The Impact of Health Risk Communication: A Study on the Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika Epidemics in Curaçao, Analyzed by the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF)
van Goudoever, Milou J. F.; Mulderij-Jansen, Vaitiare I. C.; Duits, Ashley J.; Tami, Adriana; Gerstenbluth, Izzy I.; Bailey, Ajay
(2021) Qual Health Res, volume 31, issue 10, pp. 1801 - 1811
(Article)
Abstract
Epidemics of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika have been threatening the Caribbean. Since risk communication (RC) plays a fundamental role in preventing and controlling diseases understanding how RC works is essential for enabling risk-reducing behavior. This multimethod qualitative study compares news reports with local?s and health professional?s perspectives, currently lacking in
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RC research. It was found that RC strategies were obstructed by a lack of governmental structure, organization, and communication. The content analysis showed that the majority of newspaper articles contained negative reporting on the government. Furthermore, this study shows how trust and heuristics attenuate or amplify people?s risk perceptions and possibly positively and negatively influence people?s risk-reducing behavior. A transcending approach (e.g., structural, cooperative, and multidisciplinary) of the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases and the corresponding RC is recommended.
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Keywords: qualitative research methods, risk communication, risk perception, social amplification of risk, the Caribbean, trust, vector-borne diseases, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
ISSN: 1049-7323
Publisher: SAGE Publications Inc.
Note: Funding Information: The authors want to thank the participants and Tittel Boomgaart (translator) for their time invested in this study. Also, they thank the Ministry of Health, the Environment and Nature of Cura?ao for supporting this project. Finally, we want to thank the editors and reviewers for their insightful comments on the paper. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Funding was provided by the Dutch Research Council to the project entitled ?Public health impact of chronic chikungunya illness and performance/utilisation of the health care system in the face of arboviral (dengue, chikungunya, Zika) epidemics in Curacao? Acronym: ARBOCARIB (NWO grant ALWCA.2016.021). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Funding was provided by the Dutch Research Council to the project entitled “Public health impact of chronic chikungunya illness and performance/utilisation of the health care system in the face of arboviral (dengue, chikungunya, Zika) epidemics in Curacao” Acronym: ARBOCARIB (NWO grant ALWCA.2016.021). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021.
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