Enhancing anti-doping education interventions using framed messages

Summary

One widely-studied and well established health communication principle is message  framing (Rothman & Salovey, 1997). The central assumption of message framing is that the way  in which people respond to messages and subsequently make behavioural decisions is dependent,  in part, on how the information in the message is presented, or framed (Rothman & Salovey,  1997). When encouraging people to avoid doping, research suggests that using gain-framed  messages (e.g., “Saying no to doping will help you stay healthy”) as opposed to a loss framed  message (e.g., ““Doping will put your health at risk”) would be most persuasive. Among adolescents, research examining framing effects is limited and findings from the few existing  studies have been mixed, suggesting a need for further tests of message framing effects in this  population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that gain-framed  messages would be more effective than loss-framed messages for influencing important  cognitions related to doping abstinence among adolescent athletes.

Methodology

This research was conducted in two phases. In Phase I, we developed gain- and loss-framed video messages, through an extensive iterative process involving feedback from adolescent athletes and experts in the area of message framing. In Phase II, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of the gain- and loss-framed video messages for influencing intentions, attitudes, selfefficacy, and perceived norms around doping among adolescent athletes. 114 athletes aged 12 to 16 years old viewed either a gain-framed or loss-framed video message. Outcome variables included intentions, attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceived norms related to doping and were assessed immediately before and after the videos.

Results

The adolescents had substantial difficulty differentiating between the different message frames. Regardless of the message frame, there were significant improvements in attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceived norms related to doping, suggesting that a brief messaging intervention can have a significant influence on cognitions related to abstaining from doping.

Significance for Clean Sport

The findings of this research indicate that neither a gain-framed message nor a loss-framed message has a distinct advantage in changing important cognitions related to doping among adolescent athletes but that receiving either type of message may be influential in helping to establish a pattern of cognitions that will protect against doping initiation.

Related Publications

- A Systematic Examination of Gain- and Loss-Framed Content in Educational Resources Targeting the Prevention of Performance Enhancing Substance Use Among Athletes