Journal of Advertising-Special Issue: Effective Health Messages in Advertising

Manuscripts are currently being solicited for an upcoming special issue of the Journal of Advertising dedicated to developing effective advertising messages for healthy behavior.

Public health is a current critical topic and engaging consumers to maintain a healthy lifestyle continues to be a challenge. Obesity rates continue to rise. More than 35% of adults and almost 17% of children and teens in the U.S. are obese, resulting in billions of dollars in healthcare costs and increased rates of chronic diseases, such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. And despite healthy menu options provided at fast food and other restaurants and media attention to the epidemic of childhood obesity, consumers continue to make unhealthy food choices. Consumers also continue to smoke and maintain sedentary lifestyles, actions that contribute to increased health risks and health costs.

Hence, the purpose of this special issue is to address this topic by publishing and disseminating research on effective health messages and media strategies. Specifically, we seek manuscripts that provide consumers with information on making positive decisions related to their health. We are particularly interested in interdisciplinary papers that offer strong theoretical foundations to help guide professionals in developing appropriate and effective health messages. Papers may include conceptual frameworks, experiments, surveys and qualitative approaches. Potential research topics that may be addressed include (but are not limited to):

• The role of advertising in providing health information and promoting behavior change
• Emotional advertising appeals in health messages
• The use of digital media in creating effective health messages
• The role of advertising in increasing health literacy
• The successful integration of new media with traditional media in reaching consumers with health messages
• Advertising's relationship with public health
• The use of advertising in promoting positive ecological changes in the physical environment (walking trails, farmer's markets, healthy vending)
• Message strategies that lead to increased physical activity in children (eg. walking and biking to school).
• Mobile advertising messaging for healthy lifestyles
• Consumer attitudes toward health related messages
• Cross-cultural approaches in health messages
• The effects of health messages on children's attitudes and behaviors
• The use of alternative approaches (eg. product placement) in influencing healthy attitudes and behaviors
• Message strategies that reach higher risk and socio-disadvantaged populations

Submission Requirements & Information

Submissions should follow the manuscript format guidelines for the Journal of Advertising found at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ujoa20/current. All manuscripts should be submitted through the JA online submission system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ujoa. Authors should select "SPECIAL ISSUE: Effective Health Messages in Advertising" at "Manuscript Type." Please also note in the cover letter that the submission is for the special issue on Effective Health Messages.

The submission deadline is August 31, 2014.

For additional information, please contact the guest editors of the special issue at [email protected].