The Interplay between Verbal Frames and Images in Influencing News Readers’ Perceptions of the Social Determinants of Obesity

• In Event: Top Papers in Health Communication

Abstract

This study focuses on a news story about obesity, investigating whether image selection might influence the effectiveness of textual frames that highlight either social or individual determinants of obesity. In a two-by-three design, a news story from CNN about the health effects of obesity was manipulated to 1) include a verbal frame either emphasizing obesity’s individual or social determinants and 2) include an image depicting an obese or non-obese individual, or no image. In the online experiment, participants were randomized to one of six conditions. Audience perceptions of the causes of obesity, endorsement of policy interventions and behavioral intentions were measured. Results suggest that in the absence of an accompanying image, verbal frames alone might not be effective in influencing audience response in the frame suggested direction. However, images of obese individuals reinforced the effectiveness of both the individual and social determinants verbal frames on audiences’ causal attributions about obesity. Implications for news coverage of obesity and for future framing research are discussed.

Authors

• Jiawei Liu, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Rachel Kornfield, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Yuhai Chen, U of Wisconsin-Madison

• Chau Tong, University of Wisconsin-Madison