LITERATURE RISK & HEALTH COMMUNICATION
BLOK 1
Effective Health Communication – A Key Factor in Fighting the Covid-
19 pandemic
Elements that are important in determining how to communicate health information to the
public effectively:
1) Declare openly and honestly what is (un)known and stick to the facts as much as
possible. Facts can be temporarily.
2) Information must be consistent and specific, the number of spokespersons must be
limited.
3) Demonstrate the ability to make decisions in a situation characterized by uncertainty
with honesty and confidence.
4) Acknowledge emotions, by demonstrating concern and by acknowledging the impact
of the situation for the individual and their lives.
There is an intention-behavior gap; knowing is not the same as doing.
Recommendations regarding behavior change:
1) Create a mental model about how contamination works and how this can be
prevented.
2) Real intervention in the environment.
3) The attitude and behavior of leaders at all levels are important.
4) Change in self-regulation of behavior.
,Cognitive Determinants of Health Behavior
Social cognition models (SCM)
Cognitions that distinguish between those performing and not performing behaviors.
Cognitions that intervene between observable stimuli and behavior in real-world situations.
Self-regulation: mental and behavioral processes by which people enact their self-
conceptions, revise their behavior or alter the environment so as to bring about outcomes in
line with their self-perceptions and personal goals.
re-evaluation of beliefs, goal setting and goal-directed behavior.
1) Motivational phase
a. Costs and benefits are considered in order to choose between goals and
behaviors.
2) Volitional phase
a. Planning and action directed toward achieving the set goal pre-dominate.
The health belief model (HBM)
Theory of SCM
Health behavior is determined by:
1) Perceptions of illness threat
a. Perceived susceptibility of the individual to the illness.
i. E.g., how likely am I to get ill?
b. Perceived severity of the consequences of the illness for the individual.
i. E.g., how serious would the illness be?
2) Evaluation of behaviors to counteract this threat.
a. Consideration of both the potential benefits of and barriers/costs to action.
individuals are most likely to follow a particular health action if they believe themselves
to be susceptible to a particular condition which they also consider to be serious and believe
that the benefits outweigh the costs of the action taken to counteract the health threat.
Cues to action
o Include a diverse range of triggers to the individual taking action which may
be internal or external to the individual.
Cues to health motivation
o Stable differences between individuals in the value they attach to their health
and their propensity to be motivated to look after their health.
, Protection motivation theory
Extension of HBM
The primary determinant of performing a health behavior is protection motivation or
intention to perform a health behavior.
1) Threat appraisal
a. Consideration of perceptions of susceptibility to the illness and severity of the
health threat in a very similar way to HBM.
2) Coping appraisal
a. The process of assessing the behavioral alternatives which might diminish the
threat.
i. Individuals’ expectancy that carrying out a behavior can remove the
threat (action-outcome efficacy).
ii. Belief in one’s capability to successfully execute the recommended
courses of action (self-efficacy).
adaptive or maladaptive responses.
Theory of planned behavior (TPB)
Understanding health behaviors; specifies factors that determine the decision to perform a
behavior.
The key determinants of behavior are intention to engage in that behavior and perceived
behavioral control over that behavior.
Intention is determined by:
1) Attitudes
a. Overall evaluation of the behavior by the individual as positive/negative.
b. Beliefs about the perceived outcomes of a behavior.
c. E.g., how likely is this outcome.
2) Subjective norms
a. Person’s beliefs about whether significant others think he/she should engage
in the behavior.
b. Motivation to comply with each salient other on this issue.
c. E.g., would my best friend want me to do this?
3) Perceived behavioral control
a. Influence’s behavior and intentions, we don’t do things we don’t think we can
do.
b. Control beliefs whether one has access to the necessary resources and
opportunities to perform the behavior successfully.
c. Internal and external factors.
expectancy-value framework.
BLOK 1
Effective Health Communication – A Key Factor in Fighting the Covid-
19 pandemic
Elements that are important in determining how to communicate health information to the
public effectively:
1) Declare openly and honestly what is (un)known and stick to the facts as much as
possible. Facts can be temporarily.
2) Information must be consistent and specific, the number of spokespersons must be
limited.
3) Demonstrate the ability to make decisions in a situation characterized by uncertainty
with honesty and confidence.
4) Acknowledge emotions, by demonstrating concern and by acknowledging the impact
of the situation for the individual and their lives.
There is an intention-behavior gap; knowing is not the same as doing.
Recommendations regarding behavior change:
1) Create a mental model about how contamination works and how this can be
prevented.
2) Real intervention in the environment.
3) The attitude and behavior of leaders at all levels are important.
4) Change in self-regulation of behavior.
,Cognitive Determinants of Health Behavior
Social cognition models (SCM)
Cognitions that distinguish between those performing and not performing behaviors.
Cognitions that intervene between observable stimuli and behavior in real-world situations.
Self-regulation: mental and behavioral processes by which people enact their self-
conceptions, revise their behavior or alter the environment so as to bring about outcomes in
line with their self-perceptions and personal goals.
re-evaluation of beliefs, goal setting and goal-directed behavior.
1) Motivational phase
a. Costs and benefits are considered in order to choose between goals and
behaviors.
2) Volitional phase
a. Planning and action directed toward achieving the set goal pre-dominate.
The health belief model (HBM)
Theory of SCM
Health behavior is determined by:
1) Perceptions of illness threat
a. Perceived susceptibility of the individual to the illness.
i. E.g., how likely am I to get ill?
b. Perceived severity of the consequences of the illness for the individual.
i. E.g., how serious would the illness be?
2) Evaluation of behaviors to counteract this threat.
a. Consideration of both the potential benefits of and barriers/costs to action.
individuals are most likely to follow a particular health action if they believe themselves
to be susceptible to a particular condition which they also consider to be serious and believe
that the benefits outweigh the costs of the action taken to counteract the health threat.
Cues to action
o Include a diverse range of triggers to the individual taking action which may
be internal or external to the individual.
Cues to health motivation
o Stable differences between individuals in the value they attach to their health
and their propensity to be motivated to look after their health.
, Protection motivation theory
Extension of HBM
The primary determinant of performing a health behavior is protection motivation or
intention to perform a health behavior.
1) Threat appraisal
a. Consideration of perceptions of susceptibility to the illness and severity of the
health threat in a very similar way to HBM.
2) Coping appraisal
a. The process of assessing the behavioral alternatives which might diminish the
threat.
i. Individuals’ expectancy that carrying out a behavior can remove the
threat (action-outcome efficacy).
ii. Belief in one’s capability to successfully execute the recommended
courses of action (self-efficacy).
adaptive or maladaptive responses.
Theory of planned behavior (TPB)
Understanding health behaviors; specifies factors that determine the decision to perform a
behavior.
The key determinants of behavior are intention to engage in that behavior and perceived
behavioral control over that behavior.
Intention is determined by:
1) Attitudes
a. Overall evaluation of the behavior by the individual as positive/negative.
b. Beliefs about the perceived outcomes of a behavior.
c. E.g., how likely is this outcome.
2) Subjective norms
a. Person’s beliefs about whether significant others think he/she should engage
in the behavior.
b. Motivation to comply with each salient other on this issue.
c. E.g., would my best friend want me to do this?
3) Perceived behavioral control
a. Influence’s behavior and intentions, we don’t do things we don’t think we can
do.
b. Control beliefs whether one has access to the necessary resources and
opportunities to perform the behavior successfully.
c. Internal and external factors.
expectancy-value framework.
