Exposure to Risk Information Detail (RID) in News Coverage of Anorexia Increases Self-Efficacy to Perform Risky Behaviors.

In an online randomized experiment with 419 Israeli adult women using two rounds of data collected at a one-month interval, we test the effects of exposure to messages with greater and lesser detail about behaviors that increase personal risk (RID: Risk Information Detail) on women's self-efficacy to perform the risky behaviors. Participants viewed news media videos about anorexia (or a control video about vaccination). Video messages varied according to the amount of detail provided regarding the specific risky behaviors (High vs. low RID), and message format (narrative or expository). Effects of exposure to RID on self-efficacy were mediated through response efficacy, both immediately after exposure and at one-month follow-up. The indirect effects of RID were not moderated by participants' risk of developing an eating disorder, or identification with the protagonist (messages with a narrative format). Implications for social cognitive theory, social learning processes, and unintended media effects are discussed.