Using Virtual Reality in E-Cigarette and Secondhand Aerosol Prevention Messages: Implications for Emotional Campaign Design

Incorporating Virtual Reality in Public Health Campaigns: COVID-19 as the Context

“…In line with the construal level theory (Trope & Liberman, 2010) and the findings of previous studies, VR in this study might reduce temporal distance by making users "experience" the risk and "contract" the coronavirus at the moment (Ahn, 2015). It might also decrease hypothetical distance by visualizing and exaggerating the virus (Xu et al, 2023). Additionally, it might reduce spatial distance by making the virus look closer (Cahalane et al, 2022).…”

“…This raised awareness also positively impacts beliefs about the efficacy of the flu vaccine in protecting others (Nowak et al, 2020). Another study finds that VR generates less vaping interest than print advertisements (Xu et al, 2023). Based on prior research, in the context of COVID-19, we may predict that VR messages will be more likely to increase risk perceptions and promote healthy behavior change than print messages (H1).…”

“…Emotions. Drawing on previous research that has pinpointed the emotions evoked by VR messages that have the potential to facilitate desired results (Dozio et al, 2021;Kandaurova & Lee(Mark), 2019;Riva et al, 2007;Xu et al, 2023), self-reported levels of fear, anger, anxiety, disgust, sadness, shame, and guilt about the message were measured at Time 2 and Time 3.…”

“…For instance, VR reduces temporal distance by making people "experience" the negative consequence of unhealthy behavior that will occur a long time from "now" (Ahn, 2015). VR decreases hypothetical distance by visualizing and exaggerating a risk (Xu et al, 2023) or providing a feeling of body transfer to make people experience others' feelings (Ahn et al, 2016). VR also reduces spatial distance by making physically distant subjects look closer (Cahalane et al, 2022).…”

“…In the health domain, VR has mainly been used to train clinicians and medical students (Fox & Bailenson, 2009). Several VR interventions have demonstrated the promise of VR for health behavior change such as increasing intention to get the flu shot (Nowak et al, 2020) and physical activity (Fox & Bailenson, 2009) as well as decreasing vaping interest (Xu et al, 2023) and soft-drink consumption (Ahn, 2015). Using COVID-19 as a context, this study designs and tests VR campaigns based on the construal level theory.…”