Shaping Health Behavior Through Persuasive Communication

William Brooks*
 
*Correspondence: William Brooks, Department of Journalism and Strategic Media,, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA, Email: william.brooks767@memphis.edu

Author info »

Introduction

Understanding persuasive communication is crucial across many fields, particularly public health, where effective strategies can drive significant behavioral changes. One systematic review highlights how social media platforms are leveraged for public health initiatives, identifying key persuasive strategies like message tailoring, utilizing credible sources, and fostering engagement to promote healthy behaviors among diverse populations. Gaining insight into platform dynamics and audience characteristics is essential for maximizing the impact of these health campaigns[1].

Moreover, research examining what makes health messages persuasive to adolescents emphasizes factors influencing their engagement and adoption of health behaviors. It underscores that messages must truly resonate with adolescent values, address their specific concerns, and be delivered through channels they trust to effectively promote positive health choices[2].

The effectiveness of communication is significantly enhanced by personalization. What this really means is that tailored persuasive communication, designed specifically for an individual's unique characteristics, needs, and preferences, proves far more impactful than generic advice. This approach highlights the potent power of personalization in behavior change interventions, especially in promoting physical activity[3].

The role of trust in media and persuasive communication is critical, particularly during public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Public trust in information sources directly influences the effectiveness of health communication, thereby underscoring the vital need for transparency and reliability to counter misinformation and encourage compliance with health guidelines[4].

Message framing also profoundly impacts persuasive communication within health contexts. Findings show that how a message is presented—whether emphasizing gains or losses—significantly influences its effectiveness in encouraging specific health behaviors, giving us a clearer picture of what works best for different health messages[6].

Similarly, the influence of social norms and message framing on intentions, such as COVID-19 vaccination, is noteworthy. Research reveals that emphasizing collective well-being and framing messages positively can significantly increase persuasive power, making people more likely to choose vaccination. This highlights the subtle but powerful role of social influence in health decisions[10].

Beyond immediate health interventions, persuasive communication extends to promoting Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in science education. This work highlights the importance of engaging students and educators with RRI principles through deliberate communication strategies, aiming to foster a more ethical and societally engaged approach to science[5].

However, applying persuasive communication, especially in public health, brings forward important ethical considerations. One review unpacks ongoing debates around balancing public good with individual autonomy, suggesting that communicators must navigate these complex moral landscapes carefully to ensure health interventions are both effective and respectful[7].

Furthermore, persuasive strategies are key to boosting the adoption of digital health technologies. Clear, engaging, and personalized messages are identified as crucial for overcoming user resistance and encouraging individuals to embrace new tools for managing their health effectively[8].

Finally, innovative technologies like virtual reality (VR) are transforming persuasive communication by enhancing narrative engagement and a sense of presence. Studies suggest that immersive VR experiences can amplify a message's persuasiveness by drawing users deeper into the story and making the content feel more immediate and real, which is a game-changer for digital communication[9].

 

Description

Persuasive communication is a critical tool for influencing behavior and promoting positive outcomes across various domains. In public health, for instance, it's about leveraging platforms like social media to identify key strategies. This includes tailoring messages, using credible sources, and fostering engagement to encourage healthy behaviors within diverse populations. A deep understanding of platform dynamics and audience characteristics is essential for maximizing the impact of such health campaigns [1]. Similarly, to make health messages persuasive to adolescents, it's crucial that they resonate with the values of young people, address their specific concerns, and are delivered through trusted channels. This ensures messages truly make a difference in promoting positive health choices among this demographic [2].

The effectiveness of communication often hinges on personalization. What this really means is that tailored persuasive communication, designed specifically for an individual's unique characteristics, needs, and preferences, is far more impactful than generic advice. This approach has proven highly successful in promoting physical activity, underscoring the significant power of personalization in behavior change interventions [3]. Extending this principle to digital health technologies, clear, engaging, and personalized messages are key to overcoming user resistance. They encourage individuals to embrace new tools for managing their health, thereby boosting adoption rates significantly [8].

Several key factors influence how persuasive a message can be. Trust in media and communication sources plays a vital role, especially during public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. Public trust in information directly affects the effectiveness of health communication, highlighting the need for transparency and reliability to counter misinformation and encourage compliance with health guidelines [4]. Message framing also impacts persuasive communication in health contexts. Research indicates that how a message is presented – whether it emphasizes gains or losses – significantly influences its effectiveness in encouraging specific health behaviors, giving us a clearer picture of what works best for different health messages [6]. Furthermore, social norms strongly influence people's intentions, such as getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Emphasizing collective well-being and framing messages positively can significantly increase persuasive power, making people more likely to choose vaccination and highlighting the subtle but powerful role of social influence in health decisions [10].

As persuasive communication evolves, so do its ethical dimensions. There are ongoing debates surrounding the balance between public good and individual autonomy in public health interventions. Communicators must navigate these complex moral landscapes carefully to ensure health interventions are both effective and respectful [7]. Beyond health, persuasive communication finds applications in other critical areas, such as promoting Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in science education. This involves engaging students and educators with RRI principles through deliberate communication strategies, fostering a more ethical and societally engaged approach to science [5]. Innovative technologies also offer new avenues for persuasion. For example, virtual reality (VR) impacts persuasive communication through enhanced narrative engagement and a sense of presence. Immersive VR experiences can amplify a message's persuasiveness by drawing users deeper into the story and making the content feel more immediate and real, which is a game-changer for digital communication [9].

Conclusion

This collection of research explores the multifaceted nature of persuasive communication across various contexts, with a strong emphasis on public health. It highlights how different strategies impact behavior change, from leveraging social media for health initiatives by tailoring messages and using credible sources, to understanding what makes health messages persuasive for adolescents by addressing their values and concerns. The power of personalization is consistently underscored, showing that tailored communication is more effective than generic advice, particularly for promoting physical activity. Trust in information sources is crucial, especially during public health crises like COVID-19, where transparency and reliability directly influence message effectiveness and compliance. Message framing, whether emphasizing gains or losses, also significantly impacts health behaviors, as do social norms in influencing decisions such as vaccine uptake. The ethical dimensions of persuasive communication in public health are also debated, focusing on balancing public good with individual autonomy. Beyond traditional methods, the data looks into innovative approaches including promoting Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in science education and boosting the adoption of digital health technologies with clear, engaging, and personalized messages. It even touches on the impact of virtual reality (VR) in enhancing persuasiveness by creating immersive, engaging narratives. Overall, the research consistently demonstrates that effective persuasive communication requires a deep understanding of audience, context, delivery method, and ethical implications to drive desired behavioral outcomes.

Acknowledgement

None

Conflict of Interest

None

References

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Author Info

Department of Journalism and Strategic Media,, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
 

Received: 01-Apr-2025, Manuscript No. jmcj-25-176488; Editor assigned: 03-Apr-2025, Pre QC No. P-176488; Reviewed: 17-Apr-2025, QC No. Q-176488; Revised: 22-Apr-2025, Rev Manuscript No. R-176488; Published: 29-Apr-2025

Citation: William Brooks. ”Shaping Health Behavior Through Persuasive Communication.” J Mass Communicat Journalism 15(2025):616.

Copyright: © 2025 B. William This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.