Risk Communication Model Research Articles

The Landscape of Risk Communication Research: A Scientometric Analysis

Risk communication is a significant research domain with practical importance in supporting societal risk governance and informed private decision making. In this article, a high-level analysis of the risk communication research domain is performed using scientometrics methods and visualization tools. Output trends and geographical patterns are identified, and patterns in scientific categories determined. A journal distribution analysis provides insights into dominant journals and the domain’s intellectual base. Thematic clusters and temporal evolution of focus topics are obtained using a terms analysis, and a co-citation analysis provides insights into the evolution of research fronts and key documents. The results indicate that the research volume grows exponentially, with by far most contributions originating from Western countries. The domain is highly interdisciplinary, rooted in psychology and social sciences, and branching mainly into medicine and environmental sciences. Narrative themes focus on risk communication in medical and societal risk governance contexts. The domain originated from public health and environmental concerns, with subsequent research fronts addressing risk communication concepts and models. Applied research fronts are associated with environmental hazards, public health, medical risks, nuclear power, and emergency response to various natural hazards. Based on the results, various avenues for future research are described.

The mediation of news framing between public trust and nuclear risk reactions in post-Fukushima China: A case study

Although China has become the world’s most ambitious country in adopting nuclear energy, few studies have investigated the role of communication behind public acceptance of nuclear risk in this country. This study explored the association of Chinese newspapers’ framing of nuclear power with public trust in government and their reactions to nuclear risk. The results revealed that the more the respondents identified with the news framing, the more trust they placed in the government regarding nuclear risk control (NRC). Public identification with news framing also mediated the effect of trust in government on risk perceptions and acceptance. Because online news distribution in China is primarily limited to official news organizations, official discourses about nuclear risk have yet to be substantially challenged in cyberspace. These findings suggest that the enduring, positive news framing, which is guaranteed by China’s ubiquitous information control, has greatly contributed to the country’s nuclear energy blueprint. However, a trust-based model of risk communication that is facilitated by propaganda and information control may stem ‘healthy scepticism’ about the large-scale deployment of nuclear energy facilities. This study thus reminds policymakers to review the performance of their risk communication policies and to consider the necessity and proper methods of public risk engagement.

On the Behavior-Based Risk Communication Models in Crisis Management and Social Risks Minimization

The article formulates and calibrates a formal model of risk communications in the framework of a risk-based community resilience assessment approach in transforming societies under crises and conflicts. It was demonstrated that perception of risks is not adequate. This situation is recognized as a threat, which leads to a significant increase of losses and to spreading of wrong crisis management practices. To improve decision-making at the personal, group, and population levels, a behavioral-based communication model has been proposed. The modified form of engagement into collective actions for substantially fractionalized society is proposed. A number of models of action calls and a collective decision-making under stress conditions with dynamic communication are put forward. On the basis of the developed model, ways of optimizing communication strategies are aimed at corresponding risk minimization are developed. Future research directions are highlighted.

Effective Risk Communication for Public Health Emergency: Reflection on the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Outbreak in Wuhan, China.

Risk communication is critical to emergency management. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the effective process and attention points of risk communication reflecting on the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) outbreak in Wuhan, China. We provide the timeline of risk communication progress in Wuhan and use a message-centered approach to identify problems that it entailed. It was found that the delayed decision making of the local government officials and the limited information disclosure should be mainly responsible for the ineffective risk communication. The principles for effective risk communication concerning Wuhan’s outbreak management were also discussed. The whole communication process is suggested to integrate the accessibility and openness of risk information, the timing and frequency of communication, and the strategies dealing with uncertainties. Based on these principles and lessons from Wuhan’s case, this paper employed a simplified Government–Expert–Public risk communication model to illustrate a collaborative network for effective risk communication.

Uncertainty and health literacy in dementia care.

The number of dementia cases increases with age, and the prevalence of dementia at the age above 80 is approaching 20% in Taiwan. Dementia is not simply a neurological disorder, but also a long-term care issue in public health and a matter of social adaptation. Scientific discoveries about dementia diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventive strategy have become the focus of media attention, but always updated and overwhelmed, which appears to increase rather than decrease the uncertainty and complexity of health communication in dementia care. Health literacy is essential for patients to understand medical information, utilize medical resources, and make shared decisions; however, the capacity to handle health information is often compromised in older adults with cognitive decline. Both ends of the increased uncertainty in dementia science and the reduced capacity in older adults are major challenges in dementia care. Dementia literacy, defined as knowledge and beliefs regarding dementia that aid recognition, management, or prevention, plays a vital role in effective care risk assessment and communication. However, little is known about the current state of dementia literacy among older adults, people with dementia, and their caregivers, and how well the dementia care practice can be implemented at the individual level is questionable. Empowering caregivers with adequate dementia literacy and developing a risk communication model in practice will translate the power of knowledge to effective care strategies, thus ameliorating the caregiver burden and enhancing the life quality of people with dementia in the long run.

Online Hazard Maps, Risk Communication, Acceptance and Usage Continuance Intention Model: A Selected Review of Literature

Abstract. The rapid progress of communication and information technology, as well as geospatial technology in the last decades, has noticeably altered the manner in which spatial information about disasters is accessed, stored and disseminated. The Internet broadcasts static maps and interactive mapping about natural hazards, in which as a consequence, the public is now flooded by vast amounts of this cartographic information. However, there are a little theoretical or empirical study concerns how individuals accept online hazard maps as a source of information or a medium of risk communication. As an initial step of further research about the issue, this study, therefore, aims to conduct a systematic review on relevant prior research that can help to construct a model to define how individuals accept and intend to continue using this web-based cartographic communication medium. As a next step, we will extend this model to explain how the acceptance and intention might increase one's awareness of the risks of natural hazards as it subsequently affects decision making on risk reduction behavioral responses. We begin the analysis by reviewing the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) as the foundational framework for risk communication. As acceptance and usage intention is commonly described by Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Expectation-Confirmation Theory (ECT), we then comprehensively review selected literature on these notions. Various studies conducted within hazard maps, the Internet and risk communication context were evaluated to identify factors have not been incorporated into prior acceptance and usage models. The result of this study contributes to the theoretical novelty and helps to identify gaps of existing literature in the domains of user acceptance and intention of continue usage of online hazard maps in risk communication.

Communicating the environmental health risk assessment process: formative evaluation and increasing comprehension through visual design

The environmental health risk assessment process informs clean-up activities at hazardous waste sites. Ensuring this process is accessible and transparent to communities is crucial for environmental health literacy initiatives. The goals of this project were to develop plain language and effective visuals that can be used when communicating the risk assessment process and methods used to predict excess cancer risk(s) due to environmental exposures. In this study, a community factsheet entitled, “Understanding Environmental Health Risk Assessment” was developed and a participatory design and formative evaluation approach was implemented with a set of representative users (n = 11). Community members living in the vicinity of two Arizona hazardous waste sites as well as three public health professionals/researchers were asked to evaluate the functionality and accessibility of the factsheet, particularly the graphics and whether the text was written in plain language. Participant responses revealed the following major findings: 1) form follows function, 2) graphic elements should outweigh text, 3) line of sight and layout is critical to information accessibility, 4) color coding dramatically aids the reader, 5) content should be strategically grouped, 6) concepts per figure should be minimized to ensure comprehension, 7) interactive content is preferred over static content, and 8) communication efforts need to interweave new information with the targeted audience's past and current environmental health understandings to aid in their ability to retain new concepts. Based on participant feedback, new and improved layout decisions, infographics and accompanying text were designed and prepared. This research demonstrates the need and importance of participatory design, information design prototyping, formative evaluation, and a cultural model of risk communication.

Exploration of a fragmented discourse. Privacy and data security in Süddeutsche Zeitung: 2007–2017

<p>The goal of this exploratory case study is to identify different facets of news reporting on surveillance, privacy and data security, and more specifically, how risks in this context are portrayed. The theoretical foundation consists of two elements: 1) the concept of mediatized risk culture, and 2) the discursive arena model of risk communication, which provides the normative background for assessing news reporting. A text-mining approach (topic modeling) is applied to analyze relevant coverage of the German quality newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The study yields a total of seven topics which belong to three categories: violation of privacy norms, power and law enforcement, and datafication. The results show that despite the de-mystification of digital technology after the Snowden leaks, coverage has recently become more affirmative and less focused on risk. We conclude that this may indicate a normalization of mass surveillance and data harvesting even in Germany, a society which traditionally values privacy. In order to add more context to our findings, however, further qualitative analyses were needed. The paper serves as a starting point for further research on media reporting of surveillance, privacy and data security.</p>

Development of the model of radiation risk-communication with the public for the arrangement of the research

The aim of the study was to justify and develop a model of risk communication with the public on radiation protection issues and to conduct research based on it in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. The proposed model of risk communication consists of five continuously and cyclically alternating each other stages: 1) scientific research; 2) a scientifically based system of practical measures; 3) a regional risk communication program on the radiation protection of the public; 4) practical arrangements for the implementation of the program; 5) research to assess the effectiveness of risk communication. Four sets of questions to be answered in the framework of scientific research were identified: 1) the characteristics of the radiation-hygienic environment; 2) the demographic situation and the state of health of the public; 3) attitudes of the participants of the risk information field; 4) information field characteristic. The results obtained through the research allowed substantiating the system of practical measures: 1) to determine the directions of risk communication, 2) to assess the need for developing local programs within the framework of regional ones; 3) to assess the level of knowledge and perceptions of the public about possible sources of radiation risk; 4) to identify stakeholders in risk communication; 5) to determine the types and list of information materials and information resources that are optimal for different groups of stakeholders. The conducted studies indicate that the radiation situation in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region is stable. These regions contain all exposure situations that require the development of local risk communication programs. p Several differences were revealed in health indicators of the public in St-Petersburg and the Leningrad region. Public knowledge on radiation protection issues can be characterized as fragmented and uncertain. The preferred source of information for the public is the Internet. Among all sources of information, unconditional leaders in the level of public confidence are the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, scientists and specialists. More than half of the respondents in St-Petersburg and the Leningrad Region (73% and 60% respectively) had no information about key public organizations covering issues of the radiation protection of the public, which indicates a rather low effectiveness of the activity of these public organizations. Both in all and in certain categories of mass media, a significant part (more than 50%) are publications with a neutral presentation of information. Only the media of the city of Sosnovy Bor is characterized by the active involvement of specialists in the radiation safety of the public in the preparation of information materials.

Unraveling Public Health Crises Across Stages: Understanding Twitter Emotions and Message Types During the California Measles Outbreak

Social media can be used to assess public opinions and emotions during different stages of a crisis. Guided by the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) model, this study examined a systematic sample of 2,881 tweets from a corpus of over one million tweets posted during the initial, maintenance, and resolution stages of the 2015 California measles outbreak. It found that the public showed the greatest interest (as measured by the number of tweets and retweets) in the initial stage of the crisis, but their interest drastically declined afterward. The expression of humor/sarcasm was significantly more frequent in the initial stage than in the maintenance or resolutions stage, while the expression of reassurance increased significantly from the initial, maintenance, and resolution stage. The emotion of alarm/concern was most frequently expressed during the initial stage. For message types, the public were more likely to tweet about their personal opinions and less likely to tweet about resources during the initial stage. These findings allow public health professionals to better design messages in response to the public’s concerns and emotions during public health crises.

Challenges and opportunities for pre-crisis emergency risk communication: lessons learned from the earthquake community

Prior to the 2009 L’Aquila event, earthquake forecasting and early warning research focused specifically on earthquakes as the crisis events. Although this is still true, the manslaughter convictions of six earthquake scientists and one public official for failed risk communication in 2009 served as a catalyst for expanding these goals to also intentionally examine the challenges of communicating earthquake risk with non-scientific during the pre-crisis stage of the earthquake lifecycle. The Crisis Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) Model developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides specific guidelines for doing so. Thus, based on a thematic analysis of interviews with 21 earthquake scientists, this study identifies what those responsible for communicating regularly about earthquake risk see as major communication challenges and the extent to which the CERC model recommendations are useful for addressing them. Results suggest that earthquake risk science communicators are most effective when they translate scientific and technical information simply, respond to competing messages, capitalize on relevant popular culture references, employ risk communication campaigns during ‘quiet periods’, and acknowledge uncertainty. These findings have implications not only for earthquake science risk communicators, but also for expanding the pre-crisis stage best practices proposed in the Crisis Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) model. Essentially, this study reveals that soliciting and responding to feedback in the pre-crisis stage could help spokespersons clarify or correct any messages that are perceived by audiences as unclear or are simply not accurate. Doing so may improve risk communication effectiveness not only during the pre-crisis stage but also throughout the earthquake crisis lifecycle.

The IDEA model for effective instructional risk and crisis communication by emergency managers and other key spokespersons.

Emergency managers are very often the key spokespersons charged with instructing people to take appropriate self-protective actions during natural disasters and other extreme events. Doing so successfully poses unique challenges including, for instance, convincing people to pay attention, translating complex information intelligibly to non-scientific publics, and motivating people to actually take appropriate actions for self-protection. These challenges are complicated further by the uncertainty surrounding many crisis events and the short response time demanded of emergency managers to offer such information and instructions. This manuscript describes the IDEA model for designing efficient and effective instructional risk and crisis communication messages and some of the research that has been conducted to validate its utility. Ultimately, emergency managers can use the IDEA model to design effective instructional messages in short order and educators can use the model in the classroom to teach new professionals to communicate effectively when they face crisis circumstances in the future.

A Study of Flood Disaster Risk Communication Model and Adaptive Behaviours for River-Watershed residents in Taiwan

A Study of Flood Disaster Risk Communication Model and Adaptive Behaviours for River-Watershed residents in Taiwan

Strategic Uses of Facebook in Zika Outbreak Communication: Implications for the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Model.

While social media has been increasingly used for communication of infectious disease outbreaks, little is known about how social media can improve strategic communication across various stages of the health crisis. The Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Model (Reynolds & Seeger, 2005; CERC) outlines strategies across different crisis phases and can guide crisis communication on social media. This research therefore investigates how social media can be utilized to implement and adapt the CERC model, by examining the strategic uses of Facebook in communicating the recent Zika epidemic by health authorities in Singapore. Zika-related Facebook posts of three main Singapore health agencies published within the one year period from January 2016 to December 2016 were thematically analysed. Results suggest that Facebook was used to communicate the crisis strategically, which supported and added to the CERC model. Novel uses of Facebook for outbreak communication were demonstrated, including promoting public common responsibility for disease prevention and expressing regards to the public for cooperation. Results also suggested that preparedness messages might be the most effective, as they produced a great level of public engagement. The adaptability of the CERC model in social media contexts to improve crisis communication is discussed.

The influences of relationship quality with external partners and required levels of approval of messaging on crisis preparedness

As funding for public health promotion is increasingly limited in the U.S., public relations research informing management of crises that threaten public health is especially critical. Crisis planning models such as Reynolds and Seeger’s (2005, 2014) crisis and emergency risk communication model offer comprehensive directives for crisis managers and present opportunities to extend the utility of best practice recommendations. A survey of public information officers (PIOs) (n=208) at local public health departments across the U.S. examines the quality of their relationships with partners in public health crisis management, including first responders, media, law enforcement, and hospitals, and reveals that relationships with key publics in crisis management are lacking. Further, PIOs at state governed health departments may face critical delays in releasing crisis messages, as their messages are required to clear more levels of approval than locally (city/county) governed departments. Implications and future research for these key variables extending public relations crisis communication research with a focus on inter-organizational relationships are discussed.

Weather, Climate, and Narrative: A Relational Model for Democratizing Risk Communication

Abstract There is growing evidence that the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events may be increasing in conjunction with climate change. This means that many communities will encounter phenomena, such as extreme storm surge events, never before experienced by local residents. The tragic effects of Typhoon Haiyan on the city of Tacloban, Philippines, in November 2013 were attributed, in part, to the inability of routine technical bulletins to communicate the unprecedented nature of the predicted storm surge. In response, the authors construct a relational model of risk communication that suggests that narrative messages that simulate direct face-to-face communication may be more effective in spurring action. Conducting a postevent target audience study in the city of Tacloban, the authors tested the relative effectiveness of narrative-based versus technical message designs on residents who chose not to evacuate during the typhoon. Results show increased effectiveness of the narrative design vis-à-vis intent to evacuate, self-relevance and vividness of the message, and perceived authority of the message source. The study also explored factors behind noncompliance with evacuation advisories. The research supports the relational model, which captures insights from recent research on evacuation and emergency preparedness for extreme hazard events. It supports a broader effort to democratize risk communication and, in so doing, increase people’s sense of agency in preparing for these events.

Comunicación gubernamental y la participación de los colectivos del estado de Puebla

This article aims to identify the communication model used in the State of Puebla in the period 2000-2016, which includes the analysis and evaluation of the communication process between the government and the groups affected by the so-called megaprojects. The results denote that the groups used the Risk Communication model to generate a Government-Citizen relationship based on negotiation and dialogue, and the Network or Swarm Communication model, where messages prevailed in support of the authority and limited to send information according to their interests, taking care of their image before society.

An IDEA Model Analysis of Instructional Risk Communication in the Time of Ebola

The Ebola outbreak and its rapid spread throughout West Africa and other countries was a megacrisis that imposed numerous challenges to those communicating to nonscientific publics about the epidemic. This article examines the instructional risk messages offered in the days that followed the 2014 infection and death of Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas, Texas. More specifically, we apply the IDEA model for effective instructional risk and crisis communication embellished by exemplification theory to conduct a thematic analysis of messages offered locally (Dallas news stories and press releases), nationally (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Live Chat Twitter posts), and internationally (website content from the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and Doctors Without Borders). Our conclusions reveal that the majority of messages offered from each organization privileged the element of explanation over internalization and action as well as negative over positive exemplification. On the basis of these conclusions, and informed by previous research, we propose a number of potential implications and recommendations for offering a balanced representation among internalization, explanation, and action as proposed in the IDEA model. We also suggest that positive exemplification could be used strategically to motivate receivers to attend to these messages (internalization), reduce potential misunderstandings (explanation), and take appropriate self-protective actions (action). Agency spokespersons and media reporters may find the conclusions and recommendations drawn from this analysis to be useful when crafting similar instructional risk preparedness and crisis response messages.

Do remediation experts have what it takes to explain empirical uncertainty?

AbstractWords matter in risk communication, and experts’ choice of words is critical when remediation risks are being explained to nonexperts. In risk communication studies, communication gaps between experts and nonexperts are investigated but there is lack of primary research. An Australian project addresses this shortcoming through research into communication about the risks of contaminated land remediation, and this paper provides some of its findings. Seventeen experts completed a questionnaire about the meaning of some scientific terms, and analysis found that they have capacity to improve communication through their selection and use of language.When experts undertake risk communication, the language they use may increase or reduce communication gaps. When the topic is uncertainty about health risks, communication gaps about the extent of uncertainty may reduce the effectiveness of social engagement, leading to unintended consequences such as cost overruns. This situation makes for a good case study since remediation is about benefit as well as risk, and communication about benefit, while desirable, may not always be achievable. The study suggests how to improve risk communication by exploring the accuracy, clarity, and depth of expert language. It identifies attributes of language that can bridge gaps in knowledge and understanding and characterizes them as integration mechanisms. These are defined as knowledge forms and mental processes that support cooperation between different epistemic communities to achieve mutually agreed outcomes. Two integration mechanisms are suggested. Bridging content addresses communication gaps through the selection of content (what knowledge is selected). Bridging process addresses communication gaps through the use of language (how knowledge is explained). Bridging content and bridging process can be expressed through cognitive and experiential platforms, or a blending of both, so whether words are positioned in the science‐based or mental model of risk communication, a utility value can be found in their quality, whether reflected by accuracy or the power to communicate meaning.

Contrasting academic and lay press print coverage of the 2013-2016 Ebola Virus Disease outbreak.

Under a traditional paradigm, only those with the expected background knowledge consume academic literature. The lay press, as well as government and non-government agencies, play a complementary role of extracting findings of high interest or importance and translating them for general viewing. The need for accurate reporting and public advising is paramount when attempting to tackle epidemic outbreaks through behavior change. Yet, public trust in media outlets is at a historic low. The Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) model for media reporting on public health emergencies was established in 2005 and has subsequently been used to analyze media reporting on outbreaks of influenza and measles as well as smoking habits and medication compliance. However, no media analysis had yet been performed on the 2013–2016 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak. This study compared the EVD information relayed by lay press sources with general review articles in the academic literature through a mixed-methods analysis. These findings suggest that comprehensive review articles could not serve as a source to clarify and contextualize the uncertainties around the EVD outbreak, perhaps due to adherence to technical accuracy at the expense of clarity within the context of outbreak conditions. This finding does not imply inferiority of the academic literature, nor does it draw direct causation between confusion in review articles and public misunderstanding. Given the erosion of the barriers siloing academia, combined with the demands of today’s fast-paced media environment, contemporary researchers should realize that no study is outside the public forum and to therefore consider shifting the paradigm to take personal responsibility in the process of accurately translating their scientific words into public policy actions to best serve as a source of clarity.