Comments on: Using Myths and Facts for Prevention

By: Stephen McArthur

Stephen McArthur — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:59:10 +0000

Our agency stopped, long ago, using myths and facts in our work, particularly among students (middle school through college). We have found from written feedback that offering the facts is dramatic enough. Students invariably respond in writing how “blown away” they are on learning about domestic and dating violence statistics and “facts,” and rape and sexual assault “facts.” Why would we want to re-enforce the idea that rape is the woman’s fault because she was dressed provocatively? If this comes up, we answer it, but for many young people today, that idea sounds preposterous.

By: Marianne Winters

Marianne Winters — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:00:51 +0000

I think that the use of myths and facts as prevention is one of the big myths about prevention. Most people know that if you are trying to teach someone how to spell, the last thing you want to do is spell it wrong on the blackboard. If we’re really about prevention, I agree, let’s reinforce ideas, actions, attitudes, and social policy that builds a safer society.

By: David

David — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:55:33 +0000

Here is an abstract for another article cautioning the use of “myth busting” in written materials:

Wilson, Elizabeth A. & Park, Denise C. A case for clarity in the writing of health statements. Patient Education and Counseling. Vol 72(2), Aug 2008, pp. 330-335

“While effectively written health-related materials can facilitate self-care, using negative wording may backfire, as patients may forget negations and remember the opposite of intended information. The present study attempts to determine if older readers are particularly susceptible to misremembering negatively worded health-related statements.

Methods: Younger and older adults read positively and negatively worded statements and were later tested for memory of the exact statements, statements opposite in meaning due to the addition or deletion of a negation, and entirely new statements.

Results: For intact statements, both groups recognized more positive than negative statements. When statements reversed meanings, younger adults were more likely to accurately recognize items that changed from negative to positive than were older adults, who were more likely to incorrectly endorse changed items as intact when items began negative and became positive than the reverse.

Conclusion: The inclusion of negations, often used in attention-grabbing techniques such as myth-busting, can backfire, especially among older audiences who are less likely to accurately remember negatively worded items and especially likely to endorse their positive counterparts.

Practice Implications: Designers of healthcare materials should avoid using negatively worded statements, which may be misremembered by vulnerable populations, in favor of positive wording.”

By: Ashley Maier

Ashley Maier — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:44:31 +0000

I think your last point should be highlighted – let’s structure prevention work so we “catch people doing things right.” Myths/facts may not be an issue if we use a promotion framework.

By: Deb Seltzer

Deb Seltzer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:43:20 +0000

For me, the traditional way of using myths on handouts and in short presentations feels exploitive – that they have this shock value that gets attention but put the emphasis on what we want to leave behind instead of the information we want people to leave with. I can see that in longer programs where we have more time and can be very intentional about how we use them, talking about myths, where they come from, how they are reinforced, and the reality behind them may have a place.