month 4, the messages were somewhat more efficacious when congruent with participants' RF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RF may be a promising target for developing tailored messages promoting increased FV intake, and particularly for encouraging individuals to meet FV guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208205, New Haven, CT 06520-8205, USA. amy.latimer@queensu.ca
authors.forename: Amy E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Latimer
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Williams-Piehota
authors.forename: Nicole A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Katulak
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mowad
authors.forename: E Tory
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salovey
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D054547:National Cancer Institute (U.S.); D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables