Theory-based approaches to understanding public emergency preparedness: implications for effective health and risk communication. Academic Article

abstract

• Recent natural and human-caused disasters have awakened public health officials to the importance of emergency preparedness. Guided by health behavior and media effects theories, the analysis of a statewide survey in Georgia reveals that self-efficacy, subjective norm, and emergency news exposure are positively associated with the respondents' possession of emergency items and their stages of emergency preparedness. Practical implications suggest less focus on demographics as the sole predictor of emergency preparedness and more comprehensive measures of preparedness, including both a person's cognitive stage of preparedness and checklists of emergency items on hand. We highlight the utility of theory-based approaches for understanding and predicting public emergency preparedness as a way to enable more effective health and risk communication.

authors

• Barge, James

published proceedings

• J Health Commun

author list (cited authors)

• Paek, H., Hilyard, K., Freimuth, V., Barge, J. K., & Mindlin, M.

citation count

• 96

complete list of authors

• Paek, Hye-Jin||Hilyard, Karen||Freimuth, Vicki||Barge, J Kevin||Mindlin, Michele

publication date

• January 2010

publisher

• Taylor & Francis  Publisher

published in

• Journal of Health Communication: international perspectives  Journal

keywords

• Adult
• Communication
• Data Collection
• Disaster Planning
• Female
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Humans
• Individuality
• Male
• Mass Media
• Middle Aged
• Psychological Theory
• Public Health Administration
• Risk Factors
• Self Efficacy
• Social Perception

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1080/10810731003753083

start page

• 428

end page

• 444

volume

• 15

issue

• 4

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10810731003753083