Developing Radiological Risk Communication Materials for Low-Literacy Populations

描述（由申请人提供）：美国疾病预防控制中心和国土安全办公室已将恐怖事件的辐射暴露确定为值得国家做好重大准备的潜在威胁。然而，在为识字率有限的人制定风险沟通战略方面，几乎没有进行过研究。本研究的具体目的是：1.为了测试是否有针对性的沟通，为那些识字率低，增加了RTE的整体理解，以及缓解恐惧和提高自我效能相比，现有的风险信息，和2。评估设计风险沟通的新方法-感知绘图和生理测试-是否是为识字率低的人编写应急准备材料的有效方法。这项研究将使用新的方法来设计风险沟通（RC），其中包括模拟目标群体对情况的概念化，围绕这些概念模型设计信息策略，并在实验室条件下测试这些信息的认知，情感，决策，行为和生理影响。这将使用矢量数学建模来完成，以创建感知图，感知图可以用于将当前RC材料与从感知图设计的导频消息进行比较。然后将使用心理生理测量（眼动跟踪、瞳孔放大、心率、呼吸率、皮肤电导和体温）测试对这些材料的反应，以评估它们在减少恐惧和增加遵守建议行动的意愿方面的有效性。本研究将分四个阶段进行：1.进行三到四个焦点小组与受试者（N=30）与低识字（d 6年级阅读水平），并创建一个感知映射工具的辐射恐怖事件的看法; 2。对低文化程度的被试（N=50）进行知觉映射测量;分析感知映射数据，并使用向量信息设计方法为低识字率的人设计一个适应的RC辅助工具; 4.对受试者（具有d 6年级识字水平的成人; N=50）进行一项试点研究，使用心理生理学措施评估最有可能减少不确定性、决策冲突和生理压力/紧张的信息类型，并在发生辐射事件时增加遵守建议的意愿。试验受试者将被随机分组，以审查改编的RC辅助工具（实验组）或现有的CDC决策辅助工具（对照组）。我们将测试以下假设：1。实验受试者比对照受试者更有可能（a）报告遵守辐射事件建议的意图和（B）报告更少的不确定性和更多的自我效能。2.实验受试者将比对照组更有可能有聚合的心理地图，其中“自我”定位远离与辐射事件相关的负面认知/情感概念（恐惧，不确定性）。我们预测，使用这些方法设计的通信辅助工具将提供预测模型，用于在具有高感知风险程度的公共威胁的情况下，如何有效地向低文化程度的人群传达风险信息。开发和测试这些方法对改进信息设计和加强决策的影响是深远的。我们希望我们的创新方法将广泛应用于为低识字率的人设计风险沟通辅助工具，这是消除灾害应对和随后健康影响方面差异的重要战略。公共卫生相关性：这项研究将提供一个机会，更准确地预测公众，特别是识字率低的公众，可能对放射性恐怖事件或其他高风险信息作出何种反应。有情绪和生理反应的措施将是重要的解释之间的联系的认知定位/感知和行为意图相关的最后采取的行动，由公众如果一个事件实际发生。这项研究将特别有助于国家在恐怖事件的情况下做好准备，但也推进了开发跨学科模型的科学，这些模型使用感知映射和生理测试等创新方法来改善不确定性下的决策。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Radiological exposure from a terror event has been identified by the CDC and the Office of Homeland Security as a potential threat worthy of significant national preparedness. Little research has been done, however, to develop risk communication strategies for those with limited literacy. The specific aims of this research are: 1. To test whether tailored communication for those with low literacy increases overall understanding of RTEs as well as eases fear and increases self efficacy compared to existing risk messages, and 2. To assess whether new approaches to designing risk communication - perceptual mapping and physiological testing- are valid methods to develop emergency preparedness materials for people with low literacy. The study will use new approaches to designing risk communication (RC) that involves modeling the target group's conceptualization of a situation, designing message strategies around those conceptual models and testing, under laboratory conditions, the cognitive, emotional, decisional, behavioral and physiological effects of such messages. This will be done using vector mathematical modeling to create perceptual maps that can be used to compare current RC materials to pilot messages designed from the perceptual maps. Reactions to these materials will then be tested using psycho- physiological measures (eye-tracking, pupil dilation, heart rate, respiration rate, skin conductance and body temperature) to assess their effectiveness in reducing fear and increasing willingness to comply with recommended actions. The research will have four phases: 1. Conduct three to four focus groups with subjects (N=30) with lower-literacy (d 6th grade reading level) and create a perceptual mapping instrument on perceptions of a radiation terror event; 2. Administer the perceptual mapping survey instrument to subjects (N=50) with low literacy; 3. Analyze perceptual mapping data and design an adapted RC aid for people with low literacy using vector message design methods; 4. Conduct a pilot study with subjects (adults with d6th grade literacy level; N=50) using psycho-physiological measures to assess the types of messages most likely to reduce uncertainty, decisional conflict, and physiological stress/tension and increase the willingness to comply with recommendations if a radiation event occurred. Pilot subjects will be randomized to review the adapted RC aid (Experimental Group) or an existing CDC decision aid (Control Group). We will test the following hypotheses: 1. Experimental subjects will be more likely than controls to (a) report intent to comply with radiation event recommendations and (b) report less uncertainty and more self efficacy.; 2. Experimental subjects will be more likely than controls to have aggregated mental maps in which "self" is positioned farther away from negative cognitive/affective concepts (fear, uncertainty) associated with a radiation event. We predict that communication aids designed using these methods will provide predictive models for how to communicate risk information effectively to low-literacy populations in the event of a public threat with a high perceived degree of risk. The impact of developing and testing these methods to improve message design and enhance decision-making is far-reaching. We expect our innovative methods will have wide application for designing risk communication aids for those with low literacy, an important strategy for eliminating disparities in disaster response and subsequent health effects. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This research will provide an opportunity to develop a more accurate projection of how the public, especially those with low literacy, might react to a radiological terror event or other high-risk messaging. Having measures of emotional and physiological response will be important for interpreting the linkages between the cognitive positionings/perceptions and the behavioral intentions related to the final actions taken by the public should an event actually occur. This research will specifically contribute to national preparedness in the case of a terror event, but also advance the science of developing interdisciplinary models that improve decision making under uncertainty using innovative methods such as perceptual mapping and physiological testing.