Dealing with the dangers of fear: The role of risk communication
Dealing with the dangers of fear: The role of risk communication
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DOI：
10.1377/hlthaff.21.6.106
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发表时间：
2002-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
9.7
通讯作者：
Ropeik, DP
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gray, GM;Ropeik, DP
2001 年本土恐怖袭击给我们带来的众多教训之一是，恐惧对公共卫生具有重大影响。人们选择开车而不是乘坐飞机，从而增加了受伤或死亡的风险。数千人服用广谱抗生素来预防可能的炭疽感染，从而加速了抗生素耐药性。这种潜在有害的行为是人们因为害怕而寻求安全感而采取的。本文主张更加重视风险沟通，以帮助人们正确看待自己的恐惧。有效的沟通不仅通过政府的言论，而且隐含在政府所采取的行动中，使人们能够在自己的生活中做出更明智的选择，并支持社会做出明智的选择，利用有限的资源来最大限度地提高公共和环境健康。
Among the many lessons of the homeland terrorist attacks of 2001 was that fear has powerful public health implications. People chose to drive instead of flying, thereby raising their risk of injury or death. Thousands took broad-spectrum antibiotics to prevent possible anthrax infections, thereby accelerating antimicrobial resistance. Such potentially harmful actions were taken by people seeking a sense of safety because they were afraid. This essay argues for greater emphasis on risk communication to help people keep their fears in perspective. Effective communication, not only through what the government says but implicit in the actions it takes, empowers people to make wiser choices in their own lives, and to support wise choices by society in applying limited resources to maximize public and environmental health.