To help guide the creation of a video library/curriculum to encourage ‘tweens & teens to adopt healthy lifestyles, we conducted 10 focus groups with middle and high school students to obtain their reactions to 6 health promotion videos.
Further Study Details:
Three of the videos were 3-4 minutes in length and used rap music, other music, and/or dance to convey messages about making healthful food choices; the other 3 videos were 30-second public service announcements that used metaphors (e.g. bullying, loss of teeth) to convey anti-smoking messages. The focus groups were held at schools and Boys & Girls Clubs in Ansonia and Shelton CT. We asked questions to learn students’ opinions of the videos, their perceptions of the videos’ age-appropriateness, their preferences for video length and style, and their recommendations for producing our own videos.
Findings:
Overall, students seemed to prefer videos that are short in length (length of a commercial or PSA), and that get their point across without continually repeating the message. Students varied in response to the use of music and dance, with some enjoying it and some finding it distracting from the main message. In most cases, messages delivered this way seemed to be less inspiring of actual change than those that focused on facts and on potentially harmful outcomes of making choices that could negatively impact health. Some students liked upbeat music and messages if combined with guidelines on what to do. Compared to 8thgrade and high school students, students in 6th and 7th grade seemed to have a difficult time understanding metaphorical messages and to prefer more literal messages. Their advice focused on making videos “short and to the point” and relatable to their age group.
Eligibility:
Middle school and high school students in participating schools and Boys & Girls Club sites
Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center