| Title: |
Communicating breastfeeding benefits or formula-feeding risks? The underlying process explaining the framing effect on infant-feeding attitudes and intentions. |
| Authors: |
Guidetti M.; Scaglioni G.; amp; Cavazza, N. |
| Contributors: |
Guidetti, M.; Scaglioni, G.; amp; Cavazza, N. |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Collection: |
Archivio della ricerca dell'Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Unimore: IRIS) |
| Description: |
A preregistered experimental study tested the effects of message framing on breastfeeding and formula-feeding attitudes and intentions. It also examined whether affective reaction and information acceptance mediated these effects, and whether self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control (PBC) moderated them. Participants (282 pregnant women) were randomly assigned to a gain frame condition (benefits of breastfeeding), a loss frame condition (risks of not breastfeeding), or a control condition. Results showed two opposite indirect effects: the loss frame elicited negative affect, which lowered information acceptance; and conversely, the gain frame induced positive affect, thus increasing acceptance. These affective and cognitive responses differentially affected breastfeeding and formula-feeding attitudes and intentions, with the loss frame indirectly worsening the former (95% CI [−.24, −.08]) and improving the latter (95% CI [.03, .11]), while the gain frame worsened formula-feeding attitudes and intentions (95% CI [−.03, −.01]) and improved those related to breastfeeding (95% CI [.01, .08]). Additionally, low levels of breastfeeding self-efficacy and PBC amplified the negative effects of the loss-framed message and suppressed the positive effects of the gain-framed message. These findings highlight the affective and cognitive mechanisms through which risk-based language can have unintended, counterproductive effects. Breastfeeding promotion should emphasize benefits rather than risks and empower women's self-efficacy. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
volume:18; issue:1; firstpage:1; lastpage:24; journal:APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING; https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1395389 |
| DOI: |
10.1111/aphw.70105 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1395389; https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.70105 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; license:[IR] creative-commons ; license uri:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.9E268F00 |
| Database: |
BASE |