Sean M. Hanley, MPH Candidate, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, CB#7506, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7506, 919-966-9768, shanley@email.unc.edu and Guadalupe X. Ayala, PhD, MPH, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina School of Public Health, CB #7440, Rosenau Hall 315, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440.

Sources of information perceived as credible are more likely to persuade the target audience to attend to and engage in recommended actions than sources perceived as not credible. Variations in perceptions may exist between members of different ethnic groups due to cultural factors. Little work has been done to assess perceptions of source credibility among Latinos, particularly when communicating nutrition information.

Intercept interviews were conducted with fifty-two Latinos (mean age=31.7; SD=8.7; 57.7% male). Each participant was randomly assigned to view one of four print materials targeting fruit and vegetable consumption. The source manipulation variables in this 2x2 factorial design were ethnicity (Caucasian/Latino) and professionalism (doctor/lay person). The manipulation was depicted in a photograph and in text. After participants were exposed to one of the materials, credibility and outcome measures were taken.

Credibility was measured along dimensions of trustworthiness, expertness, and similarity. Although no main effects were found for trustworthiness or expertness, respondents perceived the Latino source as more similar than the Caucasian source (F(2,47)=4.31, p=.02). Significant correlations were found between two outcome measures, outcome expectations and self-efficacy, and two credibility dimensions, trustworthiness (r=.296, p=.05; r=.314, p=.05) and expertness (r=.279, p=.05; r=.351, p=.05).

These results suggest that the ethnicity and professionalism of the source of nutrition information may not uniformly influence Latinos' perceptions of credibility when presented via print channels. However, sources that are perceived as trustworthy and expert may influence outcomes related to increased fruit and vegetable consumption. These results provide suggestions for developing culturally-appropriate health promotion materials for Latinos.

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