Mothers' pre-existing beliefs moderate their emotional response to guilt appeals about physical activity for their child

Abstract

Health advertising campaigns use emotional appeals to motivate parents to support their child's participation in physical activity (PA) (Huhman et al., 2005). The purpose of this study was to determine if mothers' pre-existing beliefs about their child's participation in PA influenced their emotions, perceived control and intentions in response to guilt appeals about PA for their child. Mothers (n=304) with a child aged 8-13 watched an ad with either a low, moderate or high guilt appeal about PA for their child. Mothers reported their feelings of guilt, perceived control and intentions to support their child's PA. There was a significant interaction between mothers' pre-existing beliefs and ad condition, F(5,295) = 3.970, p<.05, ?2 = .026. Mothers in the low and moderate guilt condition who did not believe their child was meeting the PA guidelines experienced more guilt than mothers who believed their child was meeting the guidelines, ps<.001, d>.84. There was a significant main effect of mothers' pre-existing beliefs on perceived control, F(295) = 41.9, p<.001, ?2 = .151 and intentions, F(295) = 52.5, p<.001, ?2 = .124. Mothers that believed their child was meeting the PA guidelines reported more perceived control, ps<.01, d>.67 and higher intentions, ps<.01, d>.68 than mothers who did not believe their child was meeting the guidelines. PA advertisements targeted at mothers of children who are not active enough should avoid using guilt appeals.

Acknowledgments: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Chair Program