| Abstract: | This study assessed the effects of cues of family history as a risk factor in direct-to-consumer advertisements. An experiment with a sample of 395 adults found significant impacts of familial risk cues on self-efficacy and behavioral intentions. Specifically, familial risk cues strengthened both intention to engage in healthy lifestyles and intention to seek advertised medications, partly through enhanced efficacy. Effects on perceived genetic risk for health conditions or belief in genetic determinism were not found. The findings suggest that familial risk cues incorporated in pharmaceutical appeals can enhance behavioral intentions in response to risk, without increasing a sense of fatalism. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed. |
