Applying a scientific-based model to the construction of an audiovisual communication campaign on social media for health prevention in Spain

Purpose The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an audiovisual communication campaign designed using elements of the health belief model (HBM) and implemented by the association Melanoma España, which is dedicated to skin cancer prevention. Design/methodology/approach This study employed an experimental causal design to assess the effectiveness of an audiovisual communication campaign, incorporating the HBM variables. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered to a sample of 50 young participants from an at-risk population in Spain and performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software, version 26. Findings The results showed that among groups with low HBM (LHBM) scores, there is a greater range of variation before and after for those exposed to the audiovisual communication campaign compared to groups of high HBM (HHBM) scores. In the LHBM groups, “cues to action” and “susceptibility” were the variables most affected, whereas “severity” showed limited impact, even presenting negative changes in some cases. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to address the integration of HBM elements into the design of an audiovisual communication campaign for skin cancer prevention disseminated through social media in Spain.