On 24th May 2021, our Postdoc Siv Hilde Berg presented insights from her paper ‘Health authorities’ health risk communication with the public during pandemics: a rapid scoping review’ at the Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference 2020+1.
The programme for the session
Theme: Science communication & COVID (Session A: 13:45 – 15:00 BST)
Chair: Ana Claudia Nepote
| Public understanding of the mathematical aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic | Ayelet Baram-Tsabari | Israel |
| Health authorities’ health risk communication with the public during pandemics: a rapid scoping review | Siv Hilde Berg | Norway |
| Rapid reaction: Science Media Center Germany and its response to the COVID-19 outbreak | Irene Broer | Germany |
| How citizens make sense of Covid-19 and the practice of communicating science | Frank Kupper | Netherlands |
| Narrative analysis about facemask wearing at the COVID-19 time: perceptions of a basic tool with significant socio-cultural implications | Lucia Martinelli | Italy |
Abstract and information
Individual paper
Health authorities’ health risk communication with the public during pandemics: a rapid scoping review
Author: Siv Hilde Berg
Centre for Resilience in Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Norway
Background: Scientific insights from the H1N1 Swine flu pandemic and the recent coronavirus pandemic COVID-19 provide an opportunity to get insight into the role of health authorities” various ways of communicating health risk information to the public. Hence, we aimed to synthesise the existing evidence regarding different modes of communication used by health authorities in health risk communication with the public during a pandemic.
Methods: We conducted a rapid scoping review. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for publications in English from January 2009- through October 2020, covering both the H1N1 pandemic as well as the response phase during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results:The search resulted in 1440 records, of which 48 studies met our eligibility criteria. The included studies were analysed in a content analysis.
Conclusion: The identified studies on social media focused mainly on engagement. There is a lack of studies investigating the effect of health authorities” videos and messages on social media platforms and self-protective behaviour. More studies with RCT design are needed across the fields of health risk communication and media studies (including visual communication, creative communication, video, digital marketing) at a time when online digital communication is central in reaching the public.
Co-authors:
Jane O’Hara
School of Healthcare, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Leeds, UK., United Kingdom
Henriette Thune
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Norway, Norway
Siri Wiig
Marie Therese Shortt
Kolbjørn K. Brønnick
Centre for Resilience in Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Norway