Principles Of Risk Communication Research Articles

Mentoring in developing, engaging with, and sustaining research teams that aligns with health and risk communication principles: apples and oranges or apples and apples?

ABSTRACT We are an interdisciplinary group of colleagues dedicated to partner engagement and team science. This influences our academic work, informs our research mentorship and capacity-building initiatives with junior scholars, conditions how we communicate with individuals outside of our disciplines, and makes lifelong learning a priority for ourselves and our trainees. Using the analogy of a seven-layer cake, this paper describes our capacity-building approach to develop, engage, and sustain research teams in a manner that aligns with health and risk communication principles. While preparing for a pandemic and engaging in team-based academic research may seem like apples and oranges, they both require the same key component throughout the process that we must encourage in our mentorship practices – effective communication. We provide concrete examples from our experiences on research teams that span decades and institutions.

Risk Communication Principles for COVID-19 Vaccination: Application in China.

Risk Communication Principles for COVID-19 Vaccination: Application in China.

Risk Communication in Public Health: Lessons from a Historic Fluoridation Debate in Saskatchewan

ABSTRACT Effective risk communication is critical to gain public support when implementing population-level health interventions. Analysis of previous public health campaigns can provide guidance for future efforts. This case study examined a successful community water fluoridation campaign in Saskatoon, Canada, during 1953/54. The key strategies and messaging used by both sides of the debate were assessed using two publicly available historic data sources: documents in the city archives and newspaper coverage. The anti-fluoridation campaign approaches (e.g. misinformation, innuendo, half-truths and scare words, requesting a plebescite) were similar to those used elsewhere by this movement as described in the literature. Key features of the effective pro-fluoridation campaign included extensive community outreach, involvement of local experts, dissemination of supporting evidence while aggressively addressing misinformation, highlighting the support of relevant health organizations, and ensuring key messages received media coverage. This study illustrates how misinformation and public opposition has posed a challenge to public health efforts long before the advent of social media and highlights strategies, consistent with current risk communication principles, that have stood the test of time.

Risk perception research informing recommendations for COVID-19 preventative health measures and public messaging.

ObjectiveTo provide a commentary on evidence-based recommendations for COVID-19 pandemic risk communication for more effective public health measures.MethodWe apply the principles of risk communication to address key issues in the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsRisk perception and communication research usefully informs preventative health education and public messaging during disease outbreaks such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, especially for those with severe mental illness.ConclusionsKey recommendations for pandemic public health risk communication are: clear, timely and balanced information from a reputable source; accurate and non-sensationalised depiction of infection, morbidity and mortality rates; awareness of fear as a powerful motivator for adoption of protective measures against the causative virus; promotion of self-efficacy and sense of control in terms of mitigating the health threats associated with a pandemic; correction of mis- and disinformation regarding the pandemic and associated protective measures; and messaging may need to be modified for people with a mental illness to avoid exacerbations of depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Mental health status of medical staff in Xinjiang Province of China based on the normalisation of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control

IntroductionThe 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has burdened and threatened the psychological health of people around the world, especially those of front-line medical staff. This study aimed to explore the mental-health status and its associated factors amongst the medical workforce of Xinjiang province under the normalisation of the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control. MethodsA total of 408 medical staff were recruited from February 20 to March 10, 2021. Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) scale, Social support Scale, and Simplified Coping-Style Questionnaire were applied to assess their mental-health status and stress-coping tendency. Descriptive analyses, welch's T-test, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. ResultsThe prevalence of mental-health problems was 20.25% (80/395) amongst the surveyed medical staff, and their total symptom mean score (1.31 ± 0.40) was lower than that of the general population (1.44 ± 0.43). Logistic regression analysis revealed that nurse, individual with poor health condition, those who lived with their elderly parents at home, those receiving less social support, and those with a negative stress-coping style were more likely to show psychological problems. ConclusionMore attention should be paid to the mental state of the medical workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government and professional institutes should facilitate social supportive activities and essential counselling services to help strengthen the psychological resilience of medical staff. Additionally, it is necessary for health administration committee and hospitals to make COVID-19 prevention practice guides and risk communication principles for improving the mental health of the front-line medical staff.

Combining Static and Dynamic Recidivism Risk Information Into the Five-Level Risk and Needs System: A New Zealand Example

Communicating recidivism risk is individualized to each assessment. Labels (e.g., high, low) have no standardized meaning. In 2017, the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSGJC) proposed a framework for standardized communication, but balancing the framework’s underlying principles of effective risk communication (and merging static and dynamic information) adds complexity. In this study, we incorporated dynamic risk scores that case managers rated among a routine sample of adults on parole in New Zealand ( N = 440) with static risk scores into the Five-Level Risk and Needs System. Compared with static risk only, merging tools (a) enhanced concordance with the recidivism rates proposed by CSGJC for average and lower-risk individuals, (b) diminished concordance for higher-risk individuals, yet (c) improved conceptual alignment with the criminogenic needs domain of the system. This example highlights the importance of attending to the underlying principles of effective risk communication that motivated the development of the system.

Analysis of crisis communication by the Prime Minister of Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic

Leadership and communication capabilities of federal leaders during crises are imperative to support and guide citizens' behaviors and emotions. The following content analysis examines crisis communication delivered by the Australian Prime Minister (PM), Scott Morrison during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication delivered over seven months starting from the first reported case of COVID-19 in Australia, was analyzed through a process of coding to identify central organizing crisis communication frames and themes and measured against eleven main themes based on principles of Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) recommended by the WHO and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transcripts were sourced from the PM's official website and 91 communiques were analyzed. Key epidemiological indicators and public health measures were reviewed over timeframe to examine changes in communication over the pandemic. Findings indicated that PM Morrison included many features of CERC within his official messaging. Our analysis revealed that the original framework was limited in its scope to encompass certain messages and thus the allocation of new frames,‘public health and medical advice’ and ‘assuring and commending the public and institutions', allowed for a more thorough analysis of communication during a novel global health pandemic. The temporal analysis demonstrated that the government's policy and communication temporally followed case numbers and relative threat of the virus. This study has provided an in-depth review of CERC during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. New frames and themes for the current CERC framework are suggested which can be transferable to other crises in Australia and other countries.

Pandemic pedagogy: Experiential learning illustrating risk and health communication principles

Instructors in medical and health fields have long used experiential learning activities to complement traditional methods of teaching. The following details a scenario developed for a health communication course that simulates a plague outbreak and requires students to draw from best practice related to crisis and emergency risk communication, patient–provider communication, and health promotion targeting behavior change. Sorted into a variety of stakeholder groups, students “win” the game by accomplishing two objectives: (1) assembling puzzle pieces to unlock a cure, and (2) demonstrating effective communication capacities throughout the scenario so that the public accepts the cure. The experience of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has served as a means to reflect on what works and what needs to be modified in this scenario.

Risk Communication Should be Explicit About Values. A Perspective on Early Communication During COVID-19.

This article explores the consequences of failure to communicate early, as recommended in risk communication scholarship, during the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and the United Kingdom. We begin by observing that the principles of risk communication are regarded as basic best practices rather than as moral rules. We argue firstly, that they nonetheless encapsulate value commitments, and secondly, that these values should more explicitly underpin communication practices in a pandemic. Our focus is to explore the values associated with the principle of communicating early and often and how use of this principle can signal respect for people’s self-determination whilst also conveying other values relevant to the circumstances. We suggest that doing this requires communication that explicitly acknowledges and addresses with empathy those who will be most directly impacted by any disease-control measures. We suggest further that communication in a pandemic should be more explicit about how values are expressed in response strategies and that doing so may improve the appraisal of new information as it becomes available.

Crisis Communication and Public Perception of COVID-19 Risk in the Era of Social Media.

A number of important principles in effective risk communication established in the late 20th century can provide important scientific insight into patient response to the risks posed by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Early risk communication scholars found acceptability of risk was shaped by 2 key components: hazard and outrage. The number of people who are exposed, infected, and fall ill can be considered the hazard. How the public and patients and respond to messages regarding risk mitigation relates to outrage. Social and cultural factors, immediacy, uncertainty, familiarity, personal control, scientific uncertainty, and trust in institutions and media all shape perception and response to risk mesaging. Outrage factors influence the ever-changing public understanding of COVID-19 risk. In concert, hazard and outrage along with cultural and economic context shape adherence to, and overall acceptance of, personal mitigation strategies including wearing facemasks and social distancing among the general public. The spread of misinformation on social media also provides both challenges and opportunities for clinicians. Social media offers an opportunity for experts to quickly convey true information about hazards, but offers others the opportunity to counter this with the spread of misinformation and exacerbate outrage. We propose strategies for infectious diseases clinicians to apply risk communication principles and frameworks to improve patient care and public message development in response to COVID-19.

How risk communication could have reduced controversy about school closures in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although there has been consistent evidence indicating that school closures have only limited efficacy in reducing community transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the question of whether children should be kept home from school has attracted extensive and often divisive public debate in Australia. In this article we analyse the factors that drove high levels of concern among parents, teachers and the public and led to both demands for school closures in late March 2020, and to many parents' reluctance to return their children to school in May 2020. We discuss how the use of well-established principles of risk communication might have reduced much of this community concern. Then we set out a range of practical suggestions for communication practices that build trust and hence diminish concerns in relation to managing schools over the long term of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Risk communication in Athabasca oil sands tailings operations

Oil sands operations involve many working groups, which can result in communication silos that make effective risk communication challenging. Workers are also directly at risk when they encounter conditions that contain hazards they are not equipped to identify and control. This is illustrated by fatalities in the oil sands related to unseen ground hazards at tailings storage and transport facilities. This research asked how gaps in communication between different working groups can be identified and how information about risks can be effectively disseminated to workers who interact with these facilities. Using ground hazards as a case study, we analyzed four datasets to identify areas for enhanced risk communication. The aim was to determine the hazards that workers see on the job site and compare their responses to tailings safety experts, geotechnical analysis, and recorded incidents. This will allow for the design of effective risk communication strategies at oil sands tailings operations. Traditional risk communication principles to disseminate information to external stakeholders will be applied to an internal audience of workers in tailings operations. The aim is to enhance the dialogue regarding risks across the organization. This will be done by increasing the knowledge and understanding of ground hazards in oil sands tailings operations, resulting in the invisible becoming seen and the risk tolerance among workers being lowered.

How organisations promoting vaccination respond to misinformation on social media: a qualitative investigation

BackgroundVaccination misinformation is associated with serious public health consequences, such as a decrease in vaccination rates and a risk of disease outbreaks. Although social media offers organisations promoting vaccination unparalleled opportunities to promote evidence and counterbalance misinformation, we know relatively little about their internal workings. The aim of this paper is to explore the strategies, perspectives and experiences of communicators working within such organisations as they promote vaccination and respond to misinformation on social media.MethodsUsing qualitative methods, we purposively sampled 21 participants responsible for routine social media activity and strategy from Australian organisations actively promoting vaccination on social media, including government health departments, local health services, advocacy groups, professional associations and technical/scientific organisations. We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews to explore their perspectives and practices. Applying Risk Communication principles as a lens, we used Framework Analysis to explore the data both inductively and deductively.ResultsOrganisations promoting vaccination face multiple challenges on social media, including misinformation, anti-science sentiment, a complex vaccination narrative and anti-vaccine activists. They developed a range of sophisticated strategies in response, including communicating with openness in an evidence-informed way; creating safe spaces to encourage audience dialogue; fostering community partnerships; and countering misinformation with care.ConclusionsWe recommend that communicators consider directly countering misinformation because of the potential influence on their silent audience, i.e. those observing but not openly commenting, liking or sharing posts. Refutations should be straightforward, succinct and avoid emphasizing misinformation. Communicators should consider pairing scientific evidence with stories that speak to audience beliefs and values. Finally, organisations could enhance vaccine promotion and their own credibility on social media by forming strong links with organisations sharing similar values and goals.

An Analysis of Risk Communication Surrounding Increases in a Polio-like Condition in the U.S.

ObjectiveTo assess the type, tone, consistency, and accuracy of communications surrounding a rare polio-like condition called acute flaccid myelitis between 2014-2017 from from CDC, other health agencies, researchers, news media outlets, and the public.IntroductionIn 2014, CDC started receiving an increase in reports of children in the United States with unexplained limb weakness or paralysis (120 total cases). These children were later confirmed by neurology experts to have a rare condition called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists created a standardized case definition for AFM in 2015, allowing CDC to establish standardized surveillance to monitor AFM, determine possible causes and risk factors, and attempt to estimate the baseline incidence. Through this surveillance, CDC identified another increase in AFM cases in 2016 (149 total cases), and obtained valuable information on the clinical presentation to help characterize this illness and the epidemiology of AFM. However, despite the ongoing investigation, many questions still remain about AFM, including why the increases occurred and what has caused most of the AFM cases. The lack of AFM knowledge has made preventing AFM, finding effective treatments for patients, and developing communication messages challenging.MethodsWe compiled a timeline of events surrounding AFM and the investigation from 2014 to 2017, and across this timeframe, we analyzed communications from CDC, other health agencies, researchers, news media outlets, and the public. We reviewed scientific articles, press releases, websites, social media, educational materials, and news stories. We assessed the type, tone, consistency, and accuracy of the AFM information based on the principles in CDC’s Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Manual.ResultsThe AFM communications included information about possible causes, symptoms, severity, transmission, risk, prevention, prognosis, and the possibility of future increases. Several materials included stories about patients. Information from the different sources evolved along with the investigation and was overall consistent, but especially differed on whether AFM was associated with enterovirus D68. The amount of information released from the different sources was also variable, with some sources releasing more information than others.ConclusionsEmerging diseases, like AFM, pose threats to the public’s health, requiring credible and timely risk communication so people can make decisions about their well-being. CDC has played a critical role in relaying the best available scientific information about AFM in a timely manner to healthcare professionals and the public, as the situation has evolved since 2014 and there have been many unknowns. The messages we communicate during these times, using risk communication principles and the valuable data collected from our AFM surveillance and investigation, and their timing affects our level of involvement in the national conversation about AFM. Working closely with health departments, healthcare providers, researchers, and other partners is important for consistent communication messaging and release of information.

Public Awareness of Air Pollution and Health Threats: Challenges and Opportunities for Communication Strategies To Improve Environmental Health Literacy

Accurate, timely information can be a powerful tool to mitigate harmful effects of air pollution. While national guidelines for environmental risk communication – based on risk and crisis communication principles – exist, little is known how these are operationalized, nor about the effectiveness of existing communication efforts. Moreover, a growing literature on environmental health literacy suggests that communication about environmental risks must move beyond individual behavior education to empower communities to mobilize to reduce environmental threats. This study aimed to identify and critically evaluate public sources of information about the causes and controllability of air pollution and its health effects, and potential disparities in information reach and utility. The case study triangulated data from three sources: Systematic analysis of the public information environment, interviews with regional expert stakeholders, and interviews with community residents. Three themes emerged: 1) Lack of clarity about responsibility for communicating about air quality (information sources), 2) Existing air quality communication strategies lack critical information including risk mitigation behaviors and long-term health impacts (information quality), and 3) Existing air quality communications fail to reach vulnerable populations (information reach). This study demonstrates that air quality communication is lacking yet crucially needed. Information about air pollution and health risks focuses on individual risk behaviors but is disseminated using channels that are unlikely to reach the most vulnerable populations. We discuss opportunities to improve the reach and impact of communication of air quality health risks, an increasingly important global priority, situating our argument within a critical environmental health literacy perspective.

Ebola and the rhetoric of US newspapers: assessing quality risk communication in public health emergencies

The 2014 West African Ebola outbreak was the first to be actively covered by the US media because of cases treated on US soil. Despite little chance of widespread contagion, US media termed Ebola ‘apocalyptic.’ The objective of this study was to understand how information about Ebola provided to the public through US newspapers was presented to assess how risk communication principles were or were not used. We conducted a systematic content analysis using a purposive sample of 75 news articles published in five US newspapers between 1 August and 31 October 2014. The articles were analyzed using the Dudo et al. framework, based on the extended parallel process model, and assessed for self-efficacy information, personal risk conceptualization (risk magnitude and risk comparison information), and content framing. We found that while coverage was mostly factual, it inconsistently presented quality risk-related information, and rarely used contextual information that would help readers accurately assess risk. Few articles also provided usable, actionable directives, a tenet of good crisis communication that enhances self-efficacy and lowers risk perception. Results inform how news coverage can affect public risk perception of a new, ‘exotic’ pathogen, and how in the case of Ebola US newspapers may have contributed to the inflated risk perception observed in the US population, and may support better, more comprehensive media response during likely future outbreaks.

ПРАКТИКИ И АЛГОРИТМ ИНФОРМИРОВАНИЯ ПОТРЕБИТЕЛЕЙ О РИСКАХ ОСТАТОЧНОГО КОЛИЧЕСТВА АНТИБИОТИКОВ В ПИЩЕВЫХ ПРОДУКТАХ

The practices of risk communication on the problem of residues of antibiotics in foodstuffs in modern Russia are described based on the results of in-depth expert interviews. Several risk communication problems connected with the lack of relevant information about the theme, low efficiency of traditional information channels, and insufficient activity of key informants have been identified. The algorithm and basic principles of risk communication between authorities, food producers and consumers are proposed. It is proved that using of social media, social networking services and «new opinion leaders» (such as bloggers) can increase the effectiveness of health risks communication in modern society.

A three-talk model for shared decision making: multistage consultation process

Objectives To revise an existing three-talk model for learning how to achieve shared decision making, and to consult with relevant stakeholders to update and obtain wider engagement.Design Multistage consultation process.Setting...

A Comparison of China's Risk Communication in Response to SARS and H7N9 Using Principles Drawn From International Practice.

China's emergency management of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was heavily criticized, whereas the H7N9 response was praised by the international community.AimsThe aims of this study were to examine and compare the strengths and weaknesses of risk communication conducted in response to SARS and H7N9 and their associated social impacts on affected communities in China. A qualitative comparative case study approach was employed in the present study, using a set of 8 risk communication principles selected from international literature to suit the Chinese context for the comparative analysis of emergency responses of SARS and H7N9. The study found significant differences in the risk communication conducted in the 2 cases. The SARS outbreak fully exposed China's lack of experience in public health risk communication. By contrast, the Chinese government's risk communication strategies had improved significantly during the H7N9 outbreak.DiscussionTrust is the basis for communication. Maintaining an open and honest attitude and actively engaging stakeholders to address their risk information needs will serve to build trust and facilitate multi-sector collaborations in dealing with a public health crisis. From SARS to H7N9, risk communication practices in China greatly improved, which, in turn, lessened adverse social impacts and improved outcomes in emergency management of public health crises. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:587-598).

The DGAV risk calculator: development and validation of statistical models for a web-based instrument predicting complications of colorectal cancer surgery.

The purpose of this study is to provide a web-based calculator predicting complication probabilities of patients undergoing colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery in Germany. Analyses were based on records of first-time CRC surgery between 2010 and February 2017, documented in the database of the Study, Documentation, and Quality Center (StuDoQ) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie (DGAV), a registry of CRC surgery in hospitals throughout Germany, covering demography, medical history, tumor features, comorbidity, behavioral risk factors, surgical procedures, and outcomes. Using logistic ridge regression, separate models were developed in learning samples of 6729 colon and 4381 rectum cancer patients and evaluated in validation samples of sizes 2407 and 1287. Discrimination was assessed using c statistics. Calibration was examined graphically by plotting observed versus predicted complication probabilities and numerically using Brier scores. We report validation results regarding 15 outcomes such as any major complication, surgical site infection, anastomotic leakage, bladder voiding disturbance after rectal surgery, abdominal wall dehiscence, various internistic complications, 30-day readmission, 30-day reoperation rate, and 30-day mortality. When applied to the validation samples, c statistics ranged between 0.60 for anastomosis leakage and 0.85 for mortality after rectum cancer surgery. Brier scores ranged from 0.003 to 0.127. While most models showed satisfactory discrimination and calibration, this does not preclude overly optimistic or pessimistic individual predictions. To avoid misinterpretation, one has to understand the basic principles of risk calculation and risk communication. An e-learning tool outlining the appropriate use of the risk calculator is provided.