Using message framing to achieve long-term behavioral changes in persons with diabetes

This study examines how the framing of educational information affects changes in health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Patients with diabetes viewed either a gain- or a loss-framed informational video about proper foot care and its importance for the prevention of health-threatening problems. The gain-framed messages sustained long-term positive behavioral change. Regression analyses showed that changes in attitudes were predicted by changes in knowledge and that both framing and attitudes were predictors of long-term behavior. This study is important for nurses and certified diabetes educators in that it demonstrates that gain-framed messages are effective in sustaining health-promoting behavior.