Blackwell Reference Online

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Tailored messages are formal individual messages in which the content and/or style of the materials have been created based on data specific to the individual. Tailoring is distinguished from targeting, in that targeting refers to audience segmentation and development of group-specific messages, whereas tailoring involves individual-specific assessment and feedback driven by that assessment. Individual computerized tailoring for health promotion typically combines health behavior change theory (→  Health Communication ; Health Behavior Change, Transtheoretical Model of ), communication theory, social →  Marketing principles, and computer-based programs and algorithms, in order to produce personally relevant health messages for each project participant. Information obtained from each individual is accessed and assembled using specially created software to generate customized messages for each person that are designed to promote healthy behavior changes ( Campbell et al. 1994 ; Kreuter et al. 2000a ). Providing individualized messages means the information can be tailored so that it is particularly relevant, interesting, culturally appropriate, and credible to the message recipient ( Skinner et al. 1999 ). In tailoring, appropriate messages for an individual are drawn from a “library” of pre-created messages, which can include text, graphics, photographs, audio or video information, ... log in or subscribe to read full text