Guilt-appeal is employed in health communication to:

Guilt-appeal is a strategy used in health communication to leverage feelings of guilt in order to motivate individuals to change their behaviors. This approach is based on the psychological principle that evoking an emotional response can lead to a desire to alleviate that negative emotion by taking appropriate action. For instance, a public health campaign might highlight the consequences of unhealthy behaviors, aiming to make individuals feel guilty about their choices, thereby prompting them to adopt healthier habits.

This method can effectively push individuals towards change because it connects their emotions with the consequences of their actions, creating a powerful incentive for them to do something different. The focus is on transforming that guilt into motivation to engage in healthier behaviors, which emphasizes the impact of personal responsibility in health-related decisions.

While creating awareness about social norms, encouraging a positive attitude, or promoting community support are valuable objectives in health communication, they do not specifically utilize the emotional pressure of guilt in the same way that guilt-appeal strategies do. Thus, the correct answer highlights the unique role that guilt plays in motivating behavioral change within public health contexts.