Proscriptive vs. prescriptive health recommendations to drink alcohol within recommended limits: Effects on moral norms, reactance, attitudes, intentions, and behaviour change

Pavey, L., Sparks, P. and Churchill, S. (2018) Proscriptive vs. prescriptive health recommendations to drink alcohol within recommended limits: Effects on moral norms, reactance, attitudes, intentions, and behaviour change. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 53 (3). pp. 344-349. ISSN 0735-0414

[thumbnail of This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Alcohol and Alcoholism following peer review. The version of record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agx123.]
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Text (This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Alcohol and Alcoholism following peer review. The version of record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agx123.)
Pavey ref 7 Proscriptive vs Prescriptive FINAL REVISION Nov 2017 Alc Alcoholism.pdf - Accepted Version
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Abstract

Aims
Health advice can be framed in terms of prescriptive rules (what people should do, e.g., you should drink alcohol within recommended limits) or proscriptive rules (what people should not do, e.g., you should not drink alcohol above recommended limits). The current research examines the differing effect that these two types of injunction have on participants’ moral norms, reactance, attitudes, and intentions to consume alcohol within moderation, and their subsequent alcohol consumption.
Methods
Participants (N = 529) completed an online questionnaire which asked them to report their previous 7 days’ alcohol consumption. They then read either a proscriptive or a prescriptive health message and completed measures of moral norms, reactance, attitudes, and intentions to drink alcohol only within recommended limits. Subsequent alcohol consumption was reported seven days later.
Results
The results showed that across all participants, the proscriptive message elicited stronger moral norms than did the prescriptive message, which in turn were associated with more positive attitudes and intentions to drink within recommended limits. For male participants who reported drinking more alcohol than recommended at baseline, the proscriptive message elicited more reported alcohol consumption over the subsequent 7 days.
Conclusions
Proscriptive messages may be effective at eliciting stronger moral norms to drink within government recommended guidelines. However, reactance may occur for high relevance groups. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Publication Type: Articles
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Q Science > Q Science (General)
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Divisions: Research Entities > POWER Centre
Academic Areas > Institute of Education, Social and Life Sciences > Psychology
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Sue Churchill
Date Deposited: 12 Jan 2018 14:25
Last Modified: 10 Jan 2019 01:10
URI: https://eprints.chi.ac.uk/id/eprint/3228

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