Risk-communication capability for public health emergencies varies by community diversity

Elena Savoia¹ , Michael A Stoto² , Paul D Biddinger¹^,3 , Paul Campbell¹ , Kasisomayajula Viswanath¹^,4 and Howard Koh¹

¹Center for Public Health Preparedness, Division of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston 02115 MA, USA

²Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, 3700 Reservoir Road, NW Washington, DC 20057-1107, USA

³Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, 0 Emerson Place, Suite 340, Boston, MA 02114, USA

⁴Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston 02115 MA, USA

author email corresponding author email

BMC Research Notes 2008, 1:6doi:10.1186/1756-0500-1-6


Published:	7 March 2008

Abstract

Background

Public health emergencies heighten several challenges in risk-communication: providing trustworthy sources of information, reaching marginalized populations, and minimizing fear and public confusion. In emergencies, however, information may not diffuse equally among all social groups, and gaps in knowledge may increase. Such knowledge gaps vary by social structure and the size, socioeconomic status, and diversity of the population. This study explores the relationship between risk-communication capabilities, as perceived by public officials participating in emergency tabletop exercises, and community size and diversity.

Findings

For each of the three communication functions tested, risk-communication capabilities are perceived to be greater in communities with fewer then 10% of the population speaking a language other than English at home, decreasing as the percentage grows to 20% (ANOVA P ≤ 0.02). With respect to community size, however, we found an N-shaped relationship between perceived risk communication capabilities and population size. Capabilities are perceived highest in the largest communities and lowest in the smallest, but lower in communities with 20,000–49,999 inhabitants compared to those with 2,500–19,999.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest the need to factor population diversity into risk communication plans and the need for improved state or regional risk-communication capabilities, especially for communities with limited local capacity.