Online health promotion strategies and appeals in the USA and South Korea: a content analysis of weight-loss websites

Abstract

Despite the potential utility of the Internet as a health promotion medium, relatively few studies have been devoted to online health promotion strategies and appeals in cross-cultural settings. This study explores how theory-based health promotion strategies and appeals are used differently in US and South Korean weight-loss websites. The findings of this study indicate that collectivistic culture-bound health promotion strategies are more prevalent in South Korean weight-loss websites than in their US counterparts. Furthermore, testimonials were the most dominant appeals shared by the two countries’ websites while the use of advertising appeals (i.e., comparison, caricature/animation, demonstration, threat, and sex appeals) is significantly different between the two countries. Practical implications for both health communication and international advertis-ing are discussed in detail.