The Effect of Message Framing on African American Women's Intention to Participate in Health-Related Research

J Health Commun. 2016 May;21(5):527-33. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2015.1103333. Epub 2016 Apr 14.

Abstract

This study examined the effect of message framing on African American women's intention to participate in health-related research and actual registration in ResearchMatch (RM), a disease-neutral, national volunteer research registry. A community-engaged approach was used involving collaboration between an academic medical center and a volunteer service organization formed by professional women of color. A self-administered survey that contained an embedded message framing manipulation was distributed to more than 2,000 African American women attending the 2012 national assembly of The Links, Incorporated. A total of 391 surveys were completed (381 after exclusion: 187 containing the gain-framed message and 194 containing the loss-framed message). The majority (57%) of women expressed favorable intentions to participate in health-related research, and 21% subsequently enrolled in RM. The effect of message framing on intention was moderated by self-efficacy. There was no effect of message framing on RM registration; however, those with high self-efficacy were more than 2 times as likely as those with low self-efficacy to register as a potential study volunteer in RM (odds ratio = 2.62, 95% confidence interval [1.29, 5.33]). This investigation makes theoretical and practical contributions to the field of health communication and informs future strategies to meaningfully and effectively include women and minorities in health-related research.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biomedical Research*
  • Black or African American / psychology*
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Health Communication / methods*
  • Humans
  • Intention*
  • Middle Aged
  • Research Subjects / psychology*
  • Research Subjects / statistics & numerical data
  • Self Efficacy
  • Surveys and Questionnaires