Communicating Health Risks to the Public

This book reviews current health risk communication strategies, and examines and assesses the technical and psycho-sociological tools available to support risk communication plans. It brings together approaches to risk communication from a number of countries and describes the techniques, including drama, storytelling and scenarios that are used to identify and prioritise key communication issues, and to identify policy responses. The book also provides a review of the methods and tools available for risk assessment, risk communication and priority setting, which are relevant not only to practitioners but to health planning more generally, and to many other areas of public health and policy. The discussion of these techniques is supported by case studies, and is concluded by a chapter reflecting on the conceptual and research issues that still need to be addressed. It also proposes new directions for risk communication that key into the public imagination with the aim of gaining their trust and confidence in the risk messages. Communicating Health Risks to the Public: A Global Perspective brings together a wide variety of perspectives on risk communication, from the perspectives of health, anthropology, psychology, and media. It should be of interest not only to those involved in risk assessment or communication but to anyone interested in the role of science and the media in the political process.