Persuasive Appeals and the Reduction of Skin Cancer Risk: The Roles of Appearance Concern, Perceived Benefits of a Tan, and Efficacy Information

This experiment compared the effectiveness of appearance-based messages focusing on the benefits of tanning and the efficacy of preventive measures on students' intentions to protect themselves against sun-induced skin damage. Subjects who were high or low on a dispositional measure of appearance concern responded to 1 of 4 essays providing either high or low benefits information, and high or low efficacy information. Overall, subjects low in appearance concern expressed greater intentions to take precautionary measures than did those high in appearance concern. Additionally, the low benefits of tanning message produced greater intentions to take precautions than did the high benefits message. The benefits results suggest 1 mechanism through which sun protection behaviors may be encouraged.