Abstract
People's thoughts about exercise may be influenced by the media through observational learning (Maibach, 2007). This influence may affect behaviour choices. Eighty-five undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of three video conditions: Positive - The Biggest Loser (BL; n =28); Negative - BL (n =29); Control - reality TV show about singing (n =28). The positive video (PV) showed BL contestants running a marathon and displaying self confidence. The negative video (NV) showed a personal trainer yelling at two contestants to stay on the treadmill. After seeing the clip participants were asked to list five thoughts they had while watching. These statements were coded to understand the participant's thoughts. The codes most cited by participants that watched the NV were: negative description (e.g. brutal) (n=26) and negative trainer (n=27). Overall the trainer in the video was viewed as ÔÇ£meanÔÇØ; however, some participants thought contestants may need this ÔÇ£brutalÔÇØ motivation to lose weight. The code most cited by participants that watched the PV was, negative about marathon (e.g. that is a long marathon) (n=29). Overall participants who watched the positive video thought that a marathon was ÔÇ£really longÔÇØ and they did not think they could do it themselves. These findings are interesting because television shows like BL may be sending mixed messages that influence viewers in ways not yet understood. Further research needs to examine if these messages affect physical activity and weight loss behaviours.
