ORCID

Seitz: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9288-9190

MSU Affiliation

College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Communication; Social Science Research Center; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion; MSU-Meridian

Creation Date

2025-10-01

Abstract

Well-designed health communication campaigns can contribute to the uptake of preventive behaviors, but there has been a lack of attention on using communication research to develop opioid misuse prevention messages. We report the results of two studies designed to inform the development of prescription opioid misuse prevention messages for adults ages 30–59. In Study 1, 16 adults across 4 counties participated in semi-structured interviews to provide input on message concepts addressing six key prescription opioid misuse prevention behaviors. In Study 2, 1,335 adults completed an online, survey-based between-subjects experiment in which participants were randomized to a no message control condition or a message condition that aligned with a prevention behavior. The survey examined Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) predictors of intention in no message control participants and examined differences in intention to perform prevention behaviors among experimental conditions. The qualitative interviews yielded insights about message preferences and perceived facilitators and barriers related to the prevention behaviors. The online survey demonstrated that attitude and descriptive norms are important determinants of preventive behaviors and potential targets for communication interventions. Message testing results demonstrated that the draft messages were effective in changing intentions to safely store, securely dispose of, and monitor the use of prescription opioids, but they were not effective in increasing intentions to talk to healthcare providers, older adults, or children about proper opioid use. A communication campaign addressing attitudes and perceived descriptive norms may be successful in increasing intentions to engage in opioid misuse prevention behaviors.

Publication Date

9-20-2022

Publication Title

Health Communication

Publisher

Taylor & Francis Group

First Page

2865

Last Page

2883

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2124059

Comments

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Health Communication on 09/20/2022, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2124059.

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2124059.

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