Persuasive and engaging communication for health: Promoting healthy behaviors with media, the Internet, and serious games.

Summary In the first part, we explain how the processes of receiving and influencing public health messages designed to change cognitions (thoughts), affects and intentions of action operate. This type of communication is based on the principle that such changes should be followed by behavioral changes. However, a large body of research shows that traditional persuasive communication is not always effective in changing harmful behaviors. It is to counteract these limitations that the concept of engaging communication has been proposed, whose recent application to the Internet medium seems to show good effectiveness in the health field. Digital engaging communication will be the subject of the second part. In the third part, we explain how the recent digital communication means for health, the serious games on the Internet or mobile applications, work.