Good dental hygiene is key to public health. To promote dental hygiene behaviours, persuasive messages are key. Message framing is a popular theory that has seen mixed evidence. In this web-based experimental study, interaction effects of message frame, behavioural function, and risk priming were investigated on mouth rinse use and intentions in a representative sample of Dutch adults. Final included sample contained 549 participants (50.1% male, mean age = 47.4, SD = 16.1) and outcomes were immediate mouth rinse product choice, intentions to use mouth rinse, and mouth rinse behaviour at 2-week follow-up. Results demonstrated a theorized significant interaction between message frame and behavioural function were mouth rinse product choice. Two-week follow-up mouth rinse behaviour was affected by an interaction between message frame and risk prime. Message framing can thus be employed to promote dental health, but it requires attention to moderation effects which are inconsistent across behavioural outcomes.
Method Participants and proceduresParticipants were Dutch adults who were registered members of an ISO-certified Internet Research Panel company. The panel consists of over 16,000 individuals and is representative for the Dutch population in terms of age, gen-J Behav Med (2019) 42:300-314 301