Health Risk Communication

Health Risk Communication Deals With Planned Or Unplanned Communication To The Public About The Nature, Impact And Management Of A Wide Array Of Health Threats, Such As Cancer, Hiv/aids Or Influenza Pandemics. Traditional Health Risk Communication Models Used To Stress A One-way Flow Of Health Risk Messages To The Public. The Dominant Focus Was On Experts (government, Health Organizations,...) Merely Disseminating Risk Information And Educating A 'lay' And 'ignorant' Public About Health Threats. However, This Simplistic Top-down Model Of Communication Ignored The Complex Nature Of The Audience And The Public's Understanding Of Risk Information. Fortunately, There Has Been A Shift Away From Top-down Communication About Health Threats. This Book Gathers Research Findings And Theoretical Reviews With A Focus On The Role Of Mass Media As Sources Of Health Risk Information, The Role Of Message Formats Or Frames And Risk Information Source Characteristics.