Search

Shellfish harvesting is central to coastal Alaska Native ways of life, and tribes in Southeast Alaska are committed to preserving sustainable and safe access to subsistence foods. However, consumption of non-commercially harvested shellfish puts Alaska Native communities at elevated risk of exposure to shellfish toxins. To address a lack of state or federal toxin testing for subsistence and recreational harvesting, tribes across Southeast Alaska have formed their own toxin testing and ocean monitoring program. In this study, we interviewed environmental managers responsible for tribes' testing and others with shellfish toxin expertise to report on perceptions of barriers to tribally led testing in Southeast Alaska. Tribal staff identified 40 prospective key informants to interview, including all environmental managers responsible for shellfish toxin testing at subsistence sites in Southeast Alaska. All 40 individuals were invited to participate in an interview and 27 individuals were interviewed. The most frequently discussed barriers to shellfish toxin testing in Southeast Alaska relate to logistical and staffing difficulties associated with communities' remote locations, inconsistent and inadequate funding and funding structures that increase staff burdens, risk communication challenges related to conveying exposure risks while supporting subsistence harvesting, and implications of climate change-related shifts in toxin exposures for risk perception and risk communication. Participants stressed the social origins of perceived barriers. Disinvestment may create and sustain barriers and be most severely felt in Native communities and remote places. Climate change impacts may interact with social and cultural factors to further complicate risk management.

BACKGROUND: Wildfire 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. METHODS: Four 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. RESULTS: This 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. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations 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.

ABSTRACT This paper identifies and critiques a tendency for public health risk communication to be ‘sneakily’ persuasive. First, I describe how trends in the social and health sciences have facilitated an approach to public health risk communication which focuses on achieving behaviour change directly, rather than informing people's decisions about their health behaviour. I then consider existing discussions of the merits of informing versus persuading in public health communication, which largely endorse persuasive approaches. I suggest such accounts are unsatisfying insofar as their definitions of persuasion often fail to recognise its directional nature and the distorting effect this has on the total picture of the evidence. I re‐characterise persuasion as directional influence aimed at achieving a particular outcome in the recipient and acknowledge that persuasive influence may also be manipulative. I then contrast this with (non‐directional) information provision. I suggest that much persuasive public health risk communication is ‘sneaky’: it appears to be informative, but in fact presents a distorted picture of the evidence (in accordance with my characterisation of persuasion). I argue that such sneakily persuasive public health risk communication is unethical on the basis that it fails to adhere to the norms of cooperative communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the public's estimates of recidivism risk among sex offenders and the ways those estimates are impacted by base rate information. Participants were 400 individuals (200 males and 200 females) in Japan recruited by a web-based research company. Each participant was allocated to either the experimental group with or the control group without base rate recidivism information and asked to estimate the recidivism rate of a sex offender after release from prison. The results show that the average estimated recidivism rates were 54.4% and 33.8% in the control and experimental groups, respectively, indicating a significant difference (Welch's t (389.70) = 8.32, p <.001, Cohen's d =.83). However, even the experimental group's average estimated rate was much higher than the actual national base rate of 17.0%. Multiple regression analysis revealed that punitive attitudes toward crime and confidence in estimation significantly contributed to higher estimates of recidivism risk, whereas sex, age, and fear of crime did not. These results suggest that the public overestimates the recidivism rate of sex offenders and that simply presenting a base rate is not sufficient for risk communication. Practical implications and future research directions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined instructional health-risk communication involving the outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). Using the IDEA model, we investigated how U.S. college newspapers communicated health risk messages during the vaping outbreak. Our analysis of 331 news articles showed that college newspapers placed greater emphasis on explanation of the EVALI outbreak than internalization and action messages. The findings also revealed that news sources played a significant role in communicating instructional health risk messages. Specifically, news stories that included expert sources were more likely to communicate CDC-recommended action messages. The findings have significant implications for designing instructional health-risk communication and anti-smoking interventions tailored to specific populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local knowledge is recognised as a critical element of global energy transition and energy justice. This paper explores the roles local knowledge in the formation of a community organisation responsible for monitoring the nuclear facility operations, governance, and public risk communication. Our case study examines a local nuclear oversight organisation in the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa region in Japan, where suggestions have been made to consider nation-wide institutionalisation of organisations similar to French Commissions Locales d'Information (Local Information Commissions). Our findings reveal the critical roles of three forms of local knowledge, with a particular emphasis on the nuanced yet crucial impact of everyday-life knowledge (seikatsu-chi), a facet not extensively explored in existing studies, in facilitating the establishment of the local organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ridgecrest, CA, experienced the Searles Valley earthquake sequence in 2019 and a "false" earthquake alert in 2020, providing a unique opportunity to examine the effects of earthquake experience on future responses to informational cues to action (i.e., earthquake alert), as well as reactions to a "false" alert. We conducted in-depth interviews with 41 residents using the protective action decision-making model as a theoretical framework. Interviewees reported a variety of environmental cues that signaled the onset of an earthquake, including sensing a foreshock, hearing the earth rumble, hearing objects fall to the floor and break, and observing unusual animal behavior. Fewer individuals received social cues to action. More individuals reported performing "drop, cover, and hold on," and fewer reported standing in a doorway in response to the 2020 alert than had done so in the prior 2019 earthquake. Several respondents reported maintaining protective actions well after the "false" alert was issued, and many waited more than 5 min before determining there was no threat present. Prior experience of the 2019 earthquake series affected perceptions of the earthquake alert and what actions to take; however, there was limited knowledge of how the ShakeAlert system worked to monitor, detect, and model earthquakes via earthquake early warning to persons at risk. Findings indicate there is a need for additional public education about ShakeAlert-powered earthquake early warning, including how far in advance one can expect to receive an alert, as well as the protective actions one should take and when to take them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives We sought to analyze interactive visualizations and animations of health probability data (such as chances of disease or side effects) that have been studied in head-to-head comparisons with either static graphics or numerical communications. Materials and Methods Secondary analysis of a large systematic review on ways to communicate numbers in health. Results We group the research to show that 4 types of animated or interactive visualizations have been studied by multiple researchers: those that simulate experience of probabilistic events; those that demonstrate the randomness of those events; those that reduce information overload by directing attention sequentially to different items of information; and those that promote elaborative thinking. Overall, these 4 types of visualizations do not show strong evidence of improving comprehension, risk perception, or health behaviors over static graphics. Discussion Evidence is not yet strong that interactivity or animation is more effective than static graphics for communicating probabilities in health. We discuss 2 possibilities: that the most effective visualizations haven't been studied, and that the visualizations aren't effective. Conclusion Future studies should rigorously compare participant performance with novel interactive or animated visualizations against their performance with static visualizations. Such evidence would help determine whether health communicators should emphasize novel interactive visualizations or rely on older forms of visual communication, which may be accessible to broader audiences, including those with limited digital access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federal, state, tribal, or local entities in the United States issue fish consumption advisories (FCAs) as guidance for safer consumption of locally caught fish containing contaminants. Fish consumption advisories have been developed for commonly detected compounds such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. The existing national guidance does not specifically address the unique challenges associated with bioaccumulation and consumption risk related to per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As a result, several states have derived their own PFAS‐related consumption guidelines, many of which focus on one frequently detected PFAS, known as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). However, there can be significant variation between tissue concentrations or trigger concentrations (TCs) of PFOS that support the individual state‐issued FCAs. This variation in TCs can create challenges for risk assessors and risk communicators in their efforts to protect public health. The objective of this article is to review existing challenges, knowledge gaps, and needs related to issuing PFAS‐related FCAs and to provide key considerations for the development of protective fish consumption guidance. The current state of the science and variability in FCA derivation, considerations for sampling and analytical methodologies, risk management, risk communication, and policy challenges are discussed. How to best address PFAS mixtures in the development of FCAs, in risk assessment, and establishment of effect thresholds remains a major challenge, as well as a source of uncertainty and scrutiny. This includes developments better elucidating toxicity factors, exposures to PFAS mixtures, community fish consumption behaviors, and evolving technology and analytical instrumentation, methods, and the associated detection limits. Given the evolving science and public interests informing PFAS‐related FCAs, continued review and revision of FCA approaches and best practices are vital. Nonetheless, consistent, widely applicable, PFAS‐specific approaches informing methods, critical concentration thresholds, and priority compounds may assist practitioners in PFAS‐related FCA development and possibly reduce variability between states and jurisdictions. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:1839–1858. © 2024 The Author(s). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). Key Points: Fish consumption advisories (FCAs) for per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) present unique scientific and public health policy challenges.The evolving information about PFAS toxicology and mixture effects presents a challenge for risk assessment and risk communication.Sampling for PFAS FCAs requires consideration of chemical, biological, and environmental features that can influence data quality.While FCAs are specific to the United States, these PFAS‐specific challenges are relevant for other forms of risk assessment, management, and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Research has shown that cancer genetic risk is often not well understood by patients undergoing genetic testing and counseling. We describe the barriers to understanding genetic risk and the needs of high-risk persons and cancer survivors who have undergone genetic testing. Methods: Using data from an internet survey of adults living in the USA who responded 'yes' to having ever had a genetic test to determine cancer risk (N = 696), we conducted bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate associations between demographic, clinical, and communication-related variables by our key outcome of having vs. not having enough information about genetics and cancer to speak with family. Percentages for yes and no responses to queries about unmet informational needs were calculated. Patient satisfaction with counseling and percentage disclosure of genetic risk status to family were also calculated. Results: We found that a lack of resources provided by provider to inform family members and a lack of materials provided along with genetic test results were strongly associated with not having enough information about genetics and cancer (OR 4.54 95% CI 2.40–8.59 and OR 2.19 95% CI 1.16–4.14 respectively). Among participants undergoing genetic counseling, almost half reported needing more information on what genetic risk means for them and their family and how genetic testing results might impact future screening. Conclusion: High levels of satisfaction with genetic counseling may not give a full picture of the patient-provider interaction and may miss potential unmet needs of the patient. Accessible resources and ongoing opportunities for updating family history information could reinforce knowledge about genetic risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe effective response to managing wildlife-associated diseases, such as chronic wasting disease (CWD), requires meaningful cooperation between managers and affected groups. According to self-determination theory (SDT), a broad theory of motivation, communication efforts supportive of the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are more likely to motivate voluntary cooperation among affected groups than efforts centered on control. In this study, we applied a conceptual framework based on SDT to analyze state agency communication strategies. We surveyed key state agency personnel about their approach to CWD communication and conducted a content analysis of communication materials. We then conducted a qualitative analysis of open-ended responses from state agency personnel to identify patterns in appeals to autonomous motivation compared to more controlled forms of individual motivation. Our analysis suggests that agency communications provide variable support for individual basic psychological needs, and we suggest guidelines that may improve future communication efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupational exposure to particulate matter (PM) can result in multiple adverse health effects and should be minimized to protect workers' health. PM exposure at the workplace can be complex with many potential sources and fluctuations over time, making it difficult to control. Dynamic maps that visualize how PM is distributed throughout a workplace over time can help in gaining better insights into when and where exposure occurs. This study explored the use of spatiotemporal modeling followed by kriging for the development of dynamic PM concentration maps in an experimental setting and a workplace setting. Data was collected using personal low-cost PM sensors and an indoor location tracking system, mounted on a moving robot or worker. Maps were generated for an experimental study with one simulated robot worker and a workplace study with four workers. Cross-validation was performed to evaluate the performance and robustness of three types of spatiotemporal models (metric, separable, and summetric) and, as an additional external validation, model estimates were compared with measurements from sensors that were placed stationary in the laboratory or workplace. Spatiotemporal models and maps were generated for both the experimental and workplace studies, with average root mean squared error (RMSE) from 10-fold cross-validation ranging from 7–12 and 73–127 µg/m3, respectively. Workplace models were relatively more robust compared to the experimental study (relative SD ranging from 8–14% of the average RMSE vs. 27–56%, respectively), presumably due to the larger number of parallel measurements. Model estimates showed low to moderate fits compared to stationary sensor measurements (R2 ranging from 0.1–0.5), indicating maps should be interpreted with caution and only used indicatively. Together, these findings show the feasibility of using spatiotemporal modeling for generating dynamic concentration maps based on personal data. The described method could be applied for exposure characterization within comparable study designs or can be expanded further, for example by developing real-time, location-based worker feedback systems, as efficient tools to visualize and communicate exposure risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) is a fatal zoonosis, which can be transmitted to humans through scratches or bites from infected bats. Currently, there is a lack of research evaluating risk communication resources about ABLV or the dangers from handling bats. The purpose of this study was to field test resources aimed at educating the public about risks to humans and bats from human‐bat interaction, then update these resources based upon feedback to ensure they were relevant and appropriately targeted to the public. Methods: Thirteen semi‐structured interviews with a purposive sample of participants chosen for maximum variation of age and sex were conducted. Two investigators analysed the data independently using a deductive approach and then came to consensus by discussion. Results: The main themes were a wide‐ranging level of knowledge and opinions about bats, the resources having an effect on people, and messaging in relation to children and pets being particularly important. Conclusion: This study highlighted the complexities of risk communication to a broad audience with varied experience and knowledge about bats, and the importance of evaluation prior to implementation to ensure risk communication is relevant and appealing to the intended audience. So What?: Field testing of health education material prior to implementation is an effective way to ensure key messages are understood, and is important when communicating about fatal but preventable zoonoses such as ABLV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime accident reporting is performed as a means for experience feedback within and across organizations. While the quality and representativeness of the findings are critical to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future, various contextual factors concerning the reports can affect the ability of various actors to use these effectively as a basis for learning and action. Research suggests that the readability of safety documents is essential to their successful adoption and use. However, there is currently no empirical knowledge about the readability of maritime accident reports. Consequently, this study presents a comparative analysis of quantitative readability metrics of maritime accident reports. Three-year data extracted from reports by five English-language national accident investigation authorities, and one industry reporting system are used. The results show that the language used is commonly at the post-secondary reading level. Reports by the Nautical Institute's Mariners' Alerting and Reporting Scheme are written at a high school level and thus easier to read. Statistical variation of readability of reports by different organizations is significant. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. The main recommendation for reporting organizations is to be mindful of language complexity and simplify where possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Storytelling engages audiences, passes down traditions and history, educates, and helps people understand and interpret their environment. Many of those who work in agriculture have been part of the storytelling tradition since childhood. Research has demonstrated the emotional impact of personal stories and how prevention information is conveyed effectively "farmer to farmer" through this method of communication. Methods: Since 2016, the Telling the Story Project has provided a space for those directly or indirectly involved in an agricultural incident to share their story and unique perspectives on how similar incidents can be avoided. Results: This collaborative project, developed between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Agriculture Safety Centers, has resulted in 11 stories on a dedicated website, safety and health resources, and educational guides. The stories and educational guidelines have been marketed extensively through traditional and social media sources, employed in safety training, and embraced by educators in agricultural programs. The website has provided a national and international reach with more than 35,000 visits. Conclusion: Qualitative thematic analysis of the stories provided data on the circumstances leading up to each incident, valuable information on how the storytellers interpreted the aftermath, and a novel perspective on how safety professionals can create messaging that will resonate with the farming community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People typically use verbal probability phrases when discussing risks ("It is likely that this treatment will work"), both in written and spoken communication. When speakers are uncertain about risks, they can nonverbally signal this uncertainty by using prosodic cues, such as a rising, question‐like intonation or a filled pause ("uh"). We experimentally studied the effects of these two prosodic cues on the listener's perceived speaker certainty and numerical interpretation of spoken verbal probability phrases. Participants (N = 115) listened to various verbal probability phrases that were uttered with a rising or falling global intonation and with or without a filled pause before the probability phrase. For each phrase, they gave a point estimate of their numerical interpretation in percentages and indicated how certain they thought the speaker was about the correctness of the probability phrase. Speakers were perceived as least certain when the verbal probability phrases were spoken with both prosodic uncertainty cues. Interpretation of verbal probability phrases varied widely across participants, especially when rising intonation was produced by the speaker. Overall, high probability phrases (e.g., "very likely") were estimated as lower (and low probability phrases, such as "unlikely," as higher) when they were uttered with a rising intonation. The effects of filled pauses were less pronounced, as were the uncertainty effects for medium probability phrases (e.g., "probable"). These results stress the importance of nonverbal communication when verbally communicating risks and probabilities to people, for example, in the context of doctor–patient communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a part of the mainstream public discourse beyond expert communities about its risks, benefits, and need for regulation. In particular, since 2014, the news media have intensified their coverage of this emerging technology and its potential impact on most domains of society. Although many studies have analyzed traditional media coverage of AI, analyses of social media, especially video‐sharing platforms, are rare. In addition, research from a risk communication perspective remains scarce, despite the widely recognized potential threats to society from many AI applications. This study aims to detect recurring patterns of societal threat/efficacy in YouTube videos, analyze their main sources, and compare detected frames in terms of reach and response. Using a theoretical framework combining framing and risk communication, the study analyzed the societal threat/efficacy attributed to AI in easily accessible YouTube videos published in a year when public attention to AI temporarily peaked (2018). Four dominant AI frames were identified: the balanced frame, the high‐efficacy frame, the high‐threat frame, and the no‐threat frame. The balanced and no‐threat frames were the most prevalent, with predominantly positive and neutral AI narratives that neither adequately address the risks nor the necessary societal response from a normative risk communication perspective. The results revealed the specific risks and benefits of AI that are most frequently addressed. Video views and user engagement with AI videos were analyzed. Recommendations for effective AI risk communication and implications for risk governance were derived from the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan has sparked concerns and controversy over the potential risks associated with nuclear-affected destinations. This study uses grounded theory to elucidate the broader definition of nuclear and radiation crises, while comprehensively analysing potential tourists' decision-making processes in the face of such risks. Focus groups and interviews were conducted in Asia with participants from various countries, revealing how potential tourists receive, process, and perceive risk information cues, make decisions, and adopt behavioural responses. This research contributes to the existing literature in an interdisciplinary manner, providing insights and recommendations for stakeholders involved in tourism and risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the pathways by which prospective users of a website for natural hazard communication experienced agency as user-centered design (UCD) participants. Formative interviews with residents, community managers, and outreach professionals revealed two pathways for agency during the design process—by directly influencing design changes and by indirectly affecting developers' understanding of user needs—and previewed users' potential agency during real-world use. Findings reveal how agential opportunities were constrained by UCD structure and choices of the development team. The authors discuss how supporting user agency during UCD can improve design and support buy-in for humanistic methods in interdisciplinary research teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented 2021 Heat Dome caused wide-ranging and long-lasting impacts in western Canada, including 619 confirmed heat-related deaths in British Columbia, a doubling of emergency medical calls, increased hospitalisations, infrastructure failures and stress on plants and animals. However, such varied socio-economic consequences of extreme heat can be challenging to capture using a single post-event analysis method. Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative approaches and data sources. Using the 2021 Heat Dome as a case study, a post-event analysis using online news media articles (n = 2909) from 5 subscription news databases and a grey literature search was conducted to identify the socio-economic impacts of the extreme heat event in Canada. The articles reported a wide range of effects to the natural environment (n = 1366), social infrastructure and services (n = 1121), human health (n = 1074), critical infrastructure (n = 988) and the private sector (n = 165). The media-based post-event analysis captured various impacts, some of which have not been identified through other data sources and approaches. Overall, we show that media analysis can complement traditional post-event analysis methods and provide additional perspectives to governments and public health and safety officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective risk communication about medicines is crucial to the success of all pharmacovigilance activities but remains a worldwide challenge. Risk communication has been conducted in Malaysia for decades, yet awareness on the communication methods remains low among healthcare professionals. While international guidelines are available, clear guidance on effectively communicating the risks of medicines in specific countries is scarce. This study aimed to establish a consensus on the priority strategies for enhancing risk communication about medicines by regulators. Methods: We conducted a two-round modified Delphi survey among local and international communication experts, and also recipients of medicines risk communication in Malaysia. We developed a list of 37 strategies based on the findings of our previous studies. In Round 1, participants were asked to rate the priority for each strategy using a 5-point Likert scale and suggest additional strategies via free-text comments. Strategies scoring a mean of ≥ 3.75 were included in Round 2. We defined consensus for the final list of strategies a priori as > 75% agreement. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: Our final Delphi panel (n = 39, 93% response rate) comprised medicines communication experts from nine countries and Malaysian healthcare professionals. Following Round 1, we dropped 14 strategies and added 11 strategies proposed by panellists. In the second round, 21 strategies achieved consensus. The priority areas identified were to improve the format and content of risk communication, increase the use of technology, and increase collaboration with various stakeholders. Priority ratings for the strategy "to offer incentives to pharmaceutical companies which maintain effective communication systems" were significantly higher among recipients compared to communicators [χ2(1, N = 39) = 10.1; p = 0.039] and among local versus international panellists [χ2(1, N = 39) = 14.3; p = 0.007]. Conclusions: Our study identified 21 priority strategies, which were used to develop a strategic plan for enhancing medicines risk communication. This plan is potentially adaptable to all countries with developing pharmacovigilance systems. The difference in views between communicators and recipients, as well as local and international panellists, highlights the importance of involving multiple stakeholders in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crisis learning is essential for improving crisis management. Looking back at how public health crises were managed, crisis scholars and practitioners can garner important future crisis readiness insight in managing critical risks and crises threatening public health and safety. Among existing crisis research examining infectious disease risks (IDRs) and IDR‐triggered health crises, few studies have examined how co‐existing particular infectious diseases influence individuals' risk perception and crisis responses. To address this gap, the current study provides lessons learned from an online survey, using a nationally representative US adult sample (N = 517), conducted during the early stages of the Coronavirus [COVID‐19] outbreak, before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID‐19 global pandemic. The unique timing of the online survey allows us to examine: (1) how US adults perceived individual health risks associated with COVID‐19 and influenza [the flu], two infectious diseases concurrently discussed and compared by the news media and health experts; and (2) how perceived IDR influences their subsequent behavioral response. Key findings include, first, that the less novel IDR (i.e., the flu) led to higher perceived susceptibility, while the more novel IDR (i.e., COVID‐19), at the point of data collection, led to higher perceived severity. Second, IDR susceptibility and severity predicted intention to preventive action when confronted by the flu or COVID‐19. Third, individuals' trust in the government moderated risk response by IDR type. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for effective IDR communication in the process of ongoing public crisis management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-risk organizations, such as chemical companies, are urged to engage in long-term, dialogic community relations with local residents. Community engagement can establish organizational legitimacy and help to address local concerns. However, stakeholders may be skeptical toward communication efforts made by high-risk organizations, especially during crisis situations. This qualitative study explores whether two Belgian communities are skeptical of the communication efforts made by chemical companies regarding pollution crises, what motives they attribute to the crisis communication, and which communication characteristics shape those attributions. In-depth interviews with 47 local community members reveal that the crisis communication efforts were considered self-serving and attributed to corporate concerns over (a) legitimacy, (b) financial consequences and (c) legal liability. Interviewees believed that these self-serving motives took precedence over public interests. This study also describes communication cues that triggered or strengthened suspicions. Practical recommendations are proposed for chemical companies to improve relationships with local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Parole Board (PB) for England and Wales is responsible for deciding whether prisoners are safe to be released into the community. Although the PB was using remote formats (teleconferencing and videoconferencing) to conduct hearings prior to 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic accelerated the wider application of remote hearings. Such changes in modality can have a significant impact on interactional practices, with participation in remote communication requiring a different set of skills from those normally involved in in-person interaction. We argue that this shift in modality is important because it risks impeding prisoners' participation in hearings and may limit the legitimacy of a parole hearing decision when examined through the lens of procedural justice theory. In this article, we draw on a dataset of 30 recordings of in-person and remote oral hearings. We analyse sections in which prisoners are questioned by PB panel members to identify whether these interactions can be deemed to be as successful in remotely held hearings as compared with in-person hearings. To assess this, we compare instances of communication problems that occur in the datasets. Applying conversation analysis, we find that instances of repair work from participants are statistically more likely to be present in remote hearings when compared to in-person settings. Our analysis has implications for the operating model being used by the PB and knowledge around participation in remotely held justice contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature has explored age differences in health information seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a noticeable gap in research regarding generational variations in the underlying factors of health information scanning and sharing, as well as generational differences in the interplay of health information seeking, scanning, and sharing. This study examined: (1) differences in risk- and channel-related motivators of online health information seeking, online health information scanning, and COVID-19 information sharing among three generational cohorts: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials; and (2) generational differences in the relationship between information seeking, scanning, and sharing. The focus on generational differences took into consideration both biological and social differences in age cohorts when comparing their information behaviors. The data came from an online survey of 1,004 Hong Kong residents. Results showed generational similarities in individuals' more frequent information scanning than seeking and the positive relationship between information seeking and sharing. Generational differences emerged in several aspects, including the frequency of information seeking and scanning; the relationship between health status and information seeking; associations of income, health status, channel characteristics, and channel utility with information scanning; and associations of information seeking and scanning with information sharing. These findings offer insights into how risk- and channel-related factors may differ among generations or transcend generational differences in shaping individuals' information behaviors in the historical and cultural context of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Results of our study inform communication strategies for different generational groups in future public health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prescribed burns are used to maintain wildland ecosystems and decrease fuel loads and associated wildfire hazard. Prescribed burns may produce enough smoke to cause adverse health outcomes. The aim of this review is to understand what communication materials exist for disseminating health risk information related to prescribed burn smoke and challenges to developing such communication. We examined United States peer-reviewed literature from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and conducted an environmental scan of grey literature including materials from federal, and several US state and local governments, organisations, and newspapers. While 63% of the included peer-reviewed literature focuses on wildfire health risk communication, the review suggests similar methods and messages can be adapted for prescribed burns. The environmental scan review indicates effective strategies use several communication modes, and reliable and timely messaging. There are state regulations for prescribed burn notification, but these do not require communication or education of health risks associated with smoke exposure. Smoke management guidelines often contain information about prescribed burn health risks, but these do not discuss health risk education. Opportunities to expand effective health risk communication include improving inconsistent messaging and inter-agency collaborations, and increasing public interactions, especially with vulnerable populations. This review identifies current health risk communications for prescribed burn smoke exposure in the United States. While this review highlights several effective communication strategies, further research is needed to better understand prevention and intervention approaches and the efficacy of communication strategies to minimise health risks of prescribed burns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults are a high in risk of severe COVID-19 disease outcomes and experience "vaccine hesitancy." Guided by health communication models such as the Reasoned Action Approach and the Extended Parallel Process Model, online surveys designed to inform statewide public health communication efforts were administered in West Virginia, a primarily rural and fully Appalachian state, in Winter 2021 (n = 272) and Fall 2022 (n = 248). Adults ages 50+ years (N = 520) reported attitudes, intentions, and behaviors regarding COVID-19 vaccination and their related patient-provider communication. Vaccine usefulness/safety, perceived effectiveness, and subjective norms predicted behavior while perceived severity, efficacy, and usefulness/safety predicted intention to get a booster, specifically the updated Fall 2022 Omicron (bivalent) booster. As patient-provider communication (which a minority reported receiving) was a strong predictor of behavioral outcomes, characteristics of effective healthcare provider communication and considerations for public message construction are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the inconsistent theories surrounding the roles of perceived threat and efficacy in risk communication theories, focusing on behavioral changes during a public health crisis. Utilizing a two‐wave panel survey, the research found a nuanced interaction between efficacy beliefs and risk perceptions in dictating individuals' engagement in protective or defensive behaviors. Notably, those with high risk perceptions but lower efficacy beliefs were more likely to engage in future protective behaviors, contradicting previous assumptions about the avoidance group's propensity for defensive reactions. These findings initiate a complex discussion on the dynamics of risk and efficacy perceptions influencing behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The introduction of three-picture health warnings on cigarette packs, approved in 2014 and implemented in 2018, aimed to raise awareness and educate the public about the dangers of smoking. Therefore, the effectiveness of health warning labels on tobacco products is being questioned due to consumer reluctance to pay attention to the visuals or textual content. Purpose: This paper examines risk communication messages on cigarette warning labels that promote behavior change among adult smokers. Methods: The study focused on adults aged between 30 and 40 years who were smokers. Participants were selected from smoking zones in Kitui and Machakos Counties, Kenya. Data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs). Results: According to FGDs, cigarette warning labels were found to influence how Kenyan adult smokers perceive health risks. The labels were observed to enhance understanding of tobacco-related risks among smokers and evidence of optimism bias among the smokers, indicating that they may be overly optimistic about their own health risks compared to others. While the labels were associated with a reduction in smoking habits, it was noted that this effect had limitations. The warning labels were deemed crucial but insufficient to induce a significant change in behavior. Conclusion: It was concluded that current cigarette warning labels in Kenya have a limited influence on risk perception among adult smokers. Importance of targeted communication strategies addressing optimism bias, to effectively combat risk perception among adult smokers is needed. Also, relatable and clear imagery could help smokers better understand and internalize potential health consequences.

How do consumers combine multiple risk items when forming overall risk judgments? Drawing on the fuzzy trace theory and categorical averaging, this research finds that adding a low-risk item to a high-risk item reduces the overall risk perception because people reason categorically about risk. They impose categorical distinctions on quantitative risk information, and when combining categorical information, they tend to average across categories instead of adding. Eight studies in the context of medical and health product decisions (N  =   5,152) provide convergent evidence showing that when items in different risk tiers are considered together, they are consistently evaluated in a subtractive manner, leading to a higher likelihood of taking the objectively riskier medication (studies 1A, 1B, 1C, and 2). This effect is eliminated when the probability of one side effect is exceedingly high (study 3) or when the task requires reliance on verbatim representation of probabilities (study 4). The effect also disappears when risk information is presented graphically in a way that emphasizes the additive property of multiple risks (studies 5A and 5B). The findings have important implications for the fields of risk perception, risk communication, and consumer health and medical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern smart cities rely on Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) for real-time traffic safety warnings and collision avoidance. However, high mobility, variable driving patterns, and urban contexts in VANET require optimal clustering and stable Cluster Head (CH) selection for reliable communication. Problem statement: Due to dynamic mobility in VANET, maintaining the CH stability and reliable communication is still a challenge. In high-density urban environments, the risk of communication disruptions increases due to the presence of a large number of vehicles competing for limited communication resources. Traditional graph-based suboptimal clusters lead to suboptimal communication reliability and disruptions compared to hypergraph based VANET. Such a modelling leads to reduced overhead and increased packet delay. Proposed Methodology: To overcome these issues of varying mobility in VANET and unstable CH selection, a new CH selection framework with an Adaptive Neighboring Behavior-Incentivization (ANB-I) process for stable and reliable CH selection is introduced. The selection of the CH based on Multi-criteria Multi-decision (MCMD) making of three metrics: Adaptive Neighborhood Degree, Adaptive Link Lifetime (Adaptive -LLT), and Adaptive Relative Average Speed. Results: The suggested approach prioritizes CHs with normal behaviours and longer link lifetimes to balance stability and reliability. The proposed model is tested on MATLAB software and SUMO simulations of 100 (sparse) and 1000 (dense) vehicle densities. The proposed model achieves a 75% CH stability with three optimal numbers of clusters, outperforming previous works by 4.17% improvement. Conclusion: A key aspect of the proposed CH selection is the incorporation of dynamic behaviour of driver's estimation based on the concept of incentive process. By prioritizing CHs with longer link lifetimes and stable driving patterns, the proposed model seeks to mitigate disruptions and enhance the throughput (overhead) of the VANET network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 6, 2009, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck L'Aquila, Italy, causing extensive damage and loss of life, and raising significant issues around the communication of scientific risk. In the preceding weeks, increased seismic activity had alarmed the population, prompting authorities to seek expert advice. Public authorities reassured the population that the chances of a dangerous shock were slim. These assurances given by officials led many to remain in their homes when the earthquake struck. The subsequent legal actions against the scientists involved ignited a global debate on the responsibilities and challenges in scientific communication. This paper explores the complexities of conveying probabilistic risk information to the public and decision-makers. It highlights how different formats for presenting probabilistic data can significantly influence understanding and decision-making. In particular, it canvasses how the use of natural frequencies to convey probabilistic information makes it cognitively easier to understand and manipulate them, given how they make more salient and transparent the so-called base rate. However, the benefits of using natural frequencies decrease when dealing with low-probability, high-consequence (LPHC) events like major earthquakes, where even significant increases in relative probability remain small in absolute terms. Moreover, the paper investigates the social dimensions of earth science, examining the multifaceted role of scientists as both technical experts and social actors. The L'Aquila case exemplifies the need for integrating scientific accuracy with an understanding of its social implications. Effective risk communication must address cognitive limitations and the presence of social context to reach appropriate public behavioral responses. In order to achieve that, communication should be handled by actors that have specific expertise in its complexity.

Abstract Background Against the backdrop of the global public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed significant disparities in the supply and demand of risk information related to public health crises, posing severe challenges to risk governance in megacities. Shanghai, China, introduced community WeChat groups for community communication, effectively facilitating the dissemination and response of grassroots information and providing a new path for interactive governance in the community. Methods This study collected 1006 questionnaires from residents of 350 communities in Shanghai through an online survey between June 10 and July 10, 2022. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the impact of different participants (including the community, core residents, and the combined community and core residents) on community risk communication, perceived communication quality, and dissemination themes related to COVID-19 on community communication satisfaction. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 core residents from different types of communities, focusing on the specific methods of risk communication through community WeChat groups and their ability to disseminate information, respond to, and solve problems. Results Perceived information coverage and perceived response efficiency are significantly positively correlated with communication satisfaction. Notably, the speed of community information response has the greatest impact on communication satisfaction. Regarding COVID-19-related information dissemination themes, “community outbreaks, supplies, nucleic acids, outbreak prevention measures, and scientific content” all have a significant impact on communication effectiveness, with “nucleic acid testing information” having the greatest impact. Although the statistical data indicate that the participation of core residents in risk communication does not significantly affect communication satisfaction, it seems to be related to the size of the community, and the interview results further validate this conclusion. Conclusion In the future, grassroots communities should consider the affordances of social media, recognize the significant correlation between risk communication and grassroots trust, and formulate more detailed and targeted risk communication strategies. In particular, incorporating core residents into “semiformal” grassroots organizations can improve community service quality, thereby enhancing community resilience in the face of public health emergencies.

The article presents the results of a theoretical analysis on the topic of media-psychological aspects of the perception of environmental risks and the presentation of the author's media psychological model of the impact of media messages on the perception of environmental risks. The presented model examines the processes and stages involved in the initial encounter with environmental risk messages in the media and the further outcomes of their processing which can manifest in information-seeking behaviour. According to the presented model, changes in risk perception are considered a series of stages initiated by attention to information and can continue when information-seeking behaviour is triggered. The main models relied on by the author of this study are the Limited Capacity Model of Motivated Mediated Message Processing to describe media message processing and the Risk Information Search and Processing Model to describe aspects of information-seeking behaviour. Several additional communication models dedicated to the consideration of information behaviour and processing of media messages were also used to describe the processes of mass media influence on the perception of environmental risks. Thus, dual models of information processing and persuasive communication are also considered, including the Heuristic-Systematic Model and the Elaboration Likelihood Model, as well as additional theories examining information-seeking behaviour: the Theory of Motivated Information Management and the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model

Abstract Risk assessments are common in multiple domains, from finance to medicine. They require evaluating an event’s potential severity and likelihood. We investigate the possible dependence of likelihood and severity within the domain of impact-based weather forecasting (IBF), following predictions derived from considering asymmetric loss functions. In a collaboration between UK psychologists and partners from four meteorological organisations in Southeast Asia, we conducted two studies (N = 363) eliciting weather warnings from forecasters. Forecasters provided warnings denoting higher likelihoods for high severity impacts than low severity impacts, despite these impacts being described as having the same explicit numerical likelihood of occurrence. This ‘Severity effect’ is pervasive, and we find it can have a continued influence even for an updated forecast. It is additionally observed when translating warnings made on a risk matrix to numerical probabilities.

In einer Krise wie der Corona-Pandemie steht die medizinische Risikokommunikation vor den besonderen Herausforderungen des Handelns unter Zeitdruck bei unsicherer Datenlage. Bei einem neuartigen, hochansteckenden respiratorischen Erreger waren die verantwortlichen Akteure in Politik, Wissenschaft und Wissenschaftskommunikation mit ethisch schwierigen Abwägungsentscheidungen konfrontiert. Dies galt insbesondere, da der Schutz vor einer Infektion nicht nur Relevanz für die individuelle, sondern über die mögliche Weitergabe auch für die kollektive Gesundheit Bedeutung hatte (1). Aufgrund der Sorge vor möglichen katastrophalen Auswirkungen einer unkontrolliert verlaufenden Infektionswelle wurde wiederholt von bis dahin etablierten Handlungsempfehlungen zur Risikokommunikation abgewichen.

This study investigated the effect of integration of new media tools into health professionals –patient interactions to improve the communication of risks associated with medical interventions and healthcare decisions. As technology became increasingly prevalent in healthcare settings, understanding how digital tools could facilitate transparent and comprehensible risk communication was crucial. The study explored various digital platforms, communication strategies, and their impact on patient understanding, engagement, and shared decision-making. A qualitative case study design was adopted to delve deeply into the experiences, perceptions, and practices of health professionals and patients regarding the use of digital tools in risk communication. Semi-structured interviews were used to allow for flexibility in exploring participants' views while ensuring that key topics related to digital tools and risk communication were covered.

AbstractObjectiveMethods and measuresResultsConclusionsRisk-stratification should improve the benefits-to-harms ratio for breast screening, whereby higher-risk women receive additional screening and low-risk women are screened less. This study investigated the effects of healthcare context by comparing how women in England and France experienced risk-based breast screening.Fifty-two women were purposively sampled from participants who underwent risk-based screening in the MyPeBS trial. Women received objectively-derived 5-year breast cancer risk estimates (low = < 1%, average = 1–1.66%, high = ≥ 1.67 to <6%, very-high-risk = ≥ 6%). This determined future trial-related screening schedules and prevention options. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed for thematic framework analysis.Two overarching themes were produced: the importance of supported risk communication and accessibility of risk management. Overall, risk-based breast screening was viewed positively. However, trial procedures, especially in risk estimate provision, differed across sites. Women at increased risk were more reassured when appointments were with specialist healthcare professionals (HCP). When absent, this resulted in reduced satisfaction with risk communication and greater uncertainty about its personal relevance. Low-risk women’s views on extended mammogram schedules seemed linked to how health services are organised differently.Context is an important consideration regarding acceptability of healthcare innovations such as risk-stratified screening: it should not be assumed that findings from one country apply universally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective risk communication is crucial for enhancing societal resilience. It's not just about scientific strategies; it's also about ensuring that communities are informed and prepared. Educating local populations, especially younger generations, is key to improving disaster readiness. Notably, engaging younger generations assumes significance, given their role as both the future of society and conduits for educating their families. Serious Games, specifically Escape Rooms, present a compelling tool for engaging and interacting with young people. These games, designed not primarily for entertainment but for educational purposes, facilitate active participant involvement, thereby enhancing learning. In our didactic approach, comprising a frontal lesson and an Escape Room, we sought to leverage the appeal of Serious Games to educate young people. This approach was particularly timely during the COVID-19 pandemic, where virtual experiences gained positive evaluations despite the inherent challenges. Italy frequently faces large magnitude earthquakes. Yet many Italians, especially young people, have low seismic risk awareness, hindering preparedness efforts. To address this issue, the use of games and interactive experiences proves promising. By involving young people, seismic risk awareness can be effectively raised, fostering a culture of safety. Throughout the implementation of the Escape Room exercise dedicated to seismic risk, we conducted an evaluation phase both before and after the activities. The insights gained from this evaluation process provided valuable feedback on the learning experience and the effectiveness of the science communication technique. Notably, the virtual nature of the escape room experience was positively evaluated, demonstrating its adaptability during the pandemic. It is imperative to acknowledge that participants in these activities were aged between 15 and 18 years old, requiring ethical considerations in the design and execution of the educational intervention. The findings are highly promising, indicating that students viewed the protocol as beneficial for understanding fundamental concepts in seismology and enhancing their perception of risk. Moreover, the protocol positively influenced students' interest in science and geophysics. Furthermore, an aspect that remains unexplored is the extent to which the knowledge acquired by the participants was disseminated within their families, representing a potential area for future investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective risk communication during enteric illness outbreaks requires the provision of clear and consistent information to diverse audiences to reduce risk of exposure, inform behavior changes, and prevent illness. Most enteric illnesses are caused by pathogens transmitted through consumption of contaminated food or water, contact with animals, or person-to-person contact. When multi-jurisdictional outbreaks occur, the Public Health Agency of Canada posts web-based Public Health Notices (PHNs) to inform Canadians. This study evaluated the comprehensibility of PHNs to optimize federal risk communication approaches. Publicly available web-based PHNs (n = 42) from 2014–2022 were obtained. A codebook was developed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Clear Communication Index (CCI) and Health Belief Model (HBM) and systematically applied. A SMOG readability calculator was used to determine reading grade level. Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarize coded data. The average reading grade level was above Grade 12 (13.9 ± 1.1). PHNs communicated the nature of the risk (100%) and behavioral recommendations (96.5%) clearly. An active voice was sometimes used (61.9%), but numerical information was less commonly presented using best practices (38.1%). The HBM was fully incorporated in seven PHNs, with most PHNs using five of six constructs (66.7%). PHNs shared similar information in a consistent order (75.0%). Aligning PHNs to best practices in risk communication is recommended, including writing content at a reading grade level that supports comprehension by diverse audiences, following the CCI to increase clarity, including all HBM constructs to promote behavior change, and maintaining message consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the factors contributing to the inclusion of scientific information in local news coverage of environmental risks. We conducted a content analysis of articles about environmental issues associated with the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, Virginia's largest point source of toxic chemical releases. We coded 116 articles published between 2000 and 2019 according to three criteria: the inclusion of scientific information, who is making claims, and whether or not explicit risks are identified. Only 35.3% of the articles reviewed include scientific information. Logistic regression indicates that when an article includes claims made by state officials and/or explicitly asserts the existence of environmental risks, it is more likely to include scientific information. Articles that include claims from community activists are less likely to include scientific information. We examine potential explanations for these patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Food Safety & Quality is the property of Journal of Food Safety & Quality Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Enterprise Risk Management involves the process of identification, evaluation, treatment, and communication regarding risks throughout the enterprise. To support the tasks associated with this process, several frameworks and modeling languages have been proposed, such as the Risk and Security Overlay (RSO) of ArchiMate. An ontological investigation of this artifact would reveal its adequacy, capabilities, and limitations w.r.t. the domain of risk and security. Based on that, a language redesign can be proposed as a refinement. Such analysis and redesign have been executed for the risk elements of the RSO grounded in the Common Ontology of Value and Risk. The next step along this line of research is to address the following research problems: What would be the outcome of an ontological analysis of security-related elements of the RSO? That is, can we identify other semantic deficiencies in the RSO through an ontological analysis? Once such an analysis is provided, can we redesign the security elements of the RSO accordingly, in order to produce an improved artifact? Here, with the aid of the Reference Ontology for Security Engineering (ROSE) and the ontological theory of prevention behind it, we address the remaining gap by proceeding with an ontological analysis of the security-related constructs of the RSO. The outcome of this assessment is an ontology-based redesign of the ArchiMate language regarding security modeling. In a nutshell, we report the following contributions: (1) an ontological analysis of the RSO that identifies six limitations concerning security modeling; (2) because of the key role of the notion of prevention in security modeling, the introduction of the ontological theory of prevention in ArchiMate; (3) a well-founded redesign of security elements of ArchiMate; and (4) ontology-based security modeling patterns that are logical consequences of our proposal of redesign due to its underlying ontology of security. As a form of evaluation, we show that our proposal can describe risk treatment options, according to ISO 31000. Finally, besides presenting multiple examples, we proceed with a real-world illustrative application taken from the cybersecurity domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even low levels of lead in children’s blood are associated with developmental delays, difficulty learning, and behavioral issues. Adults are also vulnerable to the detrimental health effects of lead exposure. The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene receives blood lead test results for NYC residents and conducts investigations of lead poisoning cases. Blood lead testing of a child aged 4 years in 2012 led to the discovery of blood lead levels above the CDC blood lead reference value of 3.5 μg/dL in the child as well as four other family members over a period of 11 years, including the child’s mother and three younger siblings born during 2012–2016. The only potential source of lead exposure identified for all cases was the use of surma, a traditional eye cosmetic, which was found to contain 390,000 ppm lead. The cases in this report highlight the challenges of risk communication when deeply ingrained cultural practices, such as the use of surma, persist despite health warnings. Moreover, they highlight the intergenerational nature of such practices and the need for comprehensive family follow-up once a member is identified as being at risk. These products continue to be available globally, even in places such as the United States where sales are prohibited. Multistakeholder efforts involving local and global engagement could promote reformulation of these products at the countries of origin to eliminate lead as an ingredient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enduring spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses highlights a need for greater focus on long-term public willingness to perform protective behaviors. Although COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency of international concern, it is unknown whether people in the United States plan to continue protective behaviors to protect themselves and others against infection. To inform planning and communications, we used a nationally representative survey of 1,936 US adults to examine attitudes and intentions toward future vaccination and mask-wearing. A majority believed COVID-19 vaccines were safe (73%) and effective in protecting against serious illness (72%). One-third (33%) had strong intentions to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine most years in the future. Among those with weaker intentions (n=1,287), many cited concerns about safety (71%) and efficacy (64%), lack of trust in institutions (64%), or beliefs that prior vaccination or infection protected them (62%). Approximately two-thirds (69%) of respondents believed masks were effective in protecting the wearer from getting COVID-19, and a majority appeared moderately receptive to future public mask-wearing, particularly when there was proximate risk of infection from COVID-19 (67%) or other respiratory viruses (59%). Men, non-Hispanic White adults, younger adults, rural residents, and adults with higher incomes, without college degrees, and without serious medical conditions or physical limitations were more likely to indicate resistance toward future COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask-wearing. Findings support tailored messaging to address concerns and opportunities among different populations, as well as support for communications programs and community engagement to motivate future uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fires pose an escalating threat, demanding effective communication strategies for communities. While past research underscores the importance of community involvement and transparent communication, the dominance of social media in today's media landscape calls for a reassessment. This study investigates the utilization of social media, specifically Facebook, by the Oregon government during the 2022 fire season in the Lane County and Wallowa County regions. Through Facepageran application for automated data retrieval, 4,576 posts and comments from Cedar Creek Fire and Double Creek Fire Facebook page were collected. Using the multi-coder approach and the Vader Algorithm, the data were analyzed focusing on post frequency, thematic content, and user sentiments. The result reveals that positive sentiment polarity scores were observed with 0.61 and 0.71 for Cedar Creek and Double Creek Fire, respectively. However, the thematic and post-frequency analysis suggest a need for government agencies to diversify their social media page content to cater to different informational needs and preferences. Additionally, timely updates, factual information, interactive engagement, and an emphasis on the scientific aspects of wildfires were identified as critical areas for improvement. The findings offer valuable insights for enhancing risk communication strategies, promoting informed public engagement, and guiding effective government communication in wildfire scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]