Health Risk Communication Research Articles

The role of primary care pharmacists in the response to the Zika epidemic

Background:Zika virus (ZIKV) infection emerged in Brazil in 2015, leading to the declaration of a national public health emergency, mainly due to its consequences for pregnant women and newborn babies. The Zika epidemic demanded major efforts from the public health system to address the full range of disease consequences.Objective:The objective of this study was to investigate the role of Primary Health Care pharmacists working in the city of Campo Grande in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul.Methods:A qualitative cross-sectional interview-based study with pharmacists working in municipal Primary Health Care services was carried out to investigate knowledge about the disease and involvement in the response to the health emergency. Informed consent was obtained. After coding, the corpus underwent thematic analysis.Results:The data show that few professionals had received specific training in public health. Knowledge largely encompassed disease transmission by the mosquito and collective and individual preventive measures. Findings highlight knowledge gaps relating to signs and symptoms, diagnosis, consequences of infection, and the role of epidemiological surveillance. Most professionals mentioned at least one of the recommendations on the use of medicines in symptom management protocols. The practical implications surrounding knowledge gaps and misconceptions were reflected in pharmacists´ role in response, restricted to counselling on preventive measures. Few respondents participated in institutional groups and committees or in multiprofessional teams involving case management.Conclusions:The study identified important knowledge gaps and showed that the involvement of pharmacy professionals in the response to the Zika epidemic was timid or inadequate. The results also suggest that pharmacists failed to recognize their role in interventions related to the ZIKV epidemic. Findings highlight the need to increase the involvement of primary care pharmacists in community-based actions, for communication and reduction of health risks, and emergency preparedness and response.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Tuberculosis Patients' Behavior of Seeking Medical Care - China, 2020.

What is already known on this topic? The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the tuberculosis (TB) service system. However, the impact on TB patients in China remains unknown. What is added by this report? This report firstly addressed the impact of COVID-19 on TB patients in China. About half of TB patients did not revisit the hospital due to personal reasons. The reasons for irregular medication and postponing or cancelling examination after full treatment course were different. What are the implications for public health practice? Health education and risk communication should be strengthened for better TB patient management and treatment adherence, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Developing Machine Learning and Statistical Tools to Evaluate the Accessibility of Public Health Advice on Infectious Diseases among Vulnerable People.

Background From Ebola, Zika, to the latest COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of highly infectious diseases continue to reveal severe consequences of social and health inequalities. People from low socioeconomic and educational backgrounds as well as low health literacy tend to be affected by the uncertainty, complexity, volatility, and progressiveness of public health crises and emergencies. A key lesson that governments have taken from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is the importance of developing and disseminating highly accessible, actionable, inclusive, coherent public health advice, which represent a critical tool to help people with diverse cultural, educational backgrounds and varying abilities to effectively implement health policies at the grassroots level. Objective We aimed to translate the best practices of accessible, inclusive public health advice (purposefully designed for people with low socioeconomic and educational background, health literacy levels, limited English proficiency, and cognitive/functional impairments) on COVID-19 from health authorities in English-speaking multicultural countries (USA, Australia, and UK) to adaptive tools for the evaluation of the accessibility of public health advice in other languages. Methods We developed an optimised Bayesian classifier to produce probabilistic prediction of the accessibility of official health advice among vulnerable people including migrants and foreigners living in China. We developed an adaptive statistical formula for the rapid evaluation of the accessibility of health advice among vulnerable people in China. Results Our study provides needed research tools to fill in a persistent gap in Chinese public health research on accessible, inclusive communication of infectious diseases' prevention and management. For the probabilistic prediction, using the optimised Bayesian machine learning classifier (GNB), the largest positive likelihood ratio (LR+) 16.685 (95% confidence interval: 4.35, 64.04) was identified when the probability threshold was set at 0.2 (sensitivity: 0.98; specificity: 0.94). Conclusion Effective communication of health risks through accessible, inclusive, actionable public advice represents a powerful tool to reduce health inequalities amidst health crises and emergencies. Our study translated the best-practice public health advice developed during the pandemic into intuitive machine learning classifiers for health authorities to develop evidence-based guidelines of accessible health advice. In addition, we developed adaptive statistical tools for frontline health professionals to assess accessibility of public health advice for people from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Development of the National Air Quality Health Index - China, 2013-2018.

Summary What is already known about this topic? While the establishment of an air quality health index (AQHI) in some countries yielded positive outcomes in communicating health risks of air pollution, China lagged behind in developing its own AQHI. Several research studies of AQHI were conducted in China, but this scientific research has not yet been applied to standards. What is added by this report? This report introduced the method of calculation of Chinese AQHI to be launched in pilot cities. The index in this report was established on the basis of fully drawing on international experience and considering Chinese characteristics. What are the implications for public health practice? The purpose of this report is to guide unified application of the AQHI throughout China and translate scientific evidence into public services to promote public health. Based on the AQHI construction method in this report, an AQHI real-time computing platform and data transfer interface will be developed. The release of AQHI aims to communicate health risk of air pollution and provide scientific health protective guidance to the general public, accordingly to protect people’s health.

Protective Factors using the Life Course Perspective in Maternal and Child Health

The life course perspective (LCP), a valuable theoretical framework for investigating racial disparities in birth outcomes, examines the cumulative exposure of risk and protective factors throughout the life span. Although risk and protective exposures are equally vital to health, most studies have focused solely on the risk factor exposures faced by vulnerable populations. In clear contrast to the traditional public health approach, which emphasizes a deficit model, strengths-based approaches focus on protective factors and fostering resilience. These approaches view communities as valuable assets that have the capacity to fully engage themselves and their residents to achieve optimal health. Participatory action research methods are well suited to apply a strengths-based approach to understand health disparities. Our study aimed to explore maternal and child health protective factors from community residents' perspective. A group of researchers, including active members in the community with a long history of grassroots development work, conducted ten community-based participatory focus groups with community residents in Tampa, FL, using the LCP framework. A total of 78 residents participated in ten focus groups. Perceived protective factors during pregnancy included self-esteem, spirituality, pregnancy support, good nutrition, prenatal care, and community resources. Protective factors for non-pregnant women were self-esteem, spirituality, social support, health literacy, community support and community resources, and societal factors. For children and adolescents, relevant protective factors were self-esteem, positive role models, nutrition and physical activity, and community support. The identified factors are community assets or strengths that mitigate or eliminate maternal and child health risks in families and communities residing in low-income neighborhoods, which must be considered in developing effective maternal and child health interventions.

Communicative Blame in Online Communication of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Computational Approach of Stigmatizing Cues and Negative Sentiment Gauged With Automated Analytic Techniques.

BackgroundInformation about a new coronavirus emerged in 2019 and rapidly spread around the world, gaining significant public attention and attracting negative bias. The use of stigmatizing language for the purpose of blaming sparked a debate.ObjectiveThis study aims to identify social stigma and negative sentiment toward the blameworthy agents in social communities.MethodsWe enabled a tailored text-mining platform to identify data in their natural settings by retrieving and filtering online sources, and constructed vocabularies and learning word representations from natural language processing for deductive analysis along with the research theme. The data sources comprised of ten news websites, eleven discussion forums, one social network, and two principal media sharing networks in Taiwan. A synthesis of news and social networking analytics was present from December 30, 2019, to March 31, 2020.ResultsWe collated over 1.07 million Chinese texts. Almost two-thirds of the texts on COVID-19 came from news services (n=683,887, 63.68%), followed by Facebook (n=297,823, 27.73%), discussion forums (n=62,119, 5.78%), and Instagram and YouTube (n=30,154, 2.81%). Our data showed that online news served as a hotbed for negativity and for driving emotional social posts. Online information regarding COVID-19 associated it with China—and a specific city within China through references to the “Wuhan pneumonia”—potentially encouraging xenophobia. The adoption of this problematic moniker had a high frequency, despite the World Health Organization guideline to avoid biased perceptions and ethnic discrimination. Social stigma is disclosed through negatively valenced responses, which are associated with the most blamed targets.ConclusionsOur sample is sufficiently representative of a community because it contains a broad range of mainstream online media. Stigmatizing language linked to the COVID-19 pandemic shows a lack of civic responsibility that encourages bias, hostility, and discrimination. Frequently used stigmatizing terms were deemed offensive, and they might have contributed to recent backlashes against China by directing blame and encouraging xenophobia. The implications ranging from health risk communication to stigma mitigation and xenophobia concerns amid the COVID-19 outbreak are emphasized. Understanding the nomenclature and biased terms employed in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak is paramount. We propose solidarity with communication professionals in combating the COVID-19 outbreak and the infodemic. Finding solutions to curb the spread of virus bias, stigma, and discrimination is imperative.

Psychological Impact of Health Risk Communication and Social Media on College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundThe outbreak of COVID-19 began in 2019 and is expected to impact the psychological health of college students. Few studies have investigated the associations among health risk communication, social media, and psychological symptoms during a major pandemic.ObjectiveThe aim of this research was to assess the prevalence of psychological symptoms among college students and explore their associations with health risk communication and social media.MethodsA web-based survey was distributed through the Wenjuanxing platform among Chinese college students from March 3-15, 2020. In addition to demographics, information on health risk communication and social media was collected, and the Symptom Checklist 90 Phobia and Health Anxiety Inventory subscale was used to assess psychological symptoms among 1676 college students in China. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine these independent risk factors.ResultsThe prevalence of panic and health anxiety was 17.2% (288/1676) and 24.3% (408/1676), respectively. Regarding risk communication, understanding the risk of COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR] 0.480, 95% CI 0.367-0.627) was a protective factor against panic. Knowledge of prognosis (OR 0.708, 95% CI 0.551-0.910), preventive measures (OR 0.380, 95% CI 0.195-0.742), and wearing face masks (OR 0.445, 95% CI 0.230-0.862) were shown to be protective factors in predicting health anxiety. Perceived lethality (OR 1.860, 95% CI 1.408-2.459), being affected by the global spread (OR 1.936, 95% CI 1.405-2.669), and impact on social contacts (OR 1.420, 95% CI 1.118-1.802) were identified as significant risk factors associated with health anxiety. In terms of social media, trust in mainstream media (OR 0.613, 95% CI 0.461-0.816) was considered to be a protective factor against health anxiety.ConclusionsThere was a high prevalence of psychological symptoms among college students. Health risk communication and social media use were important in predicting psychological symptoms, especially health anxiety. Scientific and evidence-based information should be reported by social media platforms. Web-based consultation and intervention measures should be the focus of future studies.

Evaluating the U.S. Air Quality Index as a risk communication tool: Comparing associations of index values with respiratory morbidity among adults in California

BackgroundThe Air Quality Index (AQI) in the United States is widely used to communicate daily air quality information to the public. While use of the AQI has led to reported changes in individual behaviors, such behavior modifications will only mitigate adverse health effects if AQI values are indicative of public health risks. Few studies have assessed the capability of the AQI to accurately predict respiratory morbidity risks.Methods and findingsIn three major regions of California, Poisson generalized linear models were used to assess seasonal associations between 1,373,165 respiratory emergency department visits and short-term exposure to multiple metrics between 2012–2014, including: daily concentrations of NO2, O3, and PM2.5; the daily reported AQI; and a newly constructed health-based air quality index. AQI values were positively associated (average risk ratio = 1.03, 95% CI 1.02–1.04) during the cooler months of the year (November-February) in all three regions when the AQI was very highly correlated with PM2.5 (R2 ≥ 0.89). During the warm season (March-October) in the San Joaquin Valley region, neither AQI values nor the individual underlying air pollutants were associated with respiratory morbidity. Additionally, AQI values were not positively associated with respiratory morbidity in the Southern California region during the warm season, despite strong associations of the individual underlying air pollutants with respiratory morbidity; in contrast, health-based index values were observed to be significantly associated with respiratory morbidity as part of an applied policy analysis in this region, with a combined risk ratio of 1.02 (95% CI: 1.01–1.03).ConclusionsIn regions where individual air pollutants are associated with respiratory morbidity, and during seasons with relatively simple air mixtures, the AQI can effectively serve as a risk communication tool for respiratory health risks. However, the predictive ability of the AQI and any other index is contingent upon the monitored values being representative of actual population exposures. Other approaches, such as health-based indices, may be needed in order to effectively communicate health risks of air pollution in regions and seasons with more complex air mixtures.

Antimicrobial Usage and Detection of Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Including Methicillin-Resistant Strains in Raw Milk of Livestock from Northern Kenya.

The association of antimicrobial usage (AMU) with prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in livestock raw milk consumed by pastoralists in Kenya remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between AMU and emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. aureus, including MRSA in raw milk of livestock. AMU data were obtained using sales records from veterinary pharmacies. S. aureus was isolated from 603 milk samples from various livestock species, including sheep, goat, cow, and camel reared in Isiolo and Marsabit counties in Kenya. Resistant phenotypes and genotypes were determined by disc diffusion and molecular methods, respectively. Correlation between AMU and occurrence of resistance was determined by Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) method. The consumption of various antimicrobial classes were as follows; 4,168 kg of oxytetracycline, 70 kg of sulfonamides, 49.7 kg of aminoglycosides, 46 kg of beta-lactams, 39.4 kg of macrolides, and 0.52 kg for trimethoprim. The S. aureus isolates were mainly resistant to tetracycline (79%), ampicillin (58%), and oxacillin (33%), respectively. A few isolates (5-18%) were resistant to clindamycin, cephalexin, erythromycin, kanamycin, and ciprofloxacin. Most of the MDR-S. aureus isolates were MRSA (94%). The genetic determinants found in the AMR isolates included tetK/tetM (96.5%/19%) for tetracycline, blaZ (79%) for penicillin, aac (6')/aph (2'')/aph (3')-IIIa (53%) for aminoglycosides, mecA (41%) for oxacillin, and msrA/ermA (24%/7%) for macrolides. Oxytetracycline usage was correlated to tetK/tetM (r = 0.62/1) detection, penicillins to mecA/blaZ (r = 0.86/0.98), aminoglycoside to aac (6')/aph (2'')/aph (3')-IIIa (r = 0.76/-13), and macrolide usages for detection of ermA/msrA (r = 0.94/0.77). AMU appeared to be associated with occurrence of MDR-SA and the tetM detection. Consumption of raw milk contaminated with MRSA could pose a serious public health risk in pastoral communities in northern Kenya.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment for waterborne pathogens in a wastewater treatment plant and its receiving surface water body

BackgroundAccess to safe water for drinking and domestic activities remains a challenge in emerging economies like South Africa, forcing resource-limited communities to use microbiologically polluted river water for personal and household purposes, posing a public health risk. This study quantified bacterial contamination and the potential health hazards that wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) workers and communities may face after exposure to waterborne pathogenic bacteria in a WWTP and its associated surface water, respectively.ResultsEscherichia coli (Colilert®-18/ Quanti-Tray® 2000) and enterococci (Enterolert®/ Quanti-Tray® 2000) were quantified and definitively identified by real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting the uidA and tuf genes, respectively. An approximate beta-Poisson dose-response model was used to estimate the probability of infection (Pi) with pathogenic E. coli. Mean E. coli concentration ranged from 2.60E+ 02/100 mL to 4.84E+ 06/100 mL; enterococci ranged from 2.60E+ 02/100 mL to 3.19E+ 06/100 mL across all sampled sites. Of the 580 E. coli isolates obtained from this study, 89.1% were intestinal, and 7.6% were extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli. The 579 enterococci obtained were 50.4% E. faecalis (50.4%), 31.4% E. faecium, 3.5%, E. casseliflavus and 0.7% E. gallinarum. The community health risk stemming from the use of the water for recreational and domestic purposes revealed a greater health risk (Pi) from the ingestion of 1 mL of river water from upstream (range, 55.1–92.9%) than downstream (range, 26.8–65.3%) sites. The occupational risk of infection with pathogenic E. coli for workers resulting from a once-off unintentional consumption of 1 mL of water was 0% (effluent) and 23.8% (raw influent). Multiple weekly exposures of 1 mL over a year could result in a Pi of 1.2 and 100% for the effluent and influent, respectively.ConclusionOur findings reveal that there is a potentially high risk of infection for WWTP workers and communities that use river water upstream and downstream of the investigated WWTP.

Knowledge, Beliefs/Attitudes, and Practices of Rural Residents in the Prevention and Control of COVID-19: An Online Questionnaire Survey.

.The outbreak of COVID-19 quickly spread to 184 countries and regions around the world. It has drawn great attention from the WHO and was declared an international public health emergency on January 31, 2020. Because the population is generally susceptible to the virus, there are no effective drugs and vaccines, and active participation of the entire population in self-protection and self-isolation has become the key to cutting off transmission routes and effectively controlling the epidemic. A self-designed questionnaire to assess residents’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to COVID-19 prevention and control used the Questionnaire Star service platform, and snowball sampling was used to invite rural residents to complete the questionnaire on WeChat. A total of 554 valid questionnaires were collected. Rural residents’ average scores on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding prevention and control were 40 ± 7 (total of 50 points), 45 ± 3 (total of 52 points), and 92 ± 12 (total of 127 points), respectively. A lack of protective materials and weak awareness of prevention and control are the greatest difficulties and challenges experienced by rural residents during the epidemic. Accordingly, social support services, such as public transportation plans, supply chains for living materials, and orderly returns to work, need to be strengthened. Moreover, new infectious disease control is not only a task for individuals but also a global issue. It is of great significance to guarantee information transparency and enhance health risk communication.

COVID-19 and public health risk communication in Manipur: a phone-based cross-sectional study

Background: In the fight against COVID-19, communication remains as one of its most important strategic tools. To facilitate healthy behaviour among the general public, Central and State governments has been carrying out various awareness generating activities. This study plans to assess the adequacy of these activities by investigating people’s response by assessing their knowledge, attitudes and actions.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 1493 adults (≥ 18years) residents of Manipur state selected through Random Number Dialling of mobile numbers using a pre-tested interview schedule. Descriptive statistics were generated and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to test for association. A p-value of <0.05 was taken as significant. Approval was obtained from the institutional ethics committee.Results: The average age of the participants was 34.3 years with females constituting 51%. Majority were aware of the common symptoms i.e. Fever (94.5%), Cough (87.1%), Difficulty in breathing (74.9%) of COVID-19. Preventive measures of hand-hygiene, wearing masks and social distancing were known to 90.3%, 94.8% and 75.6% respectively. Almost 60% agree that the lockdown imposed has worsened their daily living, and more than four-fifth of the participants were stressed and worried. Increase in level of education and per capita income per month was significantly associated with the higher knowledge regarding COVID-19 (p<0.05). There was gap in knowledge and practice and wrong practices were seen.Conclusions: A change in the health communication messages with emphasis on the need for correct practices through appropriate channels and community engagement is urgently required at this hour.

Construction and verification of air quality health index in china

Background: Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) was established in several countries and areas, and has showed validity in communicating health risks of air pollution. But there is a lack of unified AQHI in China. Methods: We contructed six indexes: AQHI_99, AQHI_98, AQHI_95, AQHI_log99, AQHI_log_98, and AQHI_log_95, by summing the excess total non-accidental mortality risks associated with PM2.5,O3, NO2, and SO2 and adjusting them to an arbitratry scale (1-10+). To adjust the distribution of the index, we logarithmic convert the sum of health risks. To avoied the maximun interference, we use the 99%, 98%, and 95% percentile of excess total non-accidental mortality risks of all counties in China as normalization factor. To verification the validity of communicating morbality and morbidity risk, we calculated the relationship between the AQHIs and morbality, anount of hospitalization, and outpatient number. According to the results, we chose the best AQHI. To test the ability of the AQHI to indicated a typical contamination event, we plotted the AQHI and air pollution concentration in several typical contamination event. And we also checked the consistency of AQHI and AQI. Results: AQHI_98 and AQHI_99 performed better in validity of communicating morbality and morbidity risk than AQI and other AQHIs. Given the current state of air pollution in China, we tended to opt for stricter standards: AQHI_98. An IQR increase of AQHI_98 was associated with a 1.0% (95% CI: 0.6 to 1.5) increase of non-accidental mortality in China and 2.0% (95% CI:1.8 to 2.1) increase of all causes hospital admissions in Beijing. This AQHI permforms good in indicating typical contamination events and does not conflict with AQI. Conclusions: We recommend AQHI_98 as Chinese AQHI. The AQHI is a more effective tool to communicate the health risk of air pollution in China.

The First 60 Days: American Public Health Agencies' Social Media Strategies in the Emerging COVID-19 Pandemic.

In this paper, we capture, identify, and describe the patterns of longitudinal risk communication from public health communicating agencies on Twitter during the first 60 days of the response to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We collected 138,546 tweets from 696 targeted accounts from February 1 to March 31, 2020, employing term frequency-inverse document frequency to identify keyword hashtags that were distinctive on each day. Our team conducted inductive content analysis to identify emergent themes that characterize shifts in public health risk communication efforts. As a result, we found 7 distinct periods of communication in the first 60 days of the pandemic, each characterized by a differing emphasis on communicating information, individual and collection action, sustaining motivation, and setting social norms. We found that longitudinal risk communication in response to the COVID-19 pandemic shifted as secondary threats arose, while continuing to promote pro-social activities to reduce impact on vulnerable populations. Identifying patterns of risk communication longitudinally allows public health communicators to observe changes in topics and priorities. Observations from the first 60 days of the COVID-19 pandemic prefigures ongoing messaging needs for this event and for future disease outbreaks.

Understanding the Community Risk Perceptions of the COVID-19 Outbreak in South Korea: Infodemiology Study.

BackgroundSouth Korea is among the best-performing countries in tackling the coronavirus pandemic by using mass drive-through testing, face mask use, and extensive social distancing. However, understanding the patterns of risk perception could also facilitate effective risk communication to minimize the impacts of disease spread during this crisis.ObjectiveWe attempt to explore patterns of community health risk perceptions of COVID-19 in South Korea using internet search data.MethodsGoogle Trends (GT) and NAVER relative search volumes (RSVs) data were collected using COVID-19–related terms in the Korean language and were retrieved according to time, gender, age groups, types of device, and location. Online queries were compared to the number of daily new COVID-19 cases and tests reported in the Kaggle open-access data set for the time period of December 5, 2019, to May 31, 2020. Time-lag correlations calculated by Spearman rank correlation coefficients were employed to assess whether correlations between new COVID-19 cases and internet searches were affected by time. We also constructed a prediction model of new COVID-19 cases using the number of COVID-19 cases, tests, and GT and NAVER RSVs in lag periods (of 1-3 days). Single and multiple regressions were employed using backward elimination and a variance inflation factor of <5.ResultsThe numbers of COVID-19–related queries in South Korea increased during local events including local transmission, approval of coronavirus test kits, implementation of coronavirus drive-through tests, a face mask shortage, and a widespread campaign for social distancing as well as during international events such as the announcement of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. Online queries were also stronger in women (r=0.763-0.823; P<.001) and age groups ≤29 years (r=0.726-0.821; P<.001), 30-44 years (r=0.701-0.826; P<.001), and ≥50 years (r=0.706-0.725; P<.001). In terms of spatial distribution, internet search data were higher in affected areas. Moreover, greater correlations were found in mobile searches (r=0.704-0.804; P<.001) compared to those of desktop searches (r=0.705-0.717; P<.001), indicating changing behaviors in searching for online health information during the outbreak. These varied internet searches related to COVID-19 represented community health risk perceptions. In addition, as a country with a high number of coronavirus tests, results showed that adults perceived coronavirus test–related information as being more important than disease-related knowledge. Meanwhile, younger, and older age groups had different perceptions. Moreover, NAVER RSVs can potentially be used for health risk perception assessments and disease predictions. Adding COVID-19–related searches provided by NAVER could increase the performance of the model compared to that of the COVID-19 case–based model and potentially be used to predict epidemic curves.ConclusionsThe use of both GT and NAVER RSVs to explore patterns of community health risk perceptions could be beneficial for targeting risk communication from several perspectives, including time, population characteristics, and location.

The structuralization of risk communication work and objectives in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster

Researchers have not comprehensively considered the contents and objectives of risk communication. In this study, interviews were conducted with 10 risk communicators who worked on risk communication of the various health risks arising after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. We focus on extracting, codifying, and summarizing the contexts, content, and objectives of their work. The objectives of risk communication were identified as “alleviating anxiety and stress,” “supporting decision-making,” “gaining trust,” “promoting understanding,” “deepening mutual understanding,” and “sharing values and empathy”; moreover, there are new additions of higher objectives: “returning to normal life” and “cultivating a wider perspective.” It was suggested that professional expertise, cooperation, and collaboration support and facilitate the attainment of these risk communication objectives. We anticipate that the findings of this study can assist in establishing effective risk communication practices based on the careful consideration of risk communication objectives, social debate on their legitimacy, and the evaluation of their effects.

Examining risk and crisis communications of government agencies and stakeholders during early-stages of COVID-19 on Twitter

During COVID-19, social media has played an important role for public health agencies and government stakeholders (i.e. actors) to disseminate information regarding situations, risks, and personal protective action inhibiting disease spread. However, there have been notable insufficient, incongruent, and inconsistent communications regarding the pandemic and its risks, which was especially salient at the early stages of the outbreak. Sufficiency, congruence and consistency in health risk communication have important implications for effective health safety instruction as well as critical content interpretability and recall. It also impacts individual- and community-level responses to information. This research employs text mining techniques and dynamic network analysis to investigate the actors’ risk and crisis communication on Twitter regarding message types, communication sufficiency, timeliness, congruence, consistency and coordination. We studied 13,598 pandemic-relevant tweets posted over January to April from 67 federal and state-level agencies and stakeholders in the U.S. The study annotates 16 categories of message types, analyzes their appearances and evolutions. The research then identifies inconsistencies and incongruencies on four critical topics and examines spatial disparities, timeliness, and sufficiency across actors and message types in communicating COVID-19. The network analysis also reveals increased communication coordination over time. The findings provide unprecedented insight of Twitter COVID-19 information dissemination which may help to inform public health agencies and governmental stakeholders future risk and crisis communication strategies related to global hazards in digital environments.

Analysis of 2017 risk communication on Human Monkey Pox outbreak in Nigeria’s News Media

This study quantitatively analyzes the risk communication contents of the human Monkey pox epidemic in 2017 as reported in selected Nigeria’s national newspapers (The Guardian, Punch, This day and Vanguard). Framing theory and Issue-attention cycle model formed the theoretical foundation of the study. Data for this study was obtained through the census method. Thus, all the daily editions of the selected newspapers within the study period were searched and reports on the monkey pox epidemic found were contentanalyzed. Findings indicate that monkey pox reports were placed in less prominent positions as straight news within the selected tabloids. Tension and controversy were key reportorial approaches to monkey pox happenstances nationwide. Reports on precautionary measures against the spread of the monkey pox virus were few. However, delayed and lethargic reports of the monkey pox epidemic were found in all the selected tabloids. This study contributes to empirical evidence on the delay in communicating health risk and the unsatisfactory reportage of infectious diseases outbreaks in Nigeria, contrary to global concerns of promoting good health and wellbeing for all. Therefore, as zoonotic diseases such as monkey pox continue to re-emerge all-around the globe, the study recommends that the news media should prioritize infectious diseases prevention as part of their risk communication advocacy to reduce vector interactions with human and nonstop daily updates during public health emergencies through the news media to increase trust in public health officials and the response efficiency.

Strengthening core competences of medical and public health students for public health emergencies

BackgroundThe importance of public health capacity development with a focus on public health emergencies and humanitarian assistance is continuously increasing at the global scale. In the time of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern is crucial to provide basic training in core public health competences to all health professionals, including students. Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic (full ASPHER member), implemented in medical as well as public health curricula new topics focused on core competences of health professionals in the area of public health emergencies and humanitarian assistance.ObjectivesTo strengthen competences and skills of medical as well as public health students to prepare them better for public health emergencies and humanitarian assistance in the time of increasing risk of global public health emergencies. New modules were proposed and tested in all education programmes at our Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc (CZ): General Medicine (Czech and English programmes), Dentistry (Czech and English programmes) and Public Health (Czech programme).ResultsNew modules on Public Health Emergencies, including preparedness, responses, risk management and risk communication were successfully tested in all education programmes during the academic year 2018/19 and fully implemented for the academic year 2019/20. New module has blended learning structure based on combination of face-to-face seminars and exercises with e-learning parts, including self-assessment. New module is presented in details.ConclusionsThis new education module fully supports international recommendations to strengthen public health competences and skills of medical as well as public health students to be ready for any unexpected public health emergencies at all levels, in particular at the local community level. COVID-19 pandemic confirmed.Supported by university project CZ.02.69/0.0/16_015/0002337Key messages Medical and public health students with competences and skills on public health emergencies and humanitarian assistance will be an asset for any public health emergency of international concern.New education module on public health emergencies will support both medical and public health students to be prepared for risk communication, advocacy and action if needed and called to action.

An Analysis of Government Communication in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations for Effective Government Health Risk Communication.

Governments throughout the world can learn many critical lessons from examining instances of ineffective communication with the public during the global coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic. Ineffective government communication has resulted in a great deal of public confusion and misunderstanding, as well as serious errors in responding to this evolving health threat, leading to disastrous health and social outcomes for the public and prolonging the pandemic, especially within the United States. This article uses systems theory as a template for analyzing government communication in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic, providing governments with recommendations for establishing effective health risk communication strategies for use with the public. The communication strategies offered here promote the delivery of relevant, accurate, and sensitive information to key public groups, minimizing communication noise to guide desirable coordinated actions. These communication strategies can be applied locally, nationally, and internationally.