HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2006.107102v1 AJPH.2006.107102v2 98/12/2214    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wray, R. J. Articles by Mitchell, E. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wray, R. J. Articles by Mitchell, E. W. Related Collections Epidemiology Injury/Emergency Care/Violence Media Health Education

Ricardo J. Wray, PhD, Steven M. Becker, PhD, Neil Henderson, PhD, Deborah Glik, ScD, Keri Jupka, MPH, Sarah Middleton, MPH, Carson Henderson, PhD, Allison Drury, MPH and Elizabeth W. Mitchell, PhD

Ricardo J. Wray and Keri Jupka are with the Health Communication Research Laboratory, School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO. Steven M. Becker and Sarah Middleton are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Alabama, Birmingham. Neil Henderson and Carson Henderson are with the Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Health Sciences Center, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City. Deborah Glik and Allison Drury were with the Health and Media Research Group, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles. Elizabeth W. Mitchell is with the National Center for Health Marketing, Division of Emergency Communication, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Ricardo J. Wray, PhD, Saint Louis University School of Public Health, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, Room 411, St. Louis, MO, 63104 (tel.: 314-977-4075, fax: 314-977-4016, e-mail: wray{at}slu.edu).

Objectives. We sought to better understand the challenges of communicating with the public about emerging health threats, particularly threats involving toxic chemicals, biological agents, and radioactive materials.

Methods. At the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we formed an interdisciplinary consortium of investigative teams from 4 schools of public health. Over 2 years, the investigative teams conducted 79 focus group interviews with 884 participants and individual cognitive response interviews with 129 respondents, for a total sample of 1013 individuals. The investigative teams systematically compared their results with other published research in public health, risk communication, and emergency preparedness.

Results. We found limited public understanding of emerging biological, chemical, and radioactive materials threats and of the differences between them; demand for concrete, accurate, and consistent information about actions needed for protection of self and family; active information seeking from media, local authorities, and selected national sources; and areas in which current emergency messaging can be improved.

Conclusions. The public will respond to a threat situation by seeking protective information and taking self-protective action, underlining the critical role of effective communication in public health emergencies.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G J. Rubin, R. Amlot, L. Page, and S. Wessely Public perceptions, anxiety, and behaviour change in relation to the swine flu outbreak: cross sectional telephone survey BMJ, July 2, 2009; 339(jul02_3): b2651 - b2651. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. S. Ringel, E. Trentacost, and N. Lurie How Well Did Health Departments Communicate About Risk At The Start Of The Swine Flu Epidemic In 2009? Health Aff., July 1, 2009; 28(4): w743 - w750. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]