Tailoring Messages to Reduce Misinformation: Impact on Smokers' Beliefs about E-Cigarettes.
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2024-06-17
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en
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The use of e-cigarettes has rapidly grown in the past decade, yet many of their users have an inaccurate picture of the health risks they possess. In a world full of misinformation, it is sometimes hard to distinguish the truth. Therefore, different interventions have been examined to combat misinformation. The present study investigates whether specifically tailoring messages to low agreeableness would reduce belief in misinformation among smokers, who based on literature typically score lower in the personality trait agreeableness. The study utilised a quasi-experimental design and participants were exposed to either tailored or countertailored messages, aiming to decrease the belief in the e-cigarette myth that e-cigarettes do not contain nicotine. Upon examining the results, it became clear that there is no evidence to validate the hypotheses; tailoring messages to low agreeableness was not effective in reducing the belief in misinformation about e-cigarette usage among smokers. This study contributes to the understanding of how tailored health communication can combat misinformation and provides insights and suggestions for new public health campaigns in the future.
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