Psychology, Interamerican
Conditions matter: considerations on the use of visual stimuli in promoting population attitudes and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil
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Keywords

Pandemic
Behavioral Attitudes
Prevention Measures
Health Education
Brazil

How to Cite

Sampaio, L. R., Santos, I. T. dos, Santos, T. de L. S., Pires, M. F. D. N., Constantino, M. K. R., Caetano, L. M., & Dell’Agli, B. A. V. (2022). Conditions matter: considerations on the use of visual stimuli in promoting population attitudes and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Revista Interamericana De Psicología/Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 56(3), e1730. https://doi.org/10.30849/ripijp.v56i3.1730

Abstract

Previous studies show that the type of content and format of messages employed in campaigns about COVID-19 can influence the attitudes and behaviors of the population, increasing their commitment and engagement with measures to contain the disease. This study describes two experiments with 998 Brazilian adults, which main objective was to test the possible effects of two types of messages on behavioral attitudes toward the pandemic. One message was informative only, and the other was framed to mobilize empathy in viewers. The results indicate that exposure to both messages contributed to an increase in behavioral intentions of participants, when compared to others who formed a control group. Data also suggest that socioeconomic conditions are an important factor to consider when analyzing the effects of these messages on people’s behavior. We discuss the importance of considering the scientific evidence regarding the format and content of messages aired to the population. We also discuss the need to implement initiatives to protect people in more vulnerable socioeconomic conditions, so that actions in the field of Health Education may effectively contribute to combat the pandemic.

https://doi.org/10.30849/ripijp.v56i3.1730
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Copyright (c) 2022 Leonardo Rodrigues Sampaio, Isabele Tenório dos Santos, Tamires de Lima Sousa Santos, Michelle França Dourado Neto Pires, Marya Klara Rodrigues Constantino, Luciana Maria Caetano, Betânia Alves Veiga Dell’Agli