Spring 2020
Public Health Campaign, FSU College of Communications
Developed 5 public health messages to inform and encourage people on how to leave an abusive partnership safely. I used the Transtheoretical Model and Self-Efficacy Model to create messages which elicit hope for people who are aware of their situation and are just beginning to consider leaving their partnership. The target demographic includes people between the ages of 25-40 who live with an abusive partner in the United States.
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All messages were pilot-tested using qualitative surveys. Respondents viewed 2 or 3 messages and were asked about the messages' intended audience, intended messages, their first impressions of the messages, and their persuasive appeal.
Results
Respondents generally found the information helpful, and 100% of respondents were able to identify the intended audience, and most were able to identify the intended message. Only one image (message 2) prompted participants to identify a specific gender as the intended audience. Nearly all respondents thought the messages provided helpful information to the intended audience (survivors/victims of IPV) but results were split when asked if they thought the message would be persuasive to the intended audience.
Generally, the images did not facilitate a deeper understanding of the message. Some images, such as the flower, caught respondents’ attention, but the road sign images initially confused respondents regarding the intended message. In addition, when asked “Who do you think this message is for”, respondents specified female survivors in the message with the flower but rarely mentioned gender in regard to the other images. While the flower elicited less confusion, it implied gender more than any other image. A primary goal of this campaign was to remain gender-neutral, so this image did not meet our goals.
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When asked “How did this image make you feel?”, at least one respondent for messages 1-4 stated ‘hope’ or hopeful’. Three out of five respondents stated ‘hope’ or ‘hopeful’ for message #2. At least one respondent stated ‘sad’ or ‘sadness’ for every message.
While all messages succeeded in the intended audience, intended message, and offering valuable information, results varied when asked if they thought the message was persuasive to the intended audience. Some respondents noted that it was not strong enough to convince a person to leave an abusive relationship, commenting, “Possibly. They might start to realize just because their partner apologizes, it is still abuse.” Although the information presented might be valuable, they are not persuasive enough on its own.