Major Article The Role of Implied Motion in Engaging Audiences for Health Promotion: Encouraging Naps on a College Campus Michael Mackert, PhD; Allison Lazard, MS; Marie Guadagno, MS; Jessica Hughes Wagner, MPH Abstract. Objective: Lack of sleep among college students nega- tively impacts health and academic outcomes. Building on research that implied motion imagery increases brain activity, this project tested visual design strategies to increase viewers’ engage- ment with a health communication campaign promoting napping to improve sleep habits. Participants: Participants (N D 194) were recruited from a large southwestern university in October 2012. Methods: Utilizing an experimental design, participants were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: an implied motion superhero spokes-character, a static superhero spokes-character, and a con- trol group. Results: The use of implied motion did not achieve the hypothesized effect on message elaboration, but superheroes are a promising persuasive tool for health promotion campaigns for college audiences. Conclusions: Implications for sleep health pro- motion campaigns and the role of implied motion in message design strategies are discussed, as well as future directions for research on the depiction of implied motion as it relates to the- oretical development. Keywords: Elaboration Likelihood Model, Health Belief Model, health promotion, message design, sleep, napping S leep among college students is a public health con- cern. Chronic sleep problems are associated with decreases in physical and mental health, social functioning, and general quality of life. 1–3 Adolescents and young adults reporting sleep problems also report greater occurrences of depression, negative moods, anxiety, mem- ory problems, productivity problems, as well as increased stimulant, drug, and alcohol use. 4–11 Additionally, and per- haps most immediately pertinent in the campus setting, sleep habits have a clear link to academic performance. 12– 15 National surveys of undergraduates reflect a steady decline in the number of nightly hours slept: from 7.75 in 1969 to 6.65 in 2001. 16 According to the National College Health Assessment, more than 89% of college students report problems with sleepiness during daytime activities, as compared with 37% of the general adult population. 17,18 Brief daytime napping, although not a substitute for night- time sleep, has short-term benefits for increasing alertness, improving cognitive performance, and alleviating some of the detrimental consequences of limited sleep among young adults and has been recognized as a restorative supplement to nighttime sleep. 19–22 Sleep promotion campaigns and interventions have been developed to improve health outcomes in infants, toddlers, and young children, as well as sleep hygiene in children and teens, with results indicating sleep health promotion campaigns as a promising area for further investigation. 23– 25 Although suggested guidelines for education programs to improve sleep habits among college students and at least 1 successful psychoeducational sleep intervention exist, 26,27 there is limited evaluation for campaign effectiveness for this susceptible population. Thus, there remains a gap in the literature on the most effective message design techniques, with empirically based behavior recommendations, for per- suasive campaigns that are targeting adolescents and young adults to improve sleep habits. Dr Mackert is with the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas and the School of Public Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in Austin, Texas. Ms Lazard and Ms Guadagno are with the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. Ms Hughes Wagner is with the University Health Services at The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/vach. Copyright Ó 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC 542 JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH, VOL. 62, NO. 8