Background
Visual imagery has been shown to improve adherence to health messages but has scarcely been investigated in sun protection campaigns.
Objective
To determine the effectiveness of pictorial‐ and textual‐based sun protective messages in a largely Hispanic population.
Methods
One hundred and forty‐five participants received standard of care (SOC) as defined as sun protective counseling and were then randomized to receive either (a) images of sun damage, (b) a textual pamphlet about sun damage, or (c) no further messages. Analysis‐of‐variance tests for repeated measures were used to estimate the effects of the different stimuli on participants’ knowledge and intention to sun protect.
Results
All stimulus groups demonstrated an improvement in perceived effectiveness of sun protective habits (p < 0.05). However, pictorial and textual stimuli were both more effective than SOC in improving intentions to sun protect (p < 0.05), but there was no differential effect between the two.
Conclusions
Both pictorial and textual stimuli were more effective than SOC in improving intentions to sun protect, but there was no differential effect between the two.