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Abstracts prior to volume 5(1) have been archived!

Issue 5(1), October 2010 -- Paper Abstracts
Girard  (p. 9-22)
Cooper (p. 23-32)
Kunz-Osborne (p. 33-41)
Coulmas-Law (p.42-46)
Stasio (p. 47-56)
Albert-Valette-Florence (p.57-63)
Zhang-Rauch (p. 64-70)
Alam-Yasin (p. 71-78)
Mattare-Monahan-Shah (p. 79-94)
Nonis-Hudson-Hunt (p. 95-106)



JOURNAL OF APPLIED BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS

Reactance and Behavioral Change: Marketing Healthy Lifestyles 

Author(s): Robert E. Wright, John C. Palmer

Citation: Robert E. Wright, John C. Palmer, (2012) "Reactance and Behavioral Change: Marketing Healthy Lifestyles," Vol. 13, Iss. 4, pp. 136-143

Article Type: Research paper

Publisher: North American Business Press

Abstract:

Public sector marketers have long utilized marketing techniques in attempts to persuade citizens to exhibit
certain types of desired behaviors. Public sector marketers are now attempting to promote healthy lifestyles
in response to recent studies that show that unhealthy lifestyles can significantly contribute to increased rates
of disease and death. One particular problem is obesity. The number of Americans who are either
dramatically overweight, or obese, is at an all time high, with 35.7% of Americans classified as obese in
2010 (Flinn, Langreth, and Cortez, 2012), prompting individuals in the medical profession to attempt to
identify better ways to market healthier diets to the public (Chipello, 2005). However, consumers may view
these efforts as a potential loss of freedom, resulting in reactance. Following Brehm’s (1966) theory of social
reactance, this paper provides guidance on how best to market a healthier lifestyle.