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1. Will fear motivate college students?

In the research conducted by conducted by Amanda K. Snook, three hundred participants were randomly designated to read a health communication enhancing the use of flu shots. These participants were randomly designated to read either a health message that encouraged flu shots by the use of low-fear appeals, high-fear appeals or they were exposed to the control message that did not make any mention regarding flu shots. Control condition was important since it enabled researchers to verify if either of the two health messages decreased or increased flu shot adherence in relation to a group that was previously not exposed to any health communication. The participants were members of the community and they were selected for participation by use of random digit dialing in order to distinguish members of the adult population of the United States.      

A research was on the risk of influenza among college students. This was done because influenza was found to be a very serious health problem among college students throughout the United States. Most of the students will acquire influenza through everyday interactions with other individuals in their residential places, in classrooms, and through other socially related activities (Jennings & Read, 2005). So as to minimize the college students' disease risk, it is of highest importance for public health for researchers to change the behaviors of these students in colleges. Even if some researchers have suggested that some individuals do not react well to fear, fear was found to be one of the most effective ways that can be used to motivate behavior among college students.

 

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Given the significance of understanding the impact of fear regarding college students' flu-prevention behaviors, the study was intended to study how fear is used to bring about flu shots. It has been found that flu shots can become an effective way of minimizing flu outbreaks amongst college students if they positively respond to fear-based messages. However, in the United States, researchers lack a strong sense on the way college students will respond toward fear-based appeals to minimize influenza risk. For instance, a research using fear in an attempt to increase sunscreen use has been found to backfire, making individuals to minimize in the use of sunscreen. In contrast, a research in which fear messages are used to decrease health-risk behaviors such as driving while intoxicated, has proved a positive effect at times (Robin, 2004).

An increased concern within public health is influencing the best way to encouraging the general population of United States to get immunized against influenza. The current study is meant to determine one way of doing so by making use of fear-based health communications. The results show that fear can bring about an increased interest concerning immunization as well as well as raise rates of immunization. It is an indication that those researchers who plan for health communications to aim at the United States adults should consider the future welfares of fear-based messages.