Risk Communication Research Research Articles

Looking beyond the television: Variability in information seeking patterns and mitigation behaviors during Hurricane Ian

Recent research in crisis and risk communication has examined information seeking preferences across varying audiences in the time leading up to natural disasters. Such an understanding is critical for targeting risk information messages such that they will have the maximum intended impact on those seeking to take protective actions. Until recently, these studies have largely ignored the relative importance of mediated sources alongside community groups and other grassroots organizations. To that end, the current study surveyed 1030 Florida residents in the aftermath of 2022's Hurricane Ian in the United States. In addition to replicating past findings concerning media preferences across the demographic spectrum, the current study offers evidence that marginalized and at-risk communities may be especially reliant on community resources for information about protective actions concerning an environmental hazard. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for crisis communication researchers and emergency managers alike.

Development of a roadmap for action on Evidence‐based risk communication in the EU Food Safety System

Abstract In March 2021, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the report ‘Technical assistance in the field of risk communication’, outlining four key areas for advancing scientific evidence to cover knowledge gaps in food safety related risk communication research. The four areas covered included: (1) false information related to food safety (2) effectiveness of transparency initiatives (3) insights into consumer trade‐offs related to risks and benefits (4) linking factors behind perception and behaviour. The successive EFSA theme paper on ‘Evidence‐based risk communication in the EU food system’ clarified the scope and objectives within each research area. Building on the findings in these two publications, an action Roadmap was developed which delves deeper into these areas and identifies key challenges and knowledge gaps through rigorous desk research, literature reviews, and interviews with key stakeholders. The produced roadmap outlines eight project proposals each addressing specific needs and covers all the four areas. By implementing the proposals outlined and described throughout the report, EFSA will be able to further improve risk communication including cooperation and engagement with its stakeholders in the EU food safety ecosystem. Each proposal details suggested activities to be performed, expected impact, potential challenges, collaboration and cooperation opportunities and is supported by SWOT and PESTLE analyses. Finally, a prioritisation strategy is presented for the implementation of the proposals within and across the four research areas in the short and medium term.

Hurricane season hindsight 2020: Applying the IDEA model toward local tropical cyclone forecasts.

Hurricane Laura began as a disorganized tropical depression in August 2020. Early forecast guidance showed that the tropical cyclone could either completely dissipate or strengthen to a major hurricane as it approached the United States Gulf Coast. While this uncertainty was known by meteorologists, it was not necessarily communicated to the public in a direct manner. As it turned out, the worst-case scenario was the correct one. The tropical depression rapidly intensified and made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, with sustained winds of 150 mph, making Laura a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Laura's rapid intensification caught some people off guard. Ideally, weather forecasts would have begun warning Louisiana residents to prepare for the possibility of a devastating hurricane in the early stages of tropical cyclone development. No one is suggesting that meteorologists did anything wrong. However, with the benefit of hindsight and decades of scholarly research in risk communication, we can speculate how an ideal forecast would have been written. This paper demonstrates that there are some simple considerations that could be made that might better alert the public to future hurricane worst-case scenarios, even in uncertain situations.

A scoping review of wildfire smoke risk communications: issues, gaps, and recommendations

BackgroundWildfire smoke exposure has become a growing public health concern, as megafires and fires at the wildland urban interface increase in incidence and severity. Smoke contains many pollutants that negatively impact health and is linked to a number of health complications and chronic diseases. Communicating effectively with the public, especially at-risk populations, to reduce their exposure to this environmental pollutant has become a public health priority.Although wildfire smoke risk communication research has also increased in the past decade, best practice guidance is limited, and most health communications do not adhere to health literacy principles: readability, accessibility, and actionability. This scoping review identifies peer-reviewed studies about wildfire smoke risk communications to identify gaps in research and evaluation of communications and programs that seek to educate the public.MethodsFour hundred fifty-one articles were identified from Web of Science and PubMed databases. After screening, 21 articles were included in the final sample for the abstraction process and qualitative thematic analysis. Ten articles were based in the US, with the other half in Australia, Canada, Italy, and other countries. Fifteen articles examined communication materials and messaging recommendations. Eight papers described communication delivery strategies. Eleven articles discussed behavior change. Six articles touched on risk communications for vulnerable populations; findings were limited and called for increasing awareness and prioritizing risk communications for at-risk populations.ResultsThis scoping review found limited studies describing behavior change to reduce wildfire smoke exposure, characteristics of effective communication materials and messaging, and communication delivery strategies. Literature on risk communications, dissemination, and behavior change for vulnerable populations was even more limited.ConclusionsRecommendations include providing risk communications that are easy-to-understand and adapted to specific needs of at-risk groups. Communications should provide a limited number of messages that include specific actions for avoiding smoke exposure. Effective communications should use mixed media formats and a wide variety of dissemination strategies. There is a pressing need for more intervention research and effectiveness evaluation of risk communications about wildfire smoke exposure, and more development and dissemination of risk communications for both the general public and vulnerable populations.

Using Syllabus as Metaphor for Investigating Communicative Risk in Contemporary Risk Communication Research: A Critical Pedagogical Perspective

This paper explores the potential of utilizing the syllabus as a metaphor for investigating communicative risk and its contribution to contemporary risk communication research. The normalized discourse of “experts vs. laymen” in risk communication produces an asymmetrical relationship when risk information is presented to the public. The syllabus, however, provides a place for risk communication scholars to practice essential functions such as pragmatic and constitutive to the public. The syllabus is not only a practice that navigates relations between the scientists as educators and the public audience as students but also a mediator that affords representation of communicating various visible public risks in the public sphere. The paper argues that recognizing communicative risk and its impact on conceptualizing risk perception through the metaphor of syllabus is critical to reconsider the interdependent relationship between risk and communication and the interdisciplinarity of risk communication research. The paper concludes that the syllabus could become a solution to overcoming the discursive construction of “experts vs. laymen” by providing a forum for inclusive public discussion and empowering the public to feel, reflect, and express how risk plays a role in their everyday lives.

Embedding Software Engineering in Mixed Methods Research: Computationally Enhanced Risk Communication

Mixed methods research ameliorates many convergent research challenges within the contemporary sociotechnical landscape. We suggest the integration of software engineering in mixed methods research is a critical step to address some of the remaining and persistent challenges. One such research challenge where computational science is particularly well suited is in hazard preparedness—in particular, the creation of risk communication messages to mitigate or to prevent harm. Computationally enhanced risk communication is convergent research that integrates software engineering and social science research for the benefit of protecting humans and infrastructure. To this end, we developed a mixed methods framework for the efficient construction of risk communication messages. We call this the Domain Agnostic Risk Communication (DARC) framework and present it here. The DARC framework formalizes connections between computational science and social science methods. It incorporates the best available science in risk communication research and a cadre of natural language processing techniques to impart validity, reliability, and precision into resultant messages. The DARC framework is highly modular owing to the incorporation of the software engineering principles of abstraction, extensibility, and encapsulation. Although the focus of this position article is on risk communication, we encourage the incorporation of software engineering into mixed methods research and the incorporation of mixed methods more broadly into software engineering experimentation.

Climate change information seeking

AbstractThis research develops and tests a model of individual intentions to actively seek information about climate change. Our premise is that the individual's intention to actively seek information about climate change would determine their knowledge of and attitudes towards climate change, and this would in turn influence how they act or change their behaviors in response to that risk. Our model identifies key cognitive, affective, and situational variables drawn from research in human information behavior and risk communication. We conducted an online survey in which 212 participants in Canada and the United States responded. The results showed that the model was able to explain more than 40% of the variance in intention to seek climate change information. Social Norms, Affective Response, and Social Trust were the most important variables in influencing intention to seek climate change information. We conclude that climate change information seeking has a strong social dimension where social norms and expectations of relevant and respected others exert a major influence, and that the individual's emotional response towards the risk of climate change is more important than the individual's cognitive perception of how much information they need on climate change.

“Striking the right balance”: tensions in municipal risk communication management for preparedness

PurposeThe aim of the study is to deepen the knowledge about municipalities' risk communication for preparedness. This objective was pursued by analyzing how risk communication functions were organized in municipalities and by scrutinizing tensions in risk communication management.Design/methodology/approachThe study relies on 19 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with communication practitioners in Swedish municipalities. The sample was purposive and included Swedish municipalities varying in number of inhabitants, geographical location, degree of urbanization, size and risk profile.FindingsRisk communication is seen as a sub-field of crisis communication in municipalities' communication management. The task of initiating risk communication activities and campaigns is frequently assigned to the municipalities' safety units or emergency coordinators and is normally not part of communication practitioners' duties. Municipal communication practitioners often face challenges in trying to demonstrate the significance of the practitioners' role in risk communication and other risk-related activities within the municipality. The practitioners' work is characterized by four categories of tensions that are identified as follows: constitutional/legal, organizational, cultural and technological.Practical implicationsThe identified tensions in risk communication are important for reflexive practitioners to consider, and the paper suggests three steps that municipal communication managers can take to handle them.Originality/valueThe study contributes with novel knowledge about municipal communication management in a context of risk communication. The study challenges the existing and dominant risk communication research and offers a more contextual and reflexive understanding of actual risk communication processes in municipalities.

Renal Dysfunction as a Predictor of Slow-Flow/No-Reflow Phenomenon and Impaired ST-Segment Resolution after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in ST- Elevation Myocardial Infarction. A Retrospective Analysis

Objective: The research aimed to examine the relationship between kidney dysfunction and the occurrence of slow blood flow or no-reflow phenomenon and insufficient ST-segment resolution after the percutaneous coronary intervention procedure in individuals suffering from ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Methods: In a retrospective analysis conducted at Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, for six months, 210 consecutive patients have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The term slow-flow/no-reflow referred to an angiogram result of TIMI Grade <3 after the implantation of a stent, despite a residual stenosis of less than 50%, and with no major damage or visible blood clots. Results: The study included 210 patients, with 185 (88.0%) having normal flow and 25 (11.9%) having slow flow/no-reflow after PCI. Comparison between patients with normal flow and those with slow flow or no-reflow. Male sex was more common in the LVEF ≥50% group compared to the LVEF <50% group (84.2% vs. 74.0%, p=0.043). Practical Implication: Overall, the practical implications of this study can positively impact the community by enhancing risk assessment, patient management, treatment approaches, communication, and future research in the context of renal dysfunction and PCI outcomes in STEMI patients. Conclusion: The study found that patients with STEMI who have renal dysfunction are more likely to experience SFR and ISR after undergoing PCI. We should regard renal dysfunction as a significant factor that increases the risk of these complications. Treatment may need to be more intensive to achieve better results in these patients. Keywords: Renal dysfunction, slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon, inadequate ST-segment resolution,

Using Syllabus as Metaphor for Investigating Communicative Risk in Contemporary Risk Communication Research: A Critical Pedagogical Perspective

Using Syllabus as Metaphor for Investigating Communicative Risk in Contemporary Risk Communication Research: A Critical Pedagogical Perspective

Sourcing and framing in cancer control continuum: A content analysis of Malaysian English and Chinese online cancer news.

In health news production, sourcing and framing are two critical mechanisms that influence how newsreaders think about and perceive the severity of a health issue. Understanding how local media covers the cancer control continuum is vital. However, very limited studies have looked at the effect of sourcing and framing in cancer news coverage, and it is still unknown how sources and news frames shape cancer coverage, especially in non-Western countries. This study examines framing and sourcing patterns in news stories reporting on cancer control in Malaysian mainstream (English) and ethnicity (Chinese) online news sites, uncovering underlining associations between essential news components, source, and framing. We used a predesigned code book to conduct a quantitative content analysis on cancer news stories (n = 841) published on two Malaysian English and Chinese online news sites from 2017 to 2019. Cancer news received adequate coverage in Malaysian English and Chinese media and was also session-centered. Two logistic regression models demonstrated the internal relationships between sourcing, framing, and different elements in cancer coverage. In terms of news sources, the results revealed that medical journals were the most likely to be cited when the news focused on medical research, followed by primary cancer prevention. When the news concentrated on statistical cancer reports and environmental/occupational risk factors, government agencies were more likely to be interviewed. Of news frames, when the news articles engaged with medical institutions and mentioned medical publications, the lifestyle frame was very likely to be shown, but the environmental frame was more likely to be portrayed when interviewing medical practitioners. This study is the first comprehensive assessment to analyze and compare Malaysian English and Chinese online cancer news coverages and uncover underlying associations between news components, sourcing, and framing paradigms. We contributed to the scholarly understanding of cancer news coverage. This study can serve as a model for future health promotion researchers, journalists, and policymakers. Implications for cancer risk communication research, health journalist practices, and health policymaking were discussed.

Risk Communication and Community Engagement in Action During Ukraine's War.

In the light of recent emergencies in Europe and around the globe-including COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine-the spotlight has shifted towards the scarcity of Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) research applied to health emergencies. RCCE nurtures the sense of empowerment among communities since it ensures that individuals and communities are part of the solution creation, thus they take informed decisions to protect their health and in turn, contribute to emergency control. Therefore, RCCE can play an important role as core public health intervention across health emergency preparedness and response. However, its tremendous impact, is still underestimated and not widely common. This viewpoint showcases the RCCE measures applied to the Ukrainian emergency to ensure that Ukrainian refugees access health services in host countries, based on their needs and concerns.

Mapping the Global Evolution and Research Directions of Information Seeking, Sharing and Communication in Disasters: A Bibliometric Study.

This paper aims to grasp developments and trends in research on information communication, information seeking and information sharing in disasters during 2000-2021. By using bibliometrics software CiteSpace and VOSviewer, the development trends of publications, disciplinary, journals, institutions and regional cooperation are mapped. Keyword co-occurrence analysis is used to further identify the evolution of the research hot points and visualize the research orientation and frontier. The results indicate that the field of information communication in disasters has received growing attention from various disciplines. Results of institutions and regional cooperation show that worldwide cooperation is still lacking and needs to be strengthened in future studies in this field. The key findings are five main research orientations in this field based on keyword co-occurrence, which are public information coordination research, public information behavior and perception research, health information communication research, risk communication and social media research and information technology in emergency management. The findings of this paper can be helpful for academics and emergency managers in disaster information management and risk communication by giving them a comprehensive understanding of people's information communication, seeking and sharing.

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.

The co-evolution of government risk communication practice and context for environmental health emergencies

Environmental health emergencies, such as smoke events from bushfires and chemical fires, present a significant threat to human health. Risk communication is a key aspect of the public health response. However, recurring public criticism of government communication during these emergencies indicates that communication practice is not yet adequate. Improving communication requires a deeper understanding of risk communication practice. Despite extensive risk communication research, knowledge of government practice of risk communication is limited. This article focuses on an aspect of practice that deserves greater attention: the interconnectedness of practice with context (including social, political, institutional and event-specific contexts). Qualitative interviews gathered insights into practice from the practitioners tasked with communicating during smoke events, and thematic analysis drew on our conceptualisation of the relationship between context and practice for government risk communication. Our analysis shows that government risk communication practice and context co-evolve over time: crisis incidents emerge from inadequate practice during complex and unique smoke event; shifting social and political contexts increase expectations of practice; and adaptive institutional contexts change practice. Communication practice is observed to improve as a result of this co-evolution. The relationship between context and practice is commonly viewed as one-way (i.e. context influencing practice). However, this view underplays the influence of practice on context. Our analysis identifies the active role of practice in influencing the context in which future practice occurs. Suggestions for practice and academic research are made.

A Visualization Analysis of Crisis and Risk Communication Research Using CiteSpace.

This study aims to understand the research status and development trend of crisis and risk communication research (CRCR) through a visual analysis in CiteSpace, thereby providing a more comprehensive perspective for future research agenda. First, we retrieved published papers from Web of Science (1986–2020) and Scopus (1979–2020) with a title search. Subsequently, we analyzed the main research strengths and main topics of CRCR from two dimensions: co-authorship network and co-citation network. We conducted an in-depth co-citation network analysis from four perspectives: cluster analysis, high co-cited literature analysis, burst analysis, and turning points analysis. These results revealed the main research topics in the CRCR field, the most eye-catching research literature, the emerging research hotspots in each period, and the turning points of the overall development. Finally, we suggested further research directions for future avenues.

Editorial Essay: A Reflection on Methodological Diversity in the Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research

This is the Editor's essay for Volume 5, Issue 1 of the Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research.

Where the rubber of the RISP model meets the road: Contextualizing risk information seeking and processing with an avalanche bulletin user typology

In risk communication research, the Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) model has established itself as a valuable tool for explaining differences in how people reason with risk information. However, the generic nature of its dependent variables, information seeking (routine or nonroutine) and processing (heuristic or systematic), seems to limit its capacity to produce tangible directives for improving risk communication product design. Studying avalanche risk communication provides an opportunity to conduct empirical research to better understand how information seeking and processing behaviors explicitly manifest themselves in a specific context and with respect to a particular product. The primary tool that avalanche warning services use to inform winter backcountry recreationists about avalanche hazard is the public avalanche bulletin, which summarizes conditions for a mountain region over a given time. Addressing an industry need to evaluate avalanche bulletin effectiveness for the range of backcountry recreationists in Canada, we conducted 46 semi-structured interviews with an inclusive sample to shed light onto how recreationists incorporate bulletin information into backcountry travel decisions. We combined applied thematic analysis with correspondence analysis to detect and classify patterns in recreationists' bulletin use into an Avalanche Bulletin User Typology that explicitly describes users’ information seeking and processing behaviors. The identified patterns reveal a distinct hierarchy in the complexity of information reasoning, which parallels the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy, a well-established education theory. The results illustrate new opportunities for designing risk communication products with evidence-based and context-specific guidance to reach and resonate with audiences more effectively.

Enhancing Type 2 diabetes risk communication with message framing and tailored risk feedback: an online randomised controlled trial

ABSTRACT Objective Type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk communication may help individuals better understand their risk and motivate behavioural changes. There is a wealth of research in health risk communication which suggest the effectiveness of message framing and tailored risk feedback; however, little is known about their potential utility when used concurrently and in high-risk population approaches to T2D prevention. Methods This study evaluated the effects of message framing and tailored risk feedback on T2D risk perception and behavioural intentions, and if these effects were varied by level of alcohol consumption. Three hundred and forty-seven online participants were stratified by levels of alcohol consumption and subsequently randomised to receive T2D information, risk estimates, and lifestyle recommendations that were subjected to four different message framing and tailoring manipulations. Results No significant differences were observed in T2D risk perceptions or behavioural intentions by study arm. However, T2D risk perception scores and accuracies, and behavioural intentions significantly increased post-intervention across all conditions. Conclusions Despite the lack of impact of message framing or message tailoring, this study suggests that a brief online T2D risk communication can help to correct risk perceptions and increase behavioural intentions. These preliminary findings are encouraging and support the continued development of online risk assessment and communication to help combat the current T2D epidemic. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) Most individuals at risk of Type 2 diabetes do not engage in risk-reducing behaviours. (2) Risk communication may help to correct Type 2 diabetes risk perception and lead to healthy behavioural changes. (3) Message framing and tailored risk feedback have been shown to be effective ways of communication, though no studies have examined them in combination. What this topic adds: (1) Preliminary support for the brief online Type 2 diabetes risk communication intervention in correcting risk perceptions and increasing behavioural intentions. (2) Effectiveness of manipulation did not differ based on message manipulation. (3) Preliminary support for the use of the risk communication intervention in high-risk populations.

Editor’s Essay: The Multi-Disciplinary and Diverse Field of Crisis and Risk Communication Research

The field of crisis and risk communication research has always been multidisciplinary bringing together researchers from many fields like business, public relations, political science, sociology, psychology, journalism, tourism, and public health. However, there is often a common perception outside the fields of crisis communication that is a corporate discipline focused mostly on helping organizations manage their reputations. As the pieces in this issue demonstrate, our field serves the public interest in many ways and is a growing global field of study.