Examining gain- and loss-framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening/cardiovascular context: Does framing matter?

Objective: Digital mammography can reveal not only breast cancer but also breast arterial calcification (BAC), which can indicate potential coronary artery disease. To explore ways to inform women of their BAC status in the context of a standard mammography results letter, we conducted a preliminary...

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Main Authors: Katharine J. Head, Nancy Grant Harrington, Julie B. Schnur, Laurie Margolies, Guy H. Montgomery
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2022-12-01
Series:PEC Innovation
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772628221000078
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author Katharine J. Head
Nancy Grant Harrington
Julie B. Schnur
Laurie Margolies
Guy H. Montgomery
author_facet Katharine J. Head
Nancy Grant Harrington
Julie B. Schnur
Laurie Margolies
Guy H. Montgomery
author_sort Katharine J. Head
collection DOAJ
description Objective: Digital mammography can reveal not only breast cancer but also breast arterial calcification (BAC), which can indicate potential coronary artery disease. To explore ways to inform women of their BAC status in the context of a standard mammography results letter, we conducted a preliminary study comparing gain- and loss-framed messages to encourage follow-up cardiovascular care. Methods: U.S. women over age 40 with no heart disease history (N = 227) were randomly assigned to view a mammography letter including BAC information in one of seven ways (three gain-framed messages, three loss-framed messages, one comparison message). Results: Post-test measures indicated no significant differences on BAC knowledge, recall of test results and recommendations, perceived message effectiveness, or behavioral intentions for follow-up. Conclusion: Despite showing no significant differences between message conditions, results supported the messages' ability to clearly convey BAC information and encourage intention for follow-up cardiovascular care. Innovation: This experimental study represents the first published report examining the inclusion of BAC screening results within the mammography letter. It also explored the use of message framing in a dual detection–prevention context and suggests that future work should test the effects of including both framing tactics in messages designed to target dual-focus contexts.
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spelling doaj.art-e6ca03b3d695406684e133acce66b9932022-12-22T04:40:29ZengElsevierPEC Innovation2772-62822022-12-011100007Examining gain- and loss-framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening/cardiovascular context: Does framing matter?Katharine J. Head0Nancy Grant Harrington1Julie B. Schnur2Laurie Margolies3Guy H. Montgomery4Department of Communication Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA; Corresponding author.University of Kentucky, USACenter for Behavioral Oncology, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USADiagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USACenter for Behavioral Oncology, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USAObjective: Digital mammography can reveal not only breast cancer but also breast arterial calcification (BAC), which can indicate potential coronary artery disease. To explore ways to inform women of their BAC status in the context of a standard mammography results letter, we conducted a preliminary study comparing gain- and loss-framed messages to encourage follow-up cardiovascular care. Methods: U.S. women over age 40 with no heart disease history (N = 227) were randomly assigned to view a mammography letter including BAC information in one of seven ways (three gain-framed messages, three loss-framed messages, one comparison message). Results: Post-test measures indicated no significant differences on BAC knowledge, recall of test results and recommendations, perceived message effectiveness, or behavioral intentions for follow-up. Conclusion: Despite showing no significant differences between message conditions, results supported the messages' ability to clearly convey BAC information and encourage intention for follow-up cardiovascular care. Innovation: This experimental study represents the first published report examining the inclusion of BAC screening results within the mammography letter. It also explored the use of message framing in a dual detection–prevention context and suggests that future work should test the effects of including both framing tactics in messages designed to target dual-focus contexts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772628221000078Message framingMessage testingMammogramCardiovascular healthPerceived message effectiveness
spellingShingle Katharine J. Head
Nancy Grant Harrington
Julie B. Schnur
Laurie Margolies
Guy H. Montgomery
Examining gain- and loss-framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening/cardiovascular context: Does framing matter?
PEC Innovation
Message framing
Message testing
Mammogram
Cardiovascular health
Perceived message effectiveness
title Examining gain- and loss-framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening/cardiovascular context: Does framing matter?
title_full Examining gain- and loss-framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening/cardiovascular context: Does framing matter?
title_fullStr Examining gain- and loss-framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening/cardiovascular context: Does framing matter?
title_full_unstemmed Examining gain- and loss-framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening/cardiovascular context: Does framing matter?
title_short Examining gain- and loss-framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening/cardiovascular context: Does framing matter?
title_sort examining gain and loss framed messages in a novel breast cancer screening cardiovascular context does framing matter
topic Message framing
Message testing
Mammogram
Cardiovascular health
Perceived message effectiveness
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772628221000078
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