Public Communication during the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic

Tür:

Kitap Bölümü

Yazar:

Elena Savoia; Leesa Lin; Kasisomayajula Viswanath

Yayın yılı:

2015

Yayıncı:

Oxford University Press

Abstract Based on a national survey developed using communications theories, a systematic literature review, and focus groups, this chapter analyzes the impact of public health system communication efforts during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic on how information on pH1N1 was received and acted on. Local television news was the primary source of information, but many did not rate it as a highly trusted source, preferring healthcare professionals. The U.S. population in general had good knowledge about pH1N1, yet there were substantial communication inequalities regarding pH1N1-related cognitions and attitudes associated with socio-economic position, especially education. The uptake of pH1N1 vaccine was associated with socio-economic position and demographic factors, pH1N1-related beliefs and seasonal vaccination uptake. Fewer than half of the people surveyed with a high school degree perceived the vaccine as safe, compared to two thirds with a bachelor’s or higher degree. African-Americans were the group least likely to believe that the pH1N1 vaccine was safe, and African-Americans with less than a bachelor’s degree were the least likely to have received the vaccine. In sum, these findings clearly identify the challenges in communicating pandemic information to the public while also pointing to possible ways to mitigate those challenges.

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