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Abstract Background Wildfire smoke contributes substantially to the global disease burden and is a major cause of air pollution in the US states of Oregon and Washington. Climate change is expected to bring more wildfires to this region. Social media is a popular platform for health promotion and a need exists for effective communication about smoke risks and mitigation measures to educate citizens and safeguard public health. Methods Using a sample of 1,287 Tweets from 2022, we aimed to analyze temporal Tweeting patterns in relation to potential smoke exposure and evaluate and compare institutions’ use of social media communication best practices which include (i) encouraging adoption of smoke-protective actions; (ii) leveraging numeric, verbal, and Air Quality Index risk information; and (iii) promoting community-building. Tweets were characterized using keyword searches and the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out. Results 44% of Tweets in our sample were authored between January-August 2022, prior to peak wildfire smoke levels, whereas 54% of Tweets were authored during the two-month peak in smoke (September-October). Institutional accounts used Twitter (or X) to encourage the adoption of smoke-related protective actions (82% of Tweets), more than they used it to disseminate wildfire smoke risk information (25%) or promote community-building (47%). Only 10% of Tweets discussed populations vulnerable to wildfire smoke health effects, and 14% mentioned smoke mitigation measures. Tweets from Washington-based accounts used significantly more verbal and numeric risk information to discuss wildfire smoke than Oregon-based accounts (p = 0.042 and p = 0.003, respectively); however, Tweets from Oregon-based accounts on average contained a higher percentage of words associated with community-building language (p

Abstract Background Given the complementary roles of health professionals and journalists in communicating health risks to patients and the public, there have been calls for physicians to work with journalists to improve the quality of health information received by the public. Understanding the preferences of medical and journalism students for the way in which health risks are communicated and their understanding of words used to describe risk is an important first step to inform interdisciplinary learning. Methods Medical and journalism students (n = 203) completed an online survey where they were given qualitative descriptors of risk such as ‘a chance’, ‘probably’ and ‘unlikely’, and asked to assign a number that represents what the word means to them. Different formats of communicating risk (percentages, natural frequency and visual aids) were provided and students were asked to select and explain their preference. A thematic analysis of reasons was conducted. Numeracy and perceived mathematics ability were measured. Results Numbers assigned to the descriptor ‘A chance’ had the highest variability for medical students. Numbers assigned to the descriptor ‘Probably’ had the highest variability for journalism students. Using visual aids was the most popular format for risk communication for both courses (56% of medical students and 40% of journalism students). Using percentages was twice as popular with journalism students compared to medical students (36% vs. 18%). Perceived mathematics ability was lower in students with a preference for natural frequencies and in journalism students, however performance on an objective numeracy scale was similar for all three formats (percentages, natural frequency and visual aids). Reasons for choosing a preferred format included good communication, eliciting a response, or learning style. Conclusions Education on health risk communication for medical and journalism students should emphasize the need for qualitative descriptors of risk to be combined with the best available number. Students are already considering their role as future communicators of health risks and open to tailoring the mode of presentation to their audience. Further research is required on the design and evaluation of interdisciplinary workshops in health risk communication for medical and journalism students to maximise the opportunities for future inter-professional working.

Abstract 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.

This document is an editorial titled "Enabling people-centered risk communication for geohazards" published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science. The editorial discusses the challenges of communicating science about natural hazards to the public and stakeholders in order to reduce the impact of these hazards. It highlights the difficulties of communicating in the presence of uncertainty and limited resources, and emphasizes the need for two-way and people-centered risk communication. The editorial also provides a summary of 13 articles included in the research topic, which cover various aspects of risk communication for geohazards, including tsunami risk perception, earthquake early warning systems, social media strategies, misinformation, and citizen science. The articles analyze these challenges and propose innovative solutions to improve risk communication. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTRACTGM technology has constantly faced opposition in the Philippines. The debate heightened in 2016, when the Supreme Court halted the field testing of Bt eggplant, which triggered a public debate. This ruling was overturned, but GM technology remained in the public consciousness because of the general visibility of science, health, and food security issues. The researcher analyzed opinion columns in major Philippine news outlets from 2016-present to examine candid framings of the GM debate. Through inductive analysis, the researcher found that the debate represents a struggle for control. The crops are not so much monsters as they are hyperbolic jokes that do not meet their promises; they too, represent a foreign industrial invader that can be countered only by contextualized and localized farming. These findings add nuance to our understanding of the GM debate in the Global South.

BackgroundWe evaluate the construct validity of a proposed procedure for eliciting lay preferences among health care policy options, suited for structured surveys. It is illustrated with breast cancer screening, a domain in which people may have heterogeneous preferences.MethodsOur procedure applies behavioral decision research principles to eliciting preferences among policy options expressed in quantitative terms. Three-hundred women older than 18 y without a history of breast cancer were recruited through Amazon MTurk. Participants evaluated 4 screening options for each of 4 groups of women, with varying risk of breast cancer. Each option was characterized by estimates of 3 primary outcomes: breast cancer deaths, false alarms, and overdiagnosis resulting in unnecessary treatment of cancers that would not progress. These estimates were based on those currently being developed by the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium. For each risk group, participants stated how frequently they would wish to receive screening, if the predicted outcomes applied to them.ResultsA preregistered test found that preferences were robust enough to be unaffected by the order of introducing and displaying the outcomes. Other tests of construct validity also suggested that respondents generally understood the task and expressed consistent preferences. Those preferences were related to participants' age and mammography history but not to measures of their numeracy, subjective numeracy, or demographics. There was considerable heterogeneity in their preferences.ConclusionsMembers of the public can be engaged more fully in informing future screening guidelines if they evaluate the screening options characterized by the expected health outcomes expressed in quantitative terms. We offer and evaluate such a procedure, in terms of its construct validity with a diverse sample of women.HighlightsA novel survey method for eliciting lay preferences for breast cancer screening is proposed and evaluated in terms of its construct validity.Participants were generally insensitive to irrelevant task features (e.g., order of presentation) and sensitive to relevant ones (e.g., quantitative estimates of breast cancer risk, harms from screening).The proposed method elicits lay preferences in terms that can inform future screening guidelines, potentially improving communication between the public and policy makers.

Background: Germans hesitated to get vaccinated with AstraZeneca in the COVID-19 pandemic after reports of blood clots. Methods: In two preregistered online experiments with stratified randomization (Study 1 N = 824, Study 2: N = 1,056), we tested whether providing evidence-based benefit-risk information reduces the perceived risk of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the perceived probability of blood clots due to the AstraZeneca vaccine and increases the vaccination intention. In Study 1, participants saw no infographic (control) or one of two infographics (low vs. high exposure risk varied by the underlying incidence rates). Study 2 additionally varied the infographic design displaying the risk information (presented as table, circle icons, or manikin-like icons). Results: The infographic decreased the risk perception of the vaccine compared to no infographic (Study 1: Cohens d = 0.31, 95% CI [0.14, 0.48]; Study 2: Cohens d = 0.34, 95% CI [0.06, 0.62]), but it did not influence the perceived probability of blood clots due to the AstraZeneca vaccine (Study 2: Cohens d = 0.05, 95% CI [-0.23, 0.33]). Also, the infographic design did not affect the perceived probability of blood clots (Study 2). The vaccination intention was not affected by viewing the infographic (Study 1: Cohens d = 0.04, 95% CI [-0.13, 0.21]; Study 2: Cohens d = 0.04, 95% CI [-0.24, 0.32]) nor the presented infection rate (Study 1: Cohens d = 0.07, 95% CI [-0.09, 0.24], Study 2: Cohens d = 0.01, 95% CI [-0.12, 0.15]) but by risk perceptions, sociodemographic characteristics, confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine, and preference for alternative vaccines. Conclusions: The evidence-based benefit-risk information helped putting the risk of vaccinations into perspective. Nevertheless, objective risk information alone did not affect vaccination intention that was low due to the preexisting lacking vaccine confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By precisely controlling the distance between two train sets, virtual coupling (VC) enables flexible coupling and decoupling in urban rail transit. However, relying on train-to-train communication for obtaining the train distance can pose a safety risk in case of communication malfunctions. In this paper, a distance-estimation framework based on monocular vision is proposed. First, key structure features of the target train are extracted by an object-detection neural network, whose strategies include an additional detection head in the feature pyramid, labeling of object neighbor areas, and semantic filtering, which are utilized to improve the detection performance for small objects. Then, an optimization process based on multiple key structure features is implemented to estimate the distance between the two train sets in VC. For the validation and evaluation of the proposed framework, experiments were implemented on Beijing Subway Line 11. The results show that for train sets with distances between 20 m and 100 m, the proposed framework can achieve a distance estimation with an absolute error that is lower than 1 m and a relative error that is lower than 1.5%, which can be a reliable backup for communication-based VC operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Failing to comprehend risk communication might contribute to poor treatment adherence. Using hypertension as a case, we investigated how a risk communication tool for patients with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease was perceived. Methods: As part of a large project featuring a randomised controlled trial in a general practice setting in the Region of Southern Denmark, we conducted a semi-structured individual interview study. The study included patients with hypertension who had used an intervention comprising a visual and dynamic cardiovascular risk communication tool, along with receiving recurring emails providing advice on a healthy lifestyle. The analyses were based on Malterud's Systematic Text Condensation. Results: This article focuses solely on the results of the interview study, which comprised a total of 9 conducted and analysed interviews. The IT setup had a major impact on adherence to the intervention. A positive impact was found when the IT setup was perceived as easy to use and accessible, while a negative impact was noted when it malfunctioned. The intervention increased patients' self-reported insight into risk of cardiovascular disease. Patients reported the intervention and their risk of cardiovascular disease to become less important to them when they had more severe comorbidities. The involved health professional was very important for treatment adherence when communicating risk visually. Patients expressed trust in their general practitioners, and the general practitioners' attitudes toward the intervention affected patients' perceptions of its usefulness. While the informants reported an increased awareness of their risk of cardiovascular disease, none of them felt more concerned. Conclusions: Patients reported an increase in their perceived insight into the risk of cardiovascular disease but not an increased concern. Our findings align with previous studies emphasizing the importance of patients' motivation as well as risk perception for adherence. General practitioners have an important role when implementing new tools for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

In this study, we contrast how different benefit and harm information formats and the presence or absence of an ease‐of‐access nudge may facilitate COVID vaccination uptake for a sample of 620 unvaccinated Dutch adults at a timepoint when the vaccine had been widely available for more than a month. Using a 2 × 2 between‐subjects factorial design, we varied the information format on mRNA COVID vaccination statistics (generic text vs. facts box) and an affirmative nudge emphasizing the ease of making a vaccination appointment (absent vs. present). We assessed the acceptance of the vaccination information provided, perceptions on the vaccination, and whether participants directly visited a COVID vaccination appointment website. Whereas the facts box did not significantly affect participants' information acceptance, vaccination attitudes, intentions, and link clicking, the affirmative nudge alongside an online link systematically increased the likelihood of clicking on the link to make a vaccination appointment. A verbal nudge emphasizing the ease of vaccine accessibility is more likely to increase vaccination uptake in an unvaccinated population than informational campaigns on vaccine effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. During a global infectious disease pandemic such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), individuals' infection prevention/risk-taking behaviours are likely to differ depending on their health literacy and beliefs regarding the disease. To effectively promote infection prevention behaviours, it is necessary to enable information dissemination and risk communication that consider individuals' health literacy and beliefs. In this study, we exploratorily characterised segments based on individual health literacy and beliefs regarding COVID-19 among the Japanese during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, and investigated whether infection prevention/risk-taking behaviours and fear of COVID-19 differed among these segments. Methods. In this study, we conducted two web-based longitudinal surveys in Japan (PHASE 1, 1-30 November 2020, 6,000 participants; PHASE 2, 1-31 December 2020, 3,800 participants). We characterised segments of the target population using cluster analysis on health literacy and beliefs regarding COVID-19 obtained in PHASE 1. We further investigated the associations between the clusters and infection prevention/risktaking behaviours and fear of COVID-19, obtained from PHASE 2. Results. Five clusters were identified: 'Calm/hoax denial', 'Hoax affinity/threat denial', 'Minority/indifference', 'Over vigilance', and 'Optimism'. There were significant differences in infection prevention/risk-taking behaviours and fear of COVID-19 among the five clusters. The belief in susceptibility to infection, rather than affinity for hoaxes and conspiracy theories, was coherently associated with infection prevention/risk-taking behaviours and fear of infection across clusters. This study provides foundational knowledge for creating segment-specific public messages and developing interactive risk communication to encourage infection prevention behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency managers and alert and warning originators require tools to build effective warning messages. The purpose of this research is to develop one such tool—a Warning Lexicon—that can be used to construct consistent warning messages for Wireless Emergency Alerts. Specifically, the Warning Lexicon systematically establishes a common set of statements about hazard impacts and their associated recommended protective actions that can be used to quickly write effective warning message contents. Thus, the Warning Lexicon allows practitioners and risk communicators to (1) write effective warning messages at the time of the threat, (2) reduce message issuance delay, and (3) develop templated messages as part of their preparedness process. We built the Warning Lexicon through a theoretically informed, multiphased mixed methods process of content analysis and subject matter expert review to verify the accuracy of lexicon statements and validate the language used to instruct message receivers about protective actions. The resulting content incorporated into the Warning Lexicon includes 48 hazards, their associated impacts, and 112 protective action statements spanning atmospheric, technological, biological, and human-induced events. The result of this project is a comprehensive, theory-based, expert-informed, and practitioner-reviewed resource to support the composition of warning messages for imminent threat events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing across technology domains including healthcare, commerce, the economy, the environment, cybersecurity, transportation, etc. AI will transform healthcare systems, bringing profound changes to diagnosis, treatment, patient care, data, medicines, devices, etc. However, AI in healthcare introduces entirely new categories of risk for assessment, management, and communication. For this topic, the framing of conventional risk and decision analyses is ongoing. This paper introduces a method to quantify risk as the disruption of the order of AI initiatives in healthcare systems, aiming to find the scenarios that are most and least disruptive to system order. This novel approach addresses scenarios that bring about a re-ordering of initiatives in each of the following three characteristic layers: purpose, structure, and function. In each layer, the following model elements are identified: 1. Typical research and development initiatives in healthcare. 2. The ordering criteria of the initiatives. 3. Emergent conditions and scenarios that could influence the ordering of the AI initiatives. This approach is a manifold accounting of the scenarios that could contribute to the risk associated with AI in healthcare. Recognizing the context-specific nature of risks and highlighting the role of human in the loop, this study identifies scenario s.06—non-interpretable AI and lack of human–AI communications—as the most disruptive across all three layers of healthcare systems. This finding suggests that AI transparency solutions primarily target domain experts, a reasonable inclination given the significance of "high-stakes" AI systems, particularly in healthcare. Future work should connect this approach with decision analysis and quantifying the value of information. Future work will explore the disruptions of system order in additional layers of the healthcare system, including the environment, boundary, interconnections, workforce, facilities, supply chains, and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sudden eruption and tragedy of Mt. Ontake in 2014, a volcano located in central Japan, showed the fact that the volcanic eruption is the event with uncertainty, and it is important to let citizen to be aware of such uncertainty. To find measures to raise citizen's disaster awareness, this study focuses on the risk communication between citizens and volcano observatories, which are attached to universities. It examines the role of observatories, focusing on the activities of the Sakurajima Volcano Research Center, which monitors Mt. Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanoes in Japan, and suggests the necessity of human resource development that is able to connect citizen and science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the attribution theory, this study develops model of pro-environmental behaviour intention (PETBI) in post-pandemic era. Particularly, this study aims to examine the relation between environmental concerns, risk communication, risk perception of the COVID-19 pandemic, and individuals' PETBI in the tourism industry. An online survey was carried out, which yielded 272 valid responses. PLS-SEM was employed to analyse the data and examine the strength of the relationships between variables. The findings revealed that risk communication of COVID-19, positively impact cognitive and affective risk perception and environmental concern exert significant positive effects on PETBI. Additionally, affective risk perception significantly affects environmental concern. In addition, environmental concern mediates the relationship between affective risk perception and PETBI. Contrary to the expectation, cognitive risk perception does not exert an effect on environmental concern. This study provides significant research insights for the tourism industry and local governments, on the whole, to develop proper mechanisms in addressing risk communication and perception of COVID-19 to enhance PETB in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of risk communication in democratic societies depends on a good understanding of people's knowledge and ways of reasoning, which requires a broader perspective of 'societal risk communication'. This includes all kinds of rationales how people and social institutions communicate, make sense of, and engage with risk and uncertainty to better understand the epistemological challenges for risk communication by experts and social decision-makers. For this purpose, we utilize insights from New Phenomenology and specify three rationales how people and social institutions engage with risk and uncertainty, following earlier work: 'rational' evidence-based modes of engaging with risk are accompanied by 'non-rational' (e.g. faith, hope) and 'in-between' modes (e.g. intuition, trust). In everyday life these idealtype modes rarely occur in pure but modified form. Therefore, we advance Zinn's original work by introducing a dynamic model of decision-making under risk and uncertainty along the three types drawing on New Phenomenology. There are systematic differences in the embodied and the abstract forms of knowledge people refer to when making sense of risk and uncertainty while the abstract forms differ in their empirical saturation. The dynamized framework helps to understand institutional challenges as well as people's sense-making, which show tendencies of 'rationalization', 'enchantment' and 'subjectivation'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivating seafood in water environments, global aquaculture production is on the rise. As the sector grows, however, so too do challenges in securing the necessary social license to operate (SLO): ongoing approval from various stakeholders. Previous research in both risk communication and SLO suggests that perceived justice plays a foundational role in establishing legitimacy and subsequent public acceptance and approval. Yet, gaps in our understanding of both justice and SLO – as well as the relationships between these concepts – remain. In this study, we approach SLO as a stage model, applying a four-factor model of justice (including interpersonal, procedural, distributive, and informational justice) to examine whether – and if so, how – justice factors and their associated rules may be differently salient at SLO stages among stakeholders associated with siting land-based recirculating aquaculture facilities in three U.S. communities. Results of qualitative in-depth interviews with stakeholders at each site (n = 55) demonstrate how various justice rules are distinctly embedded in certain SLO stages, and that such rules may function as stage shift factors, moving communities toward granting or withholding social license for these projects. Theoretical and practical implications of this research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-adherence in the general population to preventive guidelines on cardiovascular disease calls for an interdisciplinary approach acknowledging psychological factors of relevance for risk communication and lifestyle modification. Evidence is building up regarding the advantage of sharing arterial imaging evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis with asymptomatic individuals, but there is limited understanding of how this relates to mechanisms of importance for behavioural change. Longitudinal studies on associations between patients' reactions and lifestyle modification are missing. The population-based randomized controlled trial VIPVIZA investigates the impact of pictorial information about subclinical atherosclerosis, added to traditional risk factor-based communication. The intervention includes a personalized, colour-coded and age-related risk communication strategy and a motivational conversation, and has been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Methods: In the present study we assessed cognitive and emotional reactions to the intervention, and how these reactions are associated to lifestyle modification. The participants' evaluation of the risk communication was assessed in the intervention group (n = 1749). Lifestyle modification was assessed with a lifestyle index based on physical activity, diet, smoking and alcohol consumption at baseline and after 3 years. Associations between cognitive and emotional response and lifestyle modification were tested with analyses of covariance in a subset of participants (n = 714–857). Results: The intervention increased understanding of personal CVD risk, the possibility to influence the risk, and how to influence the risk. Severity of atherosclerosis was associated with emotional reactions, but emotions of strong negative valence were uncommon. Cognitive response and emotional arousal evoked by the intervention were positively associated with lifestyle modification, whereas negative emotions in isolation were not. High level of cognitive response in combination with high level of emotional arousal was found to be most beneficial for lifestyle modification. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the potential of communicating asymptomatic atherosclerosis with a pictorial, colour-coded and age-related strategy, also including a motivational conversation. Furthermore, the results show the importance of CVD risk communication evoking engagement, and that an interaction between cognitive and emotional reactions might be central for sustained lifestyle modification. Our results also indicate that, in an asymptomatic population, atherosclerosis screening may strengthen disease prevention and health promotion. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01849575. Registration date 08/05/2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the complementary roles of health professionals and journalists in communicating health risks to patients and the public, there have been calls for physicians to work with journalists to improve the quality of health information received by the public. Understanding the preferences of medical and journalism students for the way in which health risks are communicated and their understanding of words used to describe risk is an important first step to inform interdisciplinary learning. Methods: Medical and journalism students (n = 203) completed an online survey where they were given qualitative descriptors of risk such as 'a chance', 'probably' and 'unlikely', and asked to assign a number that represents what the word means to them. Different formats of communicating risk (percentages, natural frequency and visual aids) were provided and students were asked to select and explain their preference. A thematic analysis of reasons was conducted. Numeracy and perceived mathematics ability were measured. Results: Numbers assigned to the descriptor 'A chance' had the highest variability for medical students. Numbers assigned to the descriptor 'Probably' had the highest variability for journalism students. Using visual aids was the most popular format for risk communication for both courses (56% of medical students and 40% of journalism students). Using percentages was twice as popular with journalism students compared to medical students (36% vs. 18%). Perceived mathematics ability was lower in students with a preference for natural frequencies and in journalism students, however performance on an objective numeracy scale was similar for all three formats (percentages, natural frequency and visual aids). Reasons for choosing a preferred format included good communication, eliciting a response, or learning style. Conclusions: Education on health risk communication for medical and journalism students should emphasize the need for qualitative descriptors of risk to be combined with the best available number. Students are already considering their role as future communicators of health risks and open to tailoring the mode of presentation to their audience. Further research is required on the design and evaluation of interdisciplinary workshops in health risk communication for medical and journalism students to maximise the opportunities for future inter-professional working. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production and use of engineered nanomaterials have grown substantially in recent years, leading to an increased potential for occupational exposure to these materials. Health and safety data remain largely unknown or incomplete for most engineered nanomaterials. The management of possible risks associated with engineered nanomaterials in the workplace is of paramount importance for workers, employers, and occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals and is a complex and developing field of research. A key component of risk management is the effective communication of known and potential risks in the workplace. Many proposals and recommendations have been made for signage to warn of the location and use of engineered nanomaterials within occupational settings. Such signage could raise awareness and serve as a reminder of the potential unknown health and safety risks presented by engineered nanomaterials. We have designed a simple visual pictogram intended to indicate the presence of engineered nanomaterials in the workplace. Herein, we present our pictogram in contrast with those concomitantly identified in various scientific guidelines and literature, provide details on a pilot-scale evaluation of this signage administered before a recent institution-level adaptation, and provide recommendations for those interested in implementing this signage in other workplaces. Strengthening risk communication by adapting this visual warning pictogram could help draw attention to potential risks, improve workplace hygiene, and ideally, decrease occupational exposure for those working with engineered nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hurricane forecast graphics have the challenging task of communicating information about spatial and temporal uncertainty. Although forecasting accuracy has improved, the popular track forecast cone or "Cone of Uncertainty" graphic, produced by the National Hurricane Center, is poorly understood by the general public. A better understanding of the forecast can potentially assist in timely decisions and life-saving actions. This study evaluates the impact of visualization design, tropical cyclone characteristics, subjective numeracy, and subjective graphicacy on visual attention to and user interpretation of hurricane forecast graphics. Forty-three non-expert participants completed forecast path estimates for nine tropical cyclones, comparing their responses when using the National Hurricane Center's cone of uncertainty graphic and two alternative forecast visualizations. Results show that design modifications did not alter visual attention patterns or improve interpretations. Results also indicate that subjective numeracy, subjective graphicacy, and tropical cyclone characteristics, in combination, influence estimates of hurricane forecast tracks. The findings from this study inform redesign efforts of hurricane risk communication products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjective. To enable future open-air festivals during a pandemic, model festivals tested restricted access and behavioural rules to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmissions. However, the uptake of health-protective measures depends on informed acceptance, meaning people are more likely to follow measures if they understand their effectiveness and related disease risks. Design and main outcome measures. With a series of online surveys, we studied risk perceptions of 6,500 festival guests and the association of perceived effectiveness of protective behaviours with reported compliance. In a scenario-based online experiment (N = 1,958) among festival guests, we tested the effect of informing transparently about the risk-reducing potential of protective measures at festivals on the intention to attend hypothetical events. Results. We found that guests tended to overestimate infection risks while still perceiving them as low. Self-reported mask wearing and distancing at and around the festivals could not be associated with the understanding of the measures’ effectiveness. However, in addition to protective measures themselves, providing transparent information about their absolute risk-reducing effect increased intentions to attend festivals that employ varying protective measures. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that the acceptance of protected festivals can be influenced by transparent information about the effectiveness of protective measures. This calls for further research on evidence-based public health communications to improve their impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter Storm Uri was a disaster that impacted much of the United States during February of 2021. During and after the storm, Texas and Oklahoma experienced massive power grid failures. This led to cascading impacts, including water system disruptions and many boil water notices (BWNs). The breakdown of some communication channels and the inability to enact protective actions due to power outages, as well as travel limitations on public roads, complicated the dissemination and implementation of notifications. This research examined individuals' perceptions of risk, water quality, and BWNs during Uri. Additionally, this study sought to understand if previous experience with a BWN influenced compliance during Uri and how perceived efficacy impacted these variables. Surveying 893 Texans and Oklahomans revealed that most Uri-affected respondents believed the risks associated with BWNs were severe. Income and race were two factors that influenced BWN compliance. Age, gender, and level of education did not influence compliance. Previous experience with BWNs did not increase risk perceptions. Higher levels of perceived efficacy correlated to higher levels of compliance, perceptions of risk, and water quality, much of which support propositions of the Extended Parallel Process Model. Results suggest that pre-disaster planning and communication are imperative to helping reduce risk(s) and enhancing efficacy during a disaster, especially for novel disasters that have cascading risks, like Winter Storm Uri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a framework for customized risk analysis in portfolio management. It allows investors to re-express analytics generated by risk factors in terms of more appropriate, user-defined factors without reestimating the underlying risk model. The framework enhances risk management, benefits portfolio managers, and increases responsiveness to changing market conditions. The article provides empirical examples and discusses the applicability of the framework in analyzing risk in fixed income and multi-asset portfolios. It also addresses the importance of considering collinearity when replacing or modifying risk factors. The authors are affiliated with BlackRock, Inc. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: This project assessed college students' perceptions of social media conversations about COVID-19 in the United States. Participants: A total of 110 college students completed an online survey (N = 110) over two periods of time: April 2020 (n = 60) and September 2020 (n = 50). Method: Measurements included students' perceptions of sentiment, risk, blame, outrage, and opinion/behavioral intention. Results: Survey results showed that college students' attitudes and perceptions of these concepts on social media varied from April to September with negative sentiment, concern, uncertainty, and risk perception decreasing over time while blame and outrage increased over time. A sample of tweets was also examined for these constructs. Conclusions: This study provides important insight on college students' perceptions during a public health emergency and how they use social media as a tool for health information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When COVID-19 spread rapidly across the globe, it sparked a great deal of uncertainty. This was particularly true for expectant parents, who were already navigating increased uncertainty. Extant research demonstrates the important role prenatal healthcare workers play in helping expectant mothers navigate pregnancy. This study presupposes that obstetricians would serve as an important resource for expectant mothers as the pandemic began. Twenty pregnant women were interviewed in July and August of 2020 about their experiences navigating pregnancy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings illustrate the magnitude of their uncertainty, and the role obstetricians played in their search for information about pregnancy and delivery in the time of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) face various healthcare choices to be made during the disease process that may impact their lives. Shared decision-making (SDM) could improve their health outcomes. We assessed if, and to what extent, paediatricians engage children with SCD and/or their parents in the decision-making process. In this observational cross-sectional study, paediatric SCD patients and their parents visiting the outpatient paediatrics clinic of a university hospital participated in a SDM baseline measurement. Two evaluators independently and objectively analysed the level of patient involvement in decision-making from the audio-recordings of the consultations using the OPTION-5 instrument, a 0–20-point scale from which scores are usually expressed as a percentage of ideal SDM. The level of SDM, as perceived by patients, parents and paediatricians, was appreciated using the SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc questionnaires, respectively. Scores could range from 0% (no SDM) to 100% (exemplary SDM). Twenty-four consultations in which a decision needed to be made about SCD treatment were audiotaped and analysed; six were from each paediatrician. The group consisted of 17 male and 7 female patients from various cultural backgrounds between 2 and 17 years old, with a mean age of 9.4 years (SD 4.2). Median OPTION-5 scores were 25.0% [IQR] 20.0–40.0%; range 0–55%). Median SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc scores were 56.7% (IQR 39.4–88.9%) and 68.9% (IQR 57.8–77.8%), respectively. Conclusion: Although subjective scores of SDM were fair, the objectively scored level of SDM among children suffering from SCD leaves room for improvement. This may be realized by increasing knowledge about the benefits of SDM, child-centred SDM interventions and SDM-training for paediatricians that takes into account the complexity of intercultural challenges and risk communication between stakeholders. What is Known: • Children that suffer from sickle cell disease (SCD) are more vulnerable to factors that negatively impact the care that they receive as well as suboptimal health outcomes. • Shared decision-making (SDM) can help children participate in a collaborative decision-making process about their preferred treatment options and improve their health outcomes. What is New: • The level of participation in the decision-making process for patients suffering from SCD and the families that they belong to leaves room for improvement. The impact of intercultural challenges and the quality and consistency of risk-communication between stakeholders in paediatric SDM needs further exploration. • Paediatricians are more confident about their ability to involve the child and parents compared to how children and their parents experience their level of involvement in a shared decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk communication is a process aimed at supporting stakeholders in identifying threats, assessing vulnerabilities and promoting collective resilience. According to WHO recommendations, one of the priority directions for improvement of Ukraine's emergency response capabilities is the forming and/or implementation of a system for collecting and analyzing information on risk perception, behavior and misinformation, problems and fears of society. The objective: to determine the validity and reliability of the developed Behavior, Risk Perception and Misinformation Monitoring Tool, which was created on the basis of WHO Europe's Behavioral Insights tool. Materials and methods. The analyzed cohort of 56 adults living in different regions of Ukraine differ in gender, level of education, and field of activity. At the initial stage (T1), risk perception, behavior and misinformation were assessed. A repeat survey (T2) was conducted after 17 days to determine the reliability of the proposed Tool. Results. The Tool demonstrated adequate or high reliability in most of the proposed questions (ICC ≥ 0.6). Some questions that did not meet the established reliability criteria (ISS < 0.4) were excluded from the final version of the questionnaire. The shortened version of the questionnaire contains 131 questions. Conclusions. Given that in each block of questions, most of them were found to be reliable, and the deletions did not affect the structure and main purpose of the questionnaire, the Behavior, Risk Perception and Misinformation Monitoring Tool has potential for use in health care practice as a means of assessing behavioral risk perception and misinformation of the adult population. Systemic monitoring of behavioral variables is an important component of building Ukraine's emergency response capabilities, which becomes especially important in wartime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication scholars have studied the persuasive power of humor messages, but research provides mixed results. Also, the literature has been slow in demonstrating the practical effects of humorous messages on desired outcomes (e.g., organization–public relationships). Through an online experiment in the context of weather messages with samples of U.S. adults residing in the Southeastern U.S. (N = 209), we compared a humorous social media message designed to build relationships with the public to a non-humorous message in predicting OPRs and perceived community resilience when there is no high-impact weather on the horizon. Compared to a humorous message, a non-humorous message appeared to be more effective in increasing perceived community resilience and three dimensions of positive OPRs – trust, control mutuality, and commitment. The effects were more robust for community members with low to moderate levels of weather salience (i.e., the psychological value and importance that people have for the weather). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk analysis is a structured approach comprising risk assessment, risk management and risk communication, where the latter includes communication between risk assessors and risk managers. In recent decades there has been a shift in paradigm from "strict separation of risk assessment and risk management" to a model where dialogue is an integral part of the process. However, as the REFIT evaluation concluded, there is still a need for closer cooperation and coordination. The goals of the ENCOMRAN project were (i) to capture and describe interactions within food and feed risk analysis at EU Member State level as perceived by risk managers and risk assessors and (ii) to summarise the lessons learned in a document that could support communication and pinpoint crucial steps in communication and procedures to overcome identified obstacles. An internet‐based survey was performed with risk assessors (n = 55), risk managers (n = 31) and those doing both (n = 9) in European countries. The results supported recent calls for more open, frequent, informal, feedback‐rich and trust‐building communication between risk assessors and risk managers. It is important to consider barriers to interaction, in particular how the prescribed independence of the scientific process is interpreted. Time management is also a key factor, especially in longer assessments. The results did not identify any one organisational model which was better than others. Rather, they indicated that it is important to provide comprehensive guidance on the appropriate level of communication at different stages of risk analysis and, importantly, the steps needed to guarantee independence and transparency of risk assessment. The results, together with interviews in the previous COMRISK project and literature data, were used as the basis for a guidance document. Overall, we recommend closer communication in framing assessment questions and full documentation of meetings to avoid misunderstandings regarding risk managers' needs and possible deliverables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verbal probability expressions such as ‘likely’ and ‘possible’ are commonly used to communicate uncertainty in diagnosis, treatment effectiveness as well as the risk of adverse events. Probability terms that are interpreted consistently can be used to standardize risk communication. A systematic review was conducted. Research studies that evaluated numeric meanings of probability terms were reviewed. Terms with consistent numeric interpretation across studies were selected and were used to construct a Visual Risk Scale. Five probability terms showed reliable interpretation by laypersons and healthcare professionals in empirical studies. ‘Very Likely’ was interpreted as 90% chance (range 80 to 95%); ‘Likely/Probable,’ 70% (60 to 80%); ‘Possible,’ 40% (30 to 60%); ‘Unlikely,’ 20% (10 to 30%); and ‘Very Unlikely’ with 10% chance (5% to 15%). The corresponding frequency terms were: Very Frequently, Frequently, Often, Infrequently, and Rarely, respectively. Probability terms should be presented with their corresponding numeric ranges during discussions with patients. Numeric values should be presented as X-in-100 natural frequency statements, even for low values; and not as percentages, X-in-1000, X-in-Y, odds, fractions, 1-in-X, or as number needed to treat (NNT). A Visual Risk Scale was developed for use in clinical shared decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Saúde e Sociedade is the property of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Faculdade de Saude Publica 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.)

Swarm drone networks represent a new frontier in aerial operations, drone-warfare already being key component in ensuring ground-based operations success in wars like Russian-Ukraine war, where they prove to be a cost-efficient solution and pose a threat to more expensive military equipment (ex. tanks, armored personnel carriers). This concept is shaping the development process of 6th generation aircrafts where every manned aircraft is supposed to lead a swarm of drones that helps completing the mission with fewer human loses. The objective of this article is to identify the communications security risks inside a swarm of drones and to offer a security architecture tailored for swarm drone environments to be resilient against classical attacks (ex. man-in-the-middle), as well as future quantum threats. Our solution (Core Swarm–Edge Swarm) combines blockchain technology for a decentralized approach in establishing trust among network nodes and a post-quantum lattice-based cryptographic algorithm to implement a key exchange mechanism thus safeguarding sensitive data and ensure mission integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemplating multilingualism and mobility in the 21st century, several dimensions warrant attention in the emerging field of migration linguistics. First is the move beyond migration to thinking about mobilities, in particular, the new mobilities paradigm in the social sciences which views human mobility as entailing a complex assemblage of movement, social imaginaries, and experience. Second, a study of the different waves of migration in a particular society, as well as concomitant and official language policies – using Singapore as a case in point – distinguishes the layers of, on the one hand, the older, and thus established migrants, versus newer migrants, in particular, transient populations of foreign workers, and, crucially, the differential statuses that these communities and their languages hold in society – including a potential invisibility of authentic multilingualisms. Such an examination allows the development of a typology of migrants in a statal narrative. Where lines are drawn is dependent on circumstance, with the periphery positioned differentially in times of celebration versus crisis, for example, in risk communication in this pandemic era. This holds significant implications for access and appropriation, and consequent (im)mobilities, and, in the bigger picture, for the crucial intersections – including how society is responding to the role of indigenous languages for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. This is particularly timely for this International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032), noted to not be addressing the interactions between language and migration, as well as the challenge of migrant intergration, recognised as a central and important driver of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

In crisis communication courses across the country, there is a growing recognition of the importance of practical, hands-on learning experiences to complement theoretical knowledge in order to bridge the gap between academia and industry. The classroom activity introduced in this paper is aimed at simulating crisis scenarios within the classroom setting. By immersing students in simulated crisis scenarios, the existing gap between theory and practice is reduced, providing students with valuable experiential learning opportunities and increased mindfulness. During the activity, students are randomly assigned a role and provided with simulated communication tools. Throughout the class period, the instructor provides updates and new information related to a simulated crisis, prompting students to respond in real-time using the provided communication tools. At the end of the class period, after the simulation has finished, mistakes can be highlighted by the instructor, and the lessons and best practices are reiterated to the students. This debriefing session allows students to reflect on their experiences, discuss the effectiveness of their strategies, and analyze the outcomes of their actions. This activity is a simple, cost-effective way to bring the real-world into the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a public seminar on risk communication methods was conducted to raise awareness and disseminate accurate knowledge about residual pesticides to consumers. Additionally, surveys on consumer awareness were conducted on the attendees before and after the seminar to evaluate its effectiveness. Responses were obtained from 84 participants. The paired t-test was used to analyze the changes in awareness before and after the seminar. The results showed significant improvements in “trust in the government” and “understanding of residual pesticides.” Furthermore, step-wise multiple regression analysis was performed to explore the factors influencing satisfaction with the risk communication seminar, and the item “understanding of the safety of residual pesticides in food” was extracted. Understanding food safety is a crucial concern in daily life for consumers. To enable consumers to have an accurate understanding of food risks and make appropriate judgments, it is essential to continue implementing risk communication and conveying information about food safety and security in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use BERT, an AI-based algorithm for language understanding, to quantify regulatory climate risk disclosures and analyze their impact on the term structure in the credit default swap (CDS) market. Risk disclosures can either increase or decrease CDS spreads, depending on whether the disclosure reveals new risks or reduces uncertainty. Training BERT to differentiate between transition and physical climate risks, we find that disclosing transition risks increases CDS spreads after the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, while disclosing physical risks decreases the spreads. In addition, we also find that the election of Trump had a negative impact on CDS spreads for firms exposed to transition risk. These impacts are consistent with theoretical predictions and economically and statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]