Communicating about infectious disease threats: Insights from public health information officers

Yan Jin, Lucinda Austin, Santosh Vijaykumar, Hyoyeun Jun, Glen Nowak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)
54 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The public health communication challenges that arise in times of infectious disease threats (IDTs) were examined using the Risk Amplification through Media Spread (RAMS) Framework and in-depth phone interviews with 40 national, state, and local public health information officers (PIOs). Interviewees shared their experiences and insights related to how IDTs are communicated to the public, including the different types of traditional and social media used, how they develop and assess IDT messages, and their perceptions regarding the IDT risk amplification process. Theoretical and practical implications for health public relations and public health communication are discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)167-177
Number of pages11
JournalPublic Relations Review
Volume45
Issue number1
Early online date19 Dec 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2019

Keywords

  • Health communication
  • Health information officers
  • Infectious disease threats
  • Risk amplification
  • Social media

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