Differential effects of instrumental vs. experiential attitudes on health behavior intentions: Evidence from a college-based cancer prevention campaign.

This study is an exploratory analysis of data from a long-running health promotion effort at a two-year college. This campaign has consistently improved sun safety behavior and bolstered the campus tobacco-free policy, thus, new messaging directions were investigated based on cognitive predictors. Efforts were made to compare the relationships between attitudes regarding outcomes of health behaviors (i.e. instrumental) and attitudes regarding feelings and sensations experienced during a behavior (i.e. experiential) on behavior intentions. Evidence emerged that instrumental attitudes were more positive and more predictive of intentions for sunscreen use, sunscreen dispenser use, and quitting tobacco/nicotine use. Experiential attitudes were stronger predictors of tanning behavior and using tobacco/nicotine products. Only for tanning behavior did the relationship between instrumental attitudes and intentions depend on experiential attitudes. Messaging implications are discussed. The goal of this manuscript is to demonstrate a process for utilizing additional data from evaluation to inform strategic improvements to long-term health communication efforts.