Risk and Health Communication
Lecture 1
先进行初步介绍：
1. Massive flow of health information:
• Unprecedented global flow of information through (social) media
• Need for clear, reliable messages that fit different contexts and
audiences
2. Dealing with uncertainty and fear
• Panic: COVID-19 is ‘contagious and deadly’
• ‘Invisible enemy’ (i.e. symptom-free incubation period)
• Feeling of loss of control over life
The article lists 4 important elements for communication:
1. Open and honest about what is (un)known 对已知和未知的信息保持开
放和诚实:
： stick to the facts and recognize the temporality 暂时性 of it (e.g.,
wearing face masks)
2. Consistent and specific information 信息要一致且具体
: clear, specific, non-ambiguous “layman’s language” (i.e., “easy”
language)
2. Decision making skills 决策能力:
make decisions with confidence and honesty (i.e., showing leadership)
(e.g., weekly press conferences 新闻发布会 by prime minister)
,4. Acknowledge emotions 承认人们的情绪
: through empathic information, expressing concern, and acknowledging
impact
3. Promote behavioral change
• Simple messages, but difficult to implement
(e.g., washing hands, coughing in elbow, etc.)
• Changing routines: convert it into conscious actions
• Intention-behavior gap: ‘knowing’ is not the same as ‘doing’
The article lists 4 important recommendations:
1. Creating ‘mental model’: overview picture (i.e. visualisation) of how
contamination works and how this can be prevented
2. Real interventions: implement in the environment (e.g., hand
sanitizer; touching elbows)
3. Appeal to collective action: ‘we are in this together’ and using role
models
4. Maintain behavioral change: conscious planning in the beginning
(i.e., action self-efficacy) and over time, habits take over (i.e.,
maintenance self-efficacy)
Key definitions ｜What is risk?
Risk in this course:
• The likelihood that a specific event occurs (also: lecture 4)
• Chance that something happens x the severity of it
,风险 = 某件事情发生的概率 × 它造成后果的严重程度
• Risk perception: different for everybody…
• Subjective! And that is difficult to estimate…
风险感知是主观的！所以很难准确估计。
Multiple definitions
• WHO (1946):
• It is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
➢ Refers to a “state” (i.e., fixed)
健康是一种身体、心理和社会层面都完全良好的状态，而不仅仅是没有疾病或虚
弱。
也就是说，WHO 早期把健康看作一种 “状态”（state），好像是比较固定的：
一个人要么健康，要么不健康。
• More recently:
• The capacity of people to adapt to, respond to, or control life’s
challenges and changes’
➢ Refers to a “dynamic process” (i.e., resilience)
健康更强调人们适应、回应或控制生活挑战和变化的能力。
Objective health at the organic level, determined by an expert 专家
Subjective health on the individual level, determined by the individual,
perceived health
Social health on the social level, determined by the social
, environment, society
Key definitions ｜Prevention levels
Prevention
• Risk and health communication is often about ‘prevention’
• ‘Avoid from happening’
Three levels
• Primary prevention
• Secondary prevention
• Tertiary prevention
Communication message is different:
• Level determines the message strategy / social marketing approach
现在细讲三个 level 的预防措施
（1）Primary prevention
• Preventing (the development of) illness
• ‘Prevention is better than cure 治疗’
（2）Secondary prevention
• Early detection 检测 of a disease / issue / problem
（3）Tertiary prevention
• Limiting the severity or consequences of the disease / issue / problem
Obesity 属于 tertiary prevention 的方案
• Helping people stick to a treatment program
• Developing of exercise programs for obese people
Lecture 1
先进行初步介绍：
1. Massive flow of health information:
• Unprecedented global flow of information through (social) media
• Need for clear, reliable messages that fit different contexts and
audiences
2. Dealing with uncertainty and fear
• Panic: COVID-19 is ‘contagious and deadly’
• ‘Invisible enemy’ (i.e. symptom-free incubation period)
• Feeling of loss of control over life
The article lists 4 important elements for communication:
1. Open and honest about what is (un)known 对已知和未知的信息保持开
放和诚实:
： stick to the facts and recognize the temporality 暂时性 of it (e.g.,
wearing face masks)
2. Consistent and specific information 信息要一致且具体
: clear, specific, non-ambiguous “layman’s language” (i.e., “easy”
language)
2. Decision making skills 决策能力:
make decisions with confidence and honesty (i.e., showing leadership)
(e.g., weekly press conferences 新闻发布会 by prime minister)
,4. Acknowledge emotions 承认人们的情绪
: through empathic information, expressing concern, and acknowledging
impact
3. Promote behavioral change
• Simple messages, but difficult to implement
(e.g., washing hands, coughing in elbow, etc.)
• Changing routines: convert it into conscious actions
• Intention-behavior gap: ‘knowing’ is not the same as ‘doing’
The article lists 4 important recommendations:
1. Creating ‘mental model’: overview picture (i.e. visualisation) of how
contamination works and how this can be prevented
2. Real interventions: implement in the environment (e.g., hand
sanitizer; touching elbows)
3. Appeal to collective action: ‘we are in this together’ and using role
models
4. Maintain behavioral change: conscious planning in the beginning
(i.e., action self-efficacy) and over time, habits take over (i.e.,
maintenance self-efficacy)
Key definitions ｜What is risk?
Risk in this course:
• The likelihood that a specific event occurs (also: lecture 4)
• Chance that something happens x the severity of it
,风险 = 某件事情发生的概率 × 它造成后果的严重程度
• Risk perception: different for everybody…
• Subjective! And that is difficult to estimate…
风险感知是主观的！所以很难准确估计。
Multiple definitions
• WHO (1946):
• It is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
➢ Refers to a “state” (i.e., fixed)
健康是一种身体、心理和社会层面都完全良好的状态，而不仅仅是没有疾病或虚
弱。
也就是说，WHO 早期把健康看作一种 “状态”（state），好像是比较固定的：
一个人要么健康，要么不健康。
• More recently:
• The capacity of people to adapt to, respond to, or control life’s
challenges and changes’
➢ Refers to a “dynamic process” (i.e., resilience)
健康更强调人们适应、回应或控制生活挑战和变化的能力。
Objective health at the organic level, determined by an expert 专家
Subjective health on the individual level, determined by the individual,
perceived health
Social health on the social level, determined by the social
, environment, society
Key definitions ｜Prevention levels
Prevention
• Risk and health communication is often about ‘prevention’
• ‘Avoid from happening’
Three levels
• Primary prevention
• Secondary prevention
• Tertiary prevention
Communication message is different:
• Level determines the message strategy / social marketing approach
现在细讲三个 level 的预防措施
（1）Primary prevention
• Preventing (the development of) illness
• ‘Prevention is better than cure 治疗’
（2）Secondary prevention
• Early detection 检测 of a disease / issue / problem
（3）Tertiary prevention
• Limiting the severity or consequences of the disease / issue / problem
Obesity 属于 tertiary prevention 的方案
• Helping people stick to a treatment program
• Developing of exercise programs for obese people
