Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: The Role of Protection Motivation Theory

Abstract

This article examines health communication campaigns aimed at preventing alcohol consumption among women who are pregnant or attempting to become pregnant. Relevant communication materials were gathered and a qualitative review was conducted. A majority of the campaigns followed the tenets of protection motivation theory by focusing on the threat variables of severity and vulnerability, as well as emphasizing response efficacy. Few campaigns focused on costs or self-efficacy. Future fetal alcohol spectrum disorders prevention initiatives should attempt to reduce perceived costs, as well as include self-efficacy messages in order to increase women's confidence that they can carry out the recommended actions.

Promoting Abstinence From Alcohol During Pregnancy: Implications From Formative Research

“…As identified by Cismaru and colleagues (Cismaru, et al, 2010), messages targeting alcohol use during pregnancy often focus on increasing perceived severity of the threat, and the audiences' perceived susceptibility to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, without adequate attention given to perceived self-efficacy as important for instigating protection motivation (Rogers, 1975) or a danger control process (Witte, 1992). In this study, a display of social support and acceptance for a pregnant women abstaining from alcohol was well-received by participants, as were specific strategies for avoiding alcohol during social situations.…”

“…Furthermore, other than a post hoc allusion to Protection Motivation Theory (Cismaru, et al, 2010), we could find no systematic use of theoretical frameworks to develop such campaigns.…”

“…Furthermore, recommendations for messaging are seldom related to theory or based on formative research, and hence there is little evidence to inform the design of effective messages (Cismaru, Deshpande, Thurmeier, Lavack, & Agrey, 2010;Saskatchewan Prevention Institute, 2009). This lack of published information on the development and evaluation of campaigns makes it difficult to determine what campaign elements are most effective with respect to the desired target audiences' behavioural intentions and behaviour change.…”

Messages that increase women’s intentions to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy: results from quantitative testing of advertising concepts

“…As noted by Cismaru and colleagues [19], many campaigns have adopted a threat-based message and have focused on convincing women that the consequences of alcohol use during pregnancy are severe. However the concept of self-efficacy, or confidence in one’s ability to a adopt behaviour change (which is a critical component of models describing the influence of a threat on behaviour change) is frequently overlooked [19].…”

“…However the concept of self-efficacy, or confidence in one’s ability to a adopt behaviour change (which is a critical component of models describing the influence of a threat on behaviour change) is frequently overlooked [19]. As such, we specifically sought to investigate the effectiveness of a positive (self-efficacy based) appeal, compared to a straight threat appeal and one that combined the two.…”