Perception matters : Perceived behavior change and trust in domains of health risk

Researchers and practitioners aim to decrease individual risks by changing human behavior in many domains, for instance in health-related areas, where risks are either accumulating over long periods of time, or appear suddenly at acute circumstances, such as crisis situations. In order to better understand individuals’ behaviors in relation to risks, it is necessary to inquire about their perceptions of the world. Eventually, it is the individual’s perception that the person will base judgments and decisions on. Hence, only by investigating and understanding (mis)perceptions and their relations to reality can we improve people’s behaviors and decisions in the future. Accordingly, the overarching research aim of the present dissertation was to investigate the role of perception for domains of health risk. The present dissertation approaches this aim in two ways. First, the relationship between perceived and actual behavioral change for two health behaviors is investigated. The exploration of individual perception of behavior change should inform behavior change interventions, such as information campaigns. Second, perceived trust toward information sources is examined in the context of risk communication. To effectively change peoples’ behavior, it is crucial to investigate how to disseminate the respective information (e.g. information about preventive behavior). For many people, the internet has become one of the most important sources for obtaining risk-related information, especially via social media. Therefore, the present dissertation focuses on social media as a means for risk communication and addresses the question of what factors lead people to perceive social media channels as trustworthy in domains of risk. Thus, the present dissertation connects the topics of perceived behavior change and perceived trust in domains of health risk. In chapters 2 and 3, the relationship between perceived behavior change and actual behavior change was investigated. Specifically, it was examined how much behavior change is necessary for people to perceive that they have changed. This was carried out for two different health behaviors, namely physical activity (chapter 2) and dietary behavior (chapter 3). To replicate findings, identical studies were conducted twice for each behavior at different measurement points (physical activity study 1: N = 605, study 2: N = 382; dietary behavior study 1: N = 743, study 2: N = 489). Data for chapters 2 and 3 were collected under the Konstanz Life Study, an ongoing longitudinal multiple-cohort study. Results show that people need to exhibit rather large and comprehensive behavioral changes in order to perceive to have changed. Specifically, for physical activity, only substantial changes in vigorous physical activity were taken into consideration, whereas changes in moderate physical activity were neglected. Also, for dietary behavior, the consumption of five food categories changed between measurement points for those who perceived a change. Furthermore, those who perceived a change shifted from a ‘regular’ to an ‘optimal’ dietary pattern. These findings indicate that rather extensive behavior changes were needed for people to perceive they have changed. The findings suggest, that public health interventions might benefit from emphasizing the positive effects of small behavioral changes (‘baby steps’). Health interventions are most successful when these insights into perceived behavior change and their implications for recommendations are brought together with an effective and trusted way of disseminating these information to the public. Accordingly, in a second step (chapter 4), the focus of this dissertation shifts toward possible media channels, as these may serve as the hub for disseminating information. In chapter 4, perceptions of trust toward social media as transmitter of risk information were addressed. More specifically, perceived trust toward social media in crisis situations was investigated in a sample of N = 430 European Facebook users in a cross-sectional online survey. Findings show that people who use Facebook more regularly perceive it as more trustworthy and that this perceived trust also predicts trust in a crisis situation. Thus, the general use of and general trust toward a medium are important factors that influence whether people trust this medium with regard to risk-related information. In sum, the present dissertation brings together two kinds of perceptions (i.e. perceived behavior change and perceived trust) and considers how both might play a role in behavior change approaches: To effectively change people’s behavior, it is helpful to know how much change is necessary for people to feel they have changed, and also, how to disseminate information for behavior change. Therefore, to influence behavior effectively, we need to fully understand how people evaluate their own behavior changes as well as the medium on which informational advice is distributed most effectively. Risk communication should be executed via channels that people use and trust in general, as they will trust these channels also when it is about their physical well-being and safety.publishe