Effectiveness of risk communication and its influencing factors during an influenza epidemic in early 2018 in China

Abstract

Objective To examine the satisfaction to risk communication and its main influencing factors in the public during an influenza epidemic in early 2018 in China and to provides references for improving the effectiveness of risk communication in health emergency response. Methods An online survey was conducted among 2 960 net users in China during a period of influenza epidemic from January to March 2018. A questionnaire on the satisfaction to public health risk communication was designed and distributed via Wechat and QQ platform. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression were used in data analyses. Results Valid information were collected from 2 796 respondents (45.71% males and 54.29% females) aged 18 – 78 years. Of the respondents, 70.92% reported being satisfied with the public health risk communication on the influenza epidemic but 29.08% reported unsatisfaction, with a significant difference (χ2 = 340.69, P Conclusion Government departments could make a full use of new media to improve the effectiveness of health risk communication in response to public health emergencies.