Message framing to enhance consumer compliance with disease detection communication for prevention: The moderating role of age

Journal of Consumer Psychology · 2025 · Volume 35 · Issue 3

Abstract

Disease detection is critical throughout the consumer lifecycle. Effective communication not only influences consumers' motivation to participate in disease detection but also has a significant impact on prevention outcomes. While previous literature has examined the effectiveness of the gain frame versus the loss frame in motivating detection behaviors, existing studies have produced mixed results, with the underlying psychological process remaining unclear. The present research sheds light on these issues by examining the moderating role of age. Across four experiments, we demonstrate the interactive effects of age and message framing on the effectiveness of health communication advocating disease detection for prevention. We find that as age increases, gain-framed disease detection appeals become more persuasive than loss-framed appeals, and that information diagnosticity is one psychological mechanism driving this effect. This research contributes to the literature on framing effects, age differences in information processing, and health compliance persuasion. Our findings also provide insights into how to engage consumers of different ages in disease detection and subsequently enable better prevention and intervention.

Keywords

aging consumers, disease detection for prevention, gain frame, information diagnosticity, loss frame, message framing effect

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