Effectiveness Of Risk Communication Research Articles

Short-term panel data analysis of the effect of flood risk communication on individual evacuation decisions

People-centered risk communication is important to mitigate the flood damage caused by the recent increase in heavy rainfall events in Japan. Longitudinal studies are particularly important for evaluating the effectiveness of risk communication methods; however, current research is insufficient. To address this gap, we conducted a longitudinal study, specifically through four panel surveys conducted over a short period, to investigate the effects of various risk communication methods such as running an evacuation simulation to learn about flood damage, providing information about the evacuation behavior of others, and distributing hazard maps. The results of a fixed effects analysis of the panel data suggest that the impact of risk communication depends on the initial evacuation attitude. In particular, we find that distributing hazard maps had a negative effect on the evacuation behavior of those who initially responded that they would evacuate. This suggests that residents in non-flood-prone areas may have acquired the correct hazard perception from these hazard maps. However, for those who initially chose not to evacuate, receiving the distributed content had a positive effect on their evacuation behavior 12 h before the typhoon hit. This suggests that those who initially chose not to evacuate may have reconsidered their decision. The findings of this study may help future risk communication by reducing congestion at evacuation sites due to excessive evacuation, while increasing the evacuation rate of those who should evacuate.

Risk Communication Effectiveness and Earthquake Preparedness of Students at the University of Mindanao, Philippines

An earthquake is a natural disaster that has been part of history, causing catastrophic events that lead to social and economic losses. As a result, there is a pressing need for a change toward earthquake readiness, with earthquake preparedness playing a significant role in fostering this study. Despite the significant role of earthquake preparedness in lessening the impact of this natural catastrophe, challenges are present that disable the people and the concerned agencies from entirely benefiting from its implication. The extent of each component is examined and correlated in the current study on teacher education students; level of risk communication effectiveness and level of earthquake preparedness. To achieve the study’s objectives, descriptive correlation analysis was utilized. Generated 330 University of Mindanao-Main teacher education students as respondents and used convenience sampling methods to gather data. The findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between risk communication effectiveness and earthquake preparedness. Furthermore, the effectiveness of risk communication is frequently observed by the students and the students’ earthquake preparedness; both variables showed a High overall mean. Consequently, the research is significant to future educators and individuals as it will equip them with the necessary skills and resources to prepare for an earthquake and communicate risk information within and outside the institution. The institution, concerned agencies, and countries with similar experiences and challenges will also benefit by strengthening and improving risk communication systems and earthquake preparedness measures.

Reopening schools safely and educating youth (ROSSEY) study: Protocol for a community-based, cluster randomized controlled trial

IntroductionROSSEY is a community–academic partnership aiming to develop and test a COVID-19 risk communication intervention for elementary school students and families in Yakima County, Washington. We describe the ROSSEY study protocol that will be implemented in the Yakima School District. MethodsAim 1 is to identify the community's social, ethical, and behavioral needs and resources for students to return to school and maintain onsite learning. We will conduct semi-structured interviews with students and school employees and focus groups with parents. Aim 2 is to evaluate the effectiveness of risk communication on students' school attendance. We will conduct a cluster randomized control trial. We will enroll 14 Yakima School District elementary schools with 900 student participants and randomize the schools into the COVID-19 risk communication intervention or control group. Aim 3 will assess implementation of the risk communication intervention and schools' COVID-19 mitigation strategies. We will use the RE-AIM framework to guide this work, which will entail conducting semi-structured interviews with students and school employees and focus groups with parents. DiscussionImplementation of science-based risk communication can educate the community on the benefits and safety of COVID-19 testing and vaccination. Risk communication may also inform families about the role of COVID-19 testing and vaccines as part of mitigation strategies to allow for safe in-person learning. Schools have extraordinary influence to promote children's health through policy and practice change. Study findings will provide evidence to facilitate policy decisions and best practices at schools that facilitate adoption of COVID-19 risk communication. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT04859699. Registered on April 26, 2021.

External Validation of HASBLED and ORBIT bleeding risk scores in Wales-AF population

Abstract Background Anticoagulant therapy (AC) is recommended for Atrial Fibrillation (AF) patients when formal assessment of thromboembolic and bleeding risk suggests a net benefit of AC treatment. Recent UK National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidelines consider that the ORBIT bleeding risk score(1) provides a more accurate assessment of bleeding risk with AC than the HASBLED score(2) and is recommended for routine clinical use in the UK. Purpose To compare the performance of HASBLED and ORBIT scores to predict hospitalisations for bleeding (HB) in a large population of UK patients with AF receiving AC. Methods We conducted a retrospective longitudinal analysis using linked primary and secondary care health records in the All-Wales SAIL databank. Patients with a diagnosis of AF treated with AC were identified between 2012 and 2018. Both HASBLED and ORBIT scores were calculated for each patient annually based on identified comorbidities, demographics and prescription data. All HB were evaluated. Logistic regression models were used to compare sensitivity and specificity of each score for HB prediction. The Area Under Curve for the Receiver operating Characteristic plot (AUC) was generated for each score to illustrate the risk discrimination ability of each prediction schemes. Results A total of 107,137 (45% female, mean age=74) AF patients were evaluated over the study period. The number of anticoagulated AF patients increased from 27,959 in 2012 (49.3% of cohort) to 48,595 in 2018 (66.8%), providing a total of 265,410 patient years of AC therapy for analysis. There were 710 HB (2.5% of AC patients) in 2012 increasing to 1,146 (2.4%) in 2018. The predictive power of HASBLED and ORBIT increased slightly over the period of study: with observed HASBLED AUC of 60.8 and ORBIT AUC of 64.8 in 2018 (Figure 1). Over the period of study, the observed HB rates for AC AF patients with HAS BLED scores of 0-3 and ORBIT scores of 0-5 were similar to those observed in the original studies, but observed HB for patients with higher HASBLED and ORBIT scores were less consistent (Fig. 2) Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that HASBLED and ORBIT were relatively limited in their predictive performance for HB in a large, real-world AC AF population, with ORBIT providing more accurate prediction across the overall risk range. This highlights the need to develop and validate new bleeding risk scores from the wide range of clinical and demographic factors in AF patients to improve effectiveness of risk communication and AC prescribing in AF.Figure 1Figure 2

Disseminating risk communication

Abstract This paper investigates advice offered on closure signs displayed on businesses in Greece and the UK during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. By scrutinising signs photographed in London and in Athens, as well as speeches delivered by the British and Greek prime ministers at the time of the closures, our analysis shows how business owners pass on government instructions to their customers. The study thus makes an original contribution to research on the effectiveness of risk communication, revealing that while businesses in both countries supported the implementation of containment measures, the Greek signs replicated governmental messages more closely. At the same time, the analysis of advice offered by business owners to their customers in an unprecedented context of a global health crisis provides new insights into research on this speech act.

Effects of anthropomorphized virus warnings and perceived cuteness on compliance intention

PurposeThis study investigated the anthropomorphism of the pandemic virus and its downstream effects by examining how warnings trigger viewers' risk perceptions and motivate them to pursue protection.Design/methodology/approachThree experiments were conducted. The first was a two-part (virus: anthropomorphic vs non-anthropomorphic) between-subject design that measured the participants' risk perception and compliance intention. The second experiment used a three-part (cuteness: cute vs non-cute vs control) between-subjects design. The third experiment used a three-part (cuteness: cute vs non-cute vs control) by two-part (aggressive guidance: present vs absent) between-subject design.FindingsAnthropomorphism of the virus increased risk perception, thus influencing protective behavior and the effectiveness of warning signs, but only when the message was not perceived as cute. Aggressive messages and cute images of baby schemata enhanced compliance intention to warning guidelines.Practical implicationsThe results provide a theoretical basis for studying the effectiveness of anthropomorphized warning signs and suggest implications for the impact of anthropomorphism on risk communication and compliance.Originality/valueThis study highlights that cuteness, often accompanied by anthropomorphism, may evoke inferences that reduce the effect of risk communication to induce compliance intention. Furthermore, the authors discovered that a more persuasive message appeals to mitigate the maladaptive responses to cute warnings.

Evaluation of hazard brochures using topic viewing durations: Application to tsunami evacuation brochures.

This study describes a novel method of assessing risk communication effectiveness by reporting an evaluation of a tsunami information brochure by 90 residents of three Pacific coast communities that are vulnerable to a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami-Commencement Bay, Washington; Lincoln City, Oregon; and Eureka, California. Study participants viewed information that was presented in DynaSearch, an internet-based computer system that allowed them to view text boxes and tsunami inundation zone maps. DynaSearch recorded the number of times each text box or map was clicked and the length of time that it was viewed. This information viewing phase was followed by questionnaire pages assessing important aspects of tsunami hazard and sources of tsunami warnings. Participants gave the longest click durations to what to do in the emergency period during earthquake shaking and in its immediate aftermath before a tsunami arrives-topics that should be displayed prominently in tsunami brochures and emphasized in talks to community groups. The smallest adjusted click durations were associated with advance preparations for a tsunami-topics that can be posted on websites whose URLs are printed in the brochures.

Effectiveness and quality of risk communication process in Ethiopia: The case of risk communication during cholera outbreak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BackgroundWHO states risk communication as the conversation of actual information, guidance, and thoughts between specialists and people fronting risks to their well-being, economic or social safety. As risk communication activities are complex and costly usually, evaluation assessment are the best approach to advance risk communication interventions. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of risk communication and the quality of health communication materials developed during the 2019 cholera outbreak at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based parallel mixed design was conducted from May to June 2020 at Addis Ababa. A total of 605 adults were selected randomly from Addis Ketema sub-city and ten purposely selected adults were interviewed for qualitative data. In addition eight health communication materials on cholera were randomly selected for evaluation. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. After audio recorded interviews transcribed verbatim and translated into English the qualitative data were entered into open code version 4.02 for analysis. And then the data were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultRespondents exposed for cholera related messages and outbreak information were 71.8% and 52.7% respectively. Respondents have moderate knowledge for cholera with (M = 14.72 and SD ±4.02) with (0–34) scale range. Both Television and radio spots were found as simple and easy to understand and printed health communication materials score low quality. Poor documentation, lack of data management system and less attention for risk communication activities were identified as a gaps in risk communication in the study settings.Conclusionthis study revealed the positive effects of risk communication messages in increasing individuals’ knowledge. Even though the risk communication spots were found to be simple and easy to understand, the quality of printed materials was low and less attention was given for the risk-communication activities. Thus, strengthening the quality of risk communication and materials development process is very important to bring desired effects in disease prevention strategies and for effective emergency responses in the future.

On the Geographic Balance of Risk and Amenity: Changes in Evacuation Zones and Their Ripples in Housing Prices in Pinellas County, FL

This study considers the balance of amenities and coastal hazards on housing prices between 2000 and 2015. We test whether risk communication via hurricane evacuation zone (a proxy for storm-surge risk and coastal flooding) affects sales price while controlling for relevant property characteristics, beach frontage, flood zones, and proximity to the coast. Additionally, we employ a difference-in-difference technique to test whether two highly publicized updates to evacuation zone maps, which changed the status of many homes in the county, led to price penalties for homes. We focus our study on areas of the new evacuation zone maps that reclassified parcels into zones associated with higher coastal surge exposure. This approach allows us to isolate the effects of risk communication about a property independent of changes to its insurance premiums or actual hazard exposure. We find that amenities are associated with significant bonuses and hazard variables correlated with price penalties, and homes in areas reclassified “up” in hazard zone classification have lost value. Our findings shed light on how information changes about hazards may affect coastal real estate markets as concerns about coastal hazards and exposure to storm-related surges increase along with climate change.

Understanding Risk Communication Effectiveness From Public Interest, Mobility, and COVID-19 Cases: A Case Study of COVID-19 in Nigeria

Since the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020, various actions have been taken by governments and agencies globally to curtail its spread and devastating effects. Risk communication is an essential component of such actions. Examination of public interest, risk perception and new cases of COVID-19 is vital to understanding the effectiveness of risk communication strategies implemented. With data paucity plaguing policymaking in Nigeria, there is a need to examine new data sources to support the enhancement of risk communication. The study explored Google Trends (GT) and Google Mobility Reports (GMR) in monitoring public restlessness and risk perception, respectively, toward COVID-19 in Nigeria. This is geared toward understanding the effectiveness of the national risk communication strategy. COVID-19 case statistics, stringency index, mobility, and search indices for selected terms were collated (February 28 to June 30, 2020). Temporal dynamics were examined while correlation analysis was carried out to examine the association. Public attention peaked just around the commencement of the nationwide lockdown and declined considerably afterwards despite increasing new cases. Mobility toward most place categories showed a sharp decline at the beginning of the pandemic, except for residential areas. This trend also reversed soon after the lockdown. COVID-19 case statistics were found to be negatively correlated with the public interest. Public interest had a weak but both negative and positive association with the stringency index, while mobility exhibited a weak negative association with the case statistics (except residential area mobility). The results indicated that the risk communication efforts were inadequate in providing a prolonged health behavior change. The initial risk communication and lockdown created a positive outcome, however, the impact soon faded out. The evidence suggests that risk perception may have been poorly targeted by risk communication interventions. It is recommended that continuous monitoring of public interest and risk perception is implemented during an emergency and risk communication adjusted accordingly.

Enhancing medication risk communication in developing countries: a cross-sectional survey among doctors and pharmacists in Malaysia

BackgroundMedication risk communication is essential to ensure the safe use of medicines. However, very few nations worldwide have established effective risk communication systems. To date, the effectiveness of risk communication among healthcare professionals in Malaysia has never been evaluated. Our study aimed to (i) evaluate doctors’ and pharmacists’ awareness of regulatory risk communication methods; (ii) identify factors predicting the usefulness of these methods; and (iii) compare respondents’ preferences for risk communication to outline suggestions for enhancement.MethodsWe conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey covering four commonly used risk communications, namely a national drug bulletin, safety alerts, Direct Healthcare Professional Communication letters (DHPCs), and educational materials. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between independent variables and the usefulness of risk communication. We performed qualitative analysis of free-text responses to gain insights on respondents’ perspectives on risk communication.ResultsOf the 1146 responses received, 650 were from pharmacists (56.7%). Among the four methods surveyed, 71.5% of respondents were aware of educational materials, while awareness of the other three methods ranged from 20.7 to 53.9%. Pharmacists had higher awareness of all four methods compared to doctors. Private sector respondents were more aware of DHPCs compared to those from the public sector. The strongest predictors for finding risk communication useful were being a pharmacist [odds ratio (OR) = 18.2; 95% CI: 10.98–30.07; p < 0.001], having ≥30 years’ work experience [OR = 4.9; 95% CI: 1.98–12.08; p < 0.001], and working in the pharmaceutical industry [OR = 4.6; 95% CI: 1.08–19.72; p = 0.039]. Both doctors and pharmacists preferred risk communication in the English-language and electronic format. However, other preferences differed between the professions and sectors. Analysis of free-text comments revealed five core themes to guide risk communication enhancement strategies.ConclusionsRisk communication awareness differed between public and private sector doctors and pharmacists depending on communication source. Integrating our findings with the theory of effective communication, we provide suggestions for developing strategic plans on enhancing risk communication. Public-private sector collaboration is key in ensuring risk communication effectiveness.

Factors Associated with Community Awareness on COVID-19 in a Developing Country: Implications for Optimal Risk Communication.

PurposeNew COVID-19 variants pose great challenges in protecting the success of vaccination programs. Awareness of community becomes an important component to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This study aims to analyze people’s awareness of COVID-19 and identify the implications for optimal risk communication in Vietnam.Study Methods and MaterialsA total of 341 individuals participated in an online cross-sectional study. Community awareness on COVID-19 was examined by using a structured questionnaire. Multivariable Tobit regression was used to examine associated factors with community awareness.ResultsOur results indicated high levels of awareness of local COVID-19 situation, transmission risks, and preventive behavioral practices during the first week of social isolation. Higher awareness of local pandemic situation was associated with female respondents (Coef.: 6.19; 95% CI: 0.51; 11.87) and larger family sizes of above 5 people (Coef.: 9.00; −1.00; 19.00). Respondents between 35–44 years old were shown to be less aware of preventive behavioral practices than other age groups, including the group of participants above 44 years old (Coef.: −0.34; 95% CI: −0.67; −0.02). Lastly, participants who were “fairly satisfied” with information resources had awareness levels of preventive behavioral practices lower than that of “unsatisfied” respondents (Coef.: −0.45; 95% CI: 0.74; −0.16).ConclusionThis study offers crucial insights into the pandemic awareness of citizens and risk communication effectiveness during COVID-19 in Vietnam. The study findings shall serve the development of policies and interventions aimed at empowering individuals in the local and global fight against coronavirus.

Factors influencing hazard management by municipalities: The case of coastal communities

As climate and anthropogenic changes increase the vulnerability of coastal areas around the world, the threat (and reality) of coastal hazards grows. These threats arise particularly at a local level, calling out for more knowledge on how to best support coastal municipalities to deal with natural and human-induced hazards. This study seeks to add to the understanding through an examination of local-level experience with hazard planning and responses carried out by coastal municipalities, producing insights on how to reduce their vulnerability and support their resilience. It explores the factors influencing coastal municipalities’ management of relevant hazards to achieve comprehensive multi-hazard risk reduction and adaptation. We do so through a national survey of Canada’s coastal municipalities which assessed experience with hazards, risk perception, hazard prioritization, and the extent and specifics of hazard responses. We characterize the determinants of coastal municipalities’ behaviour and intervening factors, and conduct regression analyses to explain coastal municipalities’ risk perception, hazard prioritization, implementation of management processes for dealing with hazards, and the number of implemented or planned hazard responses. Six key factors were identified that influence hazard responses at the municipal level: experience with hazards; competing priorities; hazard visibility; access to resources (financial and technical capacity) and governance (institutional setting and political capacity). We conclude that municipal hazard responses can be reinforced by increasing the effectiveness of risk communication, promoting participatory processes, providing support for municipalities’ identified needs and priorities, ensuring municipalities have access to relevant information and expertise, and implementing integrated coastal governance and management.

The Effect of Risk Communication on Public Behavior to Non-Conventional Terrorism-Randomized Control Trial.

Non-conventional terrorism (NCT) incorporates an extended dimension of uncertainty that can lead to fear among the public. Health officials have an unsubstantiated assumption that thousands will seek treatment in hospitals following NCT. This study aims to examine public behavioral intentions in the case of NCT and the effect of risk communication on intents. An online randomized controlled trial was conducted among 1802 adult participants in Israel. Threat perception and behavioral intent before and after exposure to hypothetical NCT scenarios were assessed stratified to the type of media, exposure to rumors, and risk communication. The majority (~64%) of participants are aware of the NCT threat. Almost half (45%) of participants indicated a “high” or “very high” chance of seeking medical attention following an NCT incident. Regression analysis suggests that the odds of participants exposed to risk communication to report an elevated intent of seeking medical attention were 0.470 (95% CI: 0.359, 0.615) times that of participants not exposed to risk communication, χ2 = 30.366, p < 0.001. The findings demonstrate the importance of effective risk communication in reducing undesired public behavior during NCT crises. Efforts must be invested to create a robust risk communication infrastructure to allow the proper management of possible NCT incidents.

Unintended Effects of Risk Communication: Impacts of Message Fatigue, Risk Tolerance, and Trust in Public Health Information on Psychological Reactance

How individuals experience unintended effects of risk messages is an understudied area. Focusing on three types of unintended effects (i.e., message fatigue, risk tolerance, and psychological reactance) associated with health risk communication, we conducted an online survey among Italian adults (N = 507) to investigate how perceived message fatigue and risk tolerance might induce psychological reactance and whether trust in public health information might mediate this relationship. Results from mediation models revealed: (a) greater message fatigue and risk tolerance increased psychological reactance; (b) greater message fatigue and risk tolerance led to distrust in government-shared health information; (c) trust in public health information mediated the effects of message fatigue and risk tolerance on psychological reactance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Can risk communication in mass media improve compliance behavior in the COVID-19 pandemic? Evidence from Vietnam

PurposeDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, mass media play a vital role in containing the outbreak of the virus by quickly and effectively delivering risk communication messages to the public. This research examines the effects of risk communication exposure on public understanding and risk perception of COVID-19 and public compliance with health preventive measures.Design/methodology/approachData from Vietnam during COVID-19 social distancing and path analysis model are used for empirical analysis.FindingsThis analysis finds that exposure to risk communication in mass media encourages public compliance directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of public understanding and risk perception. Further investigations also find that exposure to risk communication in both online media and traditional media facilitates public compliance. In addition, exposure to risk communication in online media only raises public risk perception, whereas exposure to risk communication in traditional media only raises public understanding.Research limitations/implicationsThis research implies that traditional and online media should be combined to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government risk communication work.Originality/valueThis research is among the first attempts that examine the role of mass media (both traditional and online) in enhancing public compliance with preventive measures directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of public risk perception and understanding.

Individual attributes as potential determinants of over-perception of air pollution among adults in South Korea

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Over-perception of air pollution is to perceive air quality worse than its actual level. It has increased social anxiety and stress, especially in South Korea for recent years. Over-perception can occur differently according to individual vulnerability, related knowledge, and coping ability explained by individual contexts like sex, age, and socioeconomic status. Identifying potential determinants of over-perception could be beneficial in improving the effectiveness of risk communication. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate individual attributes that may affect the over-perception of air pollution. METHODS: The study subjects(n=111,724) were obtained from the 2018 Community Health Survey conducted by Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Over-perception of air pollution was defined as when the respondents rated their local subjective air quality was bad even though the object air quality was good. The individual attributes included demographic factors (sex, age, and marital status), socioeconomic status (education, occupation, and household income), and health-related variables (drinking status, smoking status, self-rated health, and subjective stress level). The associations between over-perception of air pollution and individual attributes were assessed using logistic regression. RESULTS:The proportion of over-perception of air pollution in our study population was 27.4%. Over-perception was significantly associated with all demographic factors, SES, and health-related variables after adjusting for measured air pollution and other covariates. Younger respondents had higher odds ratio of over-perception (19-44 years old: OR=2.15, 95% CI=2.01-2.31, reference: over 65 years old). Housewives (OR=1.06, 95% CI=1.01-1.12, ref.: unemployment) and blue collars (OR=1.06, 95% CI=1.00-1.11, ref.: unemployment) had higher ORs than other occupations. Respondents with higher education and lower household income level were more likely to over-perceive air quality. This tendency was also shown among those who rated health and stress level bad. CONCLUSIONS:This study suggests that considering individual context would enhance the delicacy in risk communication about air pollution. KEYWORDS: Air pollution, Particulate matter, Socio-economic factors, Science communication,, Policy and practice

A Multi-modal Approach to Evaluate the Impact of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Programs

Since 2007, the US Food and Drug Administration has had the authority to require risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) programs for certain medications with serious safety concerns to help ensure the benefits of the medication outweigh its risks. Such programs can include requirements for patient monitoring, restrictions on dispensing or administration, and physician and pharmacy training and certification. However, there has been only scattered evidence on the impact of REMS programs on informed decision making, medication access, or patient outcomes. The objective of this article was to describe a study that researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School will conduct in partnership with the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology to investigate systematically how REMS programs have operated in practice. Investigations include health insurance claims-based analyses to understand patterns of drug use, adherence to safety requirements, and patient outcomes under REMS programs; surveys and interviews to understand physician and patient experiences with REMS; and REMS program material-based and interview-based analyses to understand the effectiveness of risk communication in REMS programs. These research activities will evaluate the performance of REMS programs, provide information on the benefits and burdens to patients and healthcare providers, and generate recommendations for actionable steps to improve REMS programs overall.

Risk Communication Effectiveness During COVID-19 Pandemic Among General Population in Saudi Arabia

PurposeThe novel coronavirus (COVID-19), declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020, is an unprecedented occurrence in our recent history. Effective risk communication by health authorities, through relaying reliable and authoritative information, is imperative in combating the spread of the outbreak. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of risk communication campaign and overall awareness during COVID-19 pandemic among the general population in Saudi Arabia.Patients and MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 5472 individuals in Saudi Arabia was conducted to assess several factors regarding the risk communication messages during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the knowledge and response of the general population toward COVID-19 and MoH efforts. The questionnaire was divided into five main sections: general knowledge of COVID-19, channels and social media platforms used perceived risk and stress or panic toward COVID-19, satisfaction and community perception, most trusted source of information, and type of information received.ResultsA total of 5472 individuals participated in the study residing in Saudi Arabia. Overall knowledge of COVID-19 was determined to be above average (0.58 + 0.159). Of the general population, 57.1% perceived that the risk of getting sick with COVID-19 is low, while nearly half of the respondents (45.7%) have a high level of stress and panic toward COVID-19. The majority of responders to the questionnaire reinforced that MoH was their most trusted source of information for the COVID-19 pandemic (91.7%).ConclusionThis study showed that the risk communication campaign by healthcare authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic has improved the awareness among the general population in Saudi Arabia, where the overwhelming majority placed high trust in the MoH as its main reference for COVID-19 information.

The effect of risk communication on preventive and protective Behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak: mediating role of risk perception

BackgroundThe COVID-19 outbreak is a global pandemic, during which the community preventive and protective behaviors play a crucial role in the containment and control of infection. This study was designed to contribute to the existing knowledge on how risk communication (RC) and risk perception (RP) affect protective and preventive behaviors (PPB) during the COVID-19 outbreak.MethodsThe required data were extracted from a national online survey of Iranian adults aged 15 and older during March 15–19, 2020 (n=3213). Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling.ResultsThe study findings reveal that RC has direct and indirect positive effects on PB. Furthermore, this study also provides new evidence indicating that RP mediates the relationship between RC and PB and there is a two-way relationship between RC and RP. These interactions may have impact on risk communication strategies which should be adopted during this pandemic.ConclusionThe study findings have remarkable implications for informing future communications as well as interventions during this ongoing outbreak and subsequent national risk events.