scholarly journals Community risk perception in COVID-19: a neglected issue in public health

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 210-212
Author(s):  
Hamid Safarpour ◽  
Mohammad Esmaeil Motlagh ◽  
Moslem Sarani ◽  
Davoud Pirani ◽  
Mehdi Safari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Community Risk

scholarly journals Public perceptions of Lyme disease and climate change in southern Manitoba, Canada: making a case for strategic decoupling of climate and health messages

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Cameron ◽  
Rhéa Rocque ◽  
Kailey Penner ◽  
Ian Mauro
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Climate And Health

Abstract Background Despite scientific evidence that climate change has profound and far reaching implications for public health, translating this knowledge in a manner that supports citizen engagement, applied decision-making, and behavioural change can be challenging. This is especially true for complex vector-borne zoonotic diseases such as Lyme disease, a tick-borne disease which is increasing in range and impact across Canada and internationally in large part due to climate change. This exploratory research aims to better understand public risk perceptions of climate change and Lyme disease in order to increase engagement and motivate behavioural change. Methods A focus group study involving 61 participants was conducted in three communities in the Canadian Prairie province of Manitoba in 2019. Focus groups were segmented by urban, rural, and urban-rural geographies, and between participants with high and low levels of self-reported concern regarding climate change. Results Findings indicate a broad range of knowledge and risk perceptions on both climate change and Lyme disease, which seem to reflect the controversy and complexity of both issues in the larger public discourse. Participants in high climate concern groups were found to have greater climate change knowledge, higher perception of risk, and less skepticism than those in low concern groups. Participants outside of the urban centre were found to have more familiarity with ticks, Lyme disease, and preventative behaviours, identifying differential sources of resilience and vulnerability. Risk perceptions of climate change and Lyme disease were found to vary independently rather than correlate, meaning that high climate change risk perception did not necessarily indicate high Lyme disease risk perception and vice versa. Conclusions This research contributes to the growing literature framing climate change as a public health issue, and suggests that in certain cases climate and health messages might be framed in a way that strategically decouples the issue when addressing climate skeptical audiences. A model showing the potential relationship between Lyme disease and climate change perceptions is proposed, and implications for engagement on climate change health impacts are discussed.

scholarly journals The Influence of Social Media use on Practice of Covid-19 Preventive Measures Among Ethiopian Residents: An Online Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Abinet Arega Sadore ◽  
Demelash Woldeyohannes Handiso ◽  
Tekle Ejajo Wontamo ◽  
Dejene Ermias Mekango ◽  
Sisay Moges
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Preventive Practice ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Background: Infection with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a severe public health issue worldwide. A broad amount of information related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was disseminated by social media in Ethiopia. To date, there is limited evidence on the influence of social media use for covid-19 related information on covid-19 preventive practice. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of social media use on the practice of COVID-19 preventive measures in Ethiopia. Methods: This study employed an anonymous internet-based online cross-sectional survey using Google forms to collects the data from the respondents from 15 May to 17 June 2020 in Ethiopia. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between social media usage as a predictor and COVID-19 preventive practice, after adjusting for socio-demographic and risk perception of COVID-19 variables. The data were analysed using SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 372 respondents have participated in the study. From 372, 208(55.9%) respondents in this study were male. Study participants who had good utilization of social media to get COVID-19 related information were 9.5 times engaged in COVID-19 preventive practices compared to study participants who had poor utilization of social media to get covid-19 related information (AOR= 9.59, 95% CI = 5.70 - 16.13). Also, study participants who had a high-risk perception of COVID-19 were 2.6 times engaged in COVID-19 practices compared to study participants who had a low-risk perception of covid-19 (AOR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.58 - 4.38). Study participants who were students at the time of this study were four times more likely to show adequate COVID-19 preventive practice score compared to those who had another occupational status (AOR= 4.07, 95% CI= 1.66 - 9.98) Conclusions: Our results show that the usage of social media networks can have a positive effect on the practice of preventive measures and public safety against COVID-19; high-risk perception contributed to preventive activities against COVID-19. Social networking platforms can be used by public health agencies as an important method to raise public health understanding by disseminating concise messages to targeted audiences.

scholarly journals The Evolution Model of Public Risk Perception Based on Pandemic Spreading Theory under Perspective of COVID-19

Complexity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Yi-Cheng Zhang ◽  
Zhi Li ◽  
Guo-Bing Zhou ◽  
Nai-Ru Xu ◽  
Jia-Bao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Public Risk ◽  
And Control

After the occurrence of public health emergencies, due to the uncertainty of the evolution of events and the asymmetry of pandemic information, the public’s risk perception will fluctuate dramatically. Excessive risk perception often causes the public to overreact to emergencies, resulting in irrational behaviors, which have a negative impact on economic development and social order. However, low-risk perception will reduce individual awareness of prevention and control, which is not conducive to the implementation of government pandemic prevention and control measures. Therefore, it is of great significance to accurately evaluate public risk perception for improving government risk management. This paper took the evolution of public risk perception based on the COVID-19 region as the research object. First, we analyze the characteristics of infectious diseases in the evolution of public risk perception of public health emergencies. Second, we analyze the characteristics of risk perception transmission in social networks. Third, we establish the dynamic model of public risk perception evolution based on SEIR, and the evolution mechanism of the public risk perception network is revealed through simulation experiments. Finally, we provide policy suggestions for government departments to deal with public health emergencies based on the conclusions of this study.

Outdoor Recreationists’ Perceptions of Risk, Agency Trust, and Visitor Capacities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Rice ◽  
Timothy Mateer ◽  
Peter Newman ◽  
Ben Lawhon ◽  
Nathan Reigner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Community Risk

For nearly a century in the United States, visitor capacities have served as a means of preserving resources and the visitor experience on public lands. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased interest in implementing visitor capacities that could potentially limit use on public lands, suggesting a need to understand public support for their use in a timely manner. Risk and trust have been used in previous research concerning support for natural resource and outdoor recreation decision-making. Research in this realm includes investigation at the intersection of outdoor recreation and public health, specific to chronic wasting disease. Following this previous research, this study utilizes the constructs of risk and trust to examine support for visitor capacities that could potentially limit use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this theory-driven research relies on the cultural theory of risk and social trust theory. Using structural equation modeling and a sample of avid outdoor enthusiasts, we examine how well 1) perceived individual risk, 2) perceived community risk, 3) trust in public health agencies, and 4) trust in public land agencies predict support for visitor capacities that could potentially limit use. An email-distributed online survey was available for 48 hours beginning on April 30, 2020—during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Measurement of perceived risk and trust followed previous research relating to outdoor recreation and public health. Results indicate that outdoor enthusiasts are concerned about their individual and community health and reported higher levels of trust in data coming directly from public health agencies as opposed to state or federal land management agencies. Additionally, perceived individual risk and perceived community risk were significant predictors of support for visitor capacities. These findings can be used to improve the effectiveness of messaging intended to connect perceived risk to the management of parks and protected areas, thus providing credibility to management actions implemented during the pandemic. Additional implications from this research include the need for additional research examining support for management actions that could potentially limit use on public lands, the multidimensionality of trust in outdoor recreation, and individual risk in frontcountry outdoor recreation settings.

Public Health Decision Making and Risk Perception

2010 ◽  
pp. 729-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie S. Downs ◽  
Wändi Bruine de Bruin ◽  
Baruch Fischhoff ◽  
Elizabeth A. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Public Health Decision ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Health Decision

scholarly journals Community Risk Perception and Compliance with Preventive Measures for COVID-19 Pandemic in Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol Volume 13 ◽  
pp. 2887-2897
Author(s):  
Zeleke Asnakew ◽  
Kerebih Asrese ◽  
Mulusew Andualem
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Community Risk

scholarly journals Community resilience elements and community risk perception at Banda Aceh province, Aceh, Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 229 ◽  
pp. 01005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Azan Ridzuan ◽  
Rina Suryani Oktari ◽  
Noor Azmi Mohd Zainol ◽  
Haslinda Abdullah ◽  
Jessica Ong Hai Liaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Community Knowledge ◽  
Community Attitude ◽  
Building Process ◽  
Community Risk ◽  
Aceh Province ◽  
Community Exposure ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Banda Aceh

Issues related to the community resilience became more popular after the earthquake and Tsunami tragedy in the Indian Ocean and Aceh, Indonesia, 2004. The community resilience is the ability of communities to withstand and mitigate the stress of a disaster, there is less clearness on the detailed resilience-building process. The risk perception is concerns how an individual understands and experiences the phenomenon and believed to affect people’s preparedness for, responses to and recovery from natural disasters. Aims of this study are to identify the relationship between the community resilience elements such as community experience, community exposure, community reaction, community attitude, community knowledge and the community risk perception using survey gathered from 542 samples of Banda Aceh Province community, Aceh, Indonesia. Results found out there is a significant relationship between the community resilience elements such as community experience, community exposure, community reaction, community attitude, community knowledge and the community risk perception. Statistically, results confirm that the implementation of the community resilience elements such as community experience, community exposure, community reaction, community attitude, and community knowledge act as an important determinant of community risk perception towards disasters risk management at Banda Aceh Province community.

Risk communication and non-linearity

2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Ropeik
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Real World ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
The Real ◽  
School Of Public Health ◽  
Perception Gap ◽  
Harvard School

This article will consider non-linearity and hormesis from the perspectives of risk perception and risk communication. The observations that follow do not come from a scientist or researcher. (For a richer academic treatment of the issue of risk communication and nonlinearity, see BELLE, Vol. 11, Issue 1, 2002). I was for 25 years a journalist on television and in print, focusing on coverage of environmental issues. I then studied and taught risk perception and risk communication at the Harvard School of Public Health. I now independently consult in these areas. From the academic side, I have read a fair amount of the literature that helps explain what I call ‘The Perception Gap,’ the gap between our fears and the facts. And as a journalist and consultant I have witnessed in the real world, people’s relatively greater fear of lesser risks, and relatively lower fear of the risks the scientific data suggest they ought to worry about more. I offer the following perspectives based on those foundations.

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