Attitude change is often considered to be an important part of health promotion in the move to encouraging individuals to adopt healthy practices. Attitudes occupy a central role in health promotion practice as they are closely linked to beliefs and values. What attitudes are and how they can be changed or influenced has always retained a lively debate and some suggest that the attitudinal approach in health promotion campaigns campaigns is underutilized (Panagopoulou et al.,2011)
Attitudes have been defined as relatively stably stable with consistent outcomes and research suggests that relationship between attitude and behavior is closely linked. This denotes that attitudes may be predicted in response to certain situations. Cho and Choi (2010)note that commercial marketing often works on the assumption that a positive attitude towards a health message should result in a positive attitude towards health behavior. What is important is health behavior. What is important is the word 'should', meaning that attitudes are not always stable or consistent and therefore do not always correspond to behavior. It is important to be clear about the consequences which can realistically be expected' (Downie et al.,1992)from a programme that seeks to influence or change attitudes. In health this may mean that a smoker who believes tobacco causes premature death and lung cancer may continue to smoke,or a sedentary person who believer exercise will help to help to lose weight remains sedentary. Because attitudes do not always correspond to not always correspond to behavior they may conflict with other attitudes or go against certain social or group norms.