title: Preliminary development and evaluation of an appearance-based dissonance induction intervention for reducing UV exposure.
abstract: The current study examined the feasibility of an appearance-based dissonance induction approach for the modification of tanning and sunscreen use behaviors. Undergraduate female students were randomized to: a healthy lifestyle condition, an appearance-based dissonance condition, or an appearance-based psychoeducation condition. Reports of tanning and sunscreen use were collected immediately before and 1 month following intervention (N=225). Relative to the healthy lifestyle condition, participants in the dissonance condition reported a significant reduction in daily hours spent tanning. Additionally, sunscreen use on the body decreased significantly for the healthy lifestyle group, but did not change for the dissonance group. The psychoeducation condition did not differ from the healthy lifestyle condition on any measure. These findings should encourage additional research into the use of dissonance induction as an appearance-based strategy for promoting reductions in UV exposure.
authors.affiliation: VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Sari R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Chait
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States. Electronic address: JKThompson@usf.edu.
authors.forename: J Kevin
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Moffitt Cancer Center and Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States.
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055108:Sunbathing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Appearance-based tanning interventions; Cognitive dissonance; Skin cancer; Tanning; UV exposure