Citation

van Leeuwen L, Renes RJ, Leeuwis C. Health Educ. Behav. 2013; 40(2): 193-205.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1090198112445906

PMID

22773596

Abstract

Alcohol use among adolescents is a concern in the Netherlands because of its high prevalence and risks. To discourage adolescents from drinking alcohol, a televised entertainment-education (E-E) intervention was developed. This study investigated responses of adolescents on perceived realism and enjoyment of the E-E intervention, as well as its impact on alcohol drinking behavior. Viewers perceived the E-E narratives to be credible and enjoyable but did not relate to the characters in the narratives. However, exposure to the E-E intervention predicted desired changes in alcohol drinking behavior, intentions to decrease alcohol use, and perceived normative pressure, especially in less educated viewers. These findings demonstrate that E-E is a promising strategy to target adolescent alcohol use. Future research will focus on the individual processes and story elements that account for the positive results.

Language: en