Probabilities, an essential dimension of risk communication, can be presented in various formats including frequencies (e.g., 1 in 10), percentages (e.g., 10%), or verbal phrases (e.g., unlikely); the literature is mixed concerning which format best supports comprehension. Additionally, it is not well understood how people who vary in their level of numeracy understand those probabilities. The goal of the present three-phase within-participant study was to understand how the factors of format and numeracy influence comprehension and mental representations of probabilities for younger and older adults. Overall, the results of this research clearly indicated that comprehension and mental representation of health risk probabilities are influenced by format, age, and numeracy. To best support comprehension and comparison of health risk probabilities for younger adults and healthy older adults with varying numeracy, percent format should be used.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--McMaster University, 2005. / Advisor: Vic Stzewich. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-290). Also available online.

No description available.

Thesis (MPhil (Journalism))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Global climate change is the result of the natural greenhouse effect being enhanced or augmented by human activities such as industrial burning of fossil fuels and large-scale agricultural practices which have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The result – the first truly globalised consequence of pollution – is arguably one of the most pressing matters facing the future of the human species. Journalists reporting on the subject have considerable responsibility to unravel the science and present it accurately and responsibly to the public, so that the latter can make informed decisions about individual energy consumption, informed decisions at the voting poll and go further to put the necessary pressure on policy makers. However climate change is without doubt the most complex story environmental and science reporters have ever encountered, not only because it encompasses so many different fields of natural sciences (oceanography, climatology, biological sciences including flora and fauna, hydrology, horticulture etc.), but because it all too often spills over into the political, economic and social arenas. “Climate change is a difficult story to recreate… (it) is one of the most complicated stories of our time. It involves abstract and probabilistic science, labyrinthine laws, grandstanding politicians, speculative economics and the complex interplay of individuals and societies” (Wilson, 2000: 206). Specialist environmental and science news reporters only have three and a half decades of experience and history, since this is one of the more recent journalistic beats to be assigned to modern newsrooms. Such writers face a particularly challenging job of reporting the complex and growing science of global climate change. Furthermore they must do so in an environment where politicians and environmental activists feed journalists sometimes conflicting information, each with its own agenda. Increasing consumer demand for entertainment in place of information may also complicate the telling of these stories, given the financial imperative to sell newspapers. Furthermore, the “global warming story is also affected by a number of journalistic constraints, such as deadlines, space, one-source stories, complexity and reporter education” (Wilson, 2000: 206). The complexities of news values also shape the stories which finally are released to the news consuming public.

Doctor of Philosophy / Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Junehee Kwon / Food allergies affect nearly 15 million Americans, and accommodating customers with food allergies has become a challenge for the restaurant industry. One third of the fatal food allergy reactions occurred in restaurants, and it is important for the restaurant industry to properly communicate and manage the food allergy risks. This study explored perceived risks and risk communication related behaviors of restaurant staff when serving customers with food allergies by using both qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (online survey) approaches. Telephone interviews with 16 restaurant managers were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and organized to identify themes. Most participants were aware of the severity of food allergy reactions but perceived that it was the customers’ responsibilities communicating their food allergies with restaurant staff before placing their orders. Training for service staff on food allergies and risk communication topics were limited, and some managers perceived such training unnecessary for restaurant business. Findings from interviews were used to develop an online survey instrument. The survey instrument was pilot-tested and distributed to restaurant employee panels by an online survey research firm. Of 1,328 accessed the survey, 316 usable survey responses (23.8%) were collected from full-service restaurant service staff. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, and regression analyses. Results indicated that limited information about food allergies was provided on printed (35.1%) or online menus (28.2%), and very few restaurants had separate menus (8.5%) or complete ingredient lists (14.6%) for customers with food allergies. Meanwhile, restaurant servers lacked knowledge about common food allergens (12.7% correct), differences between food allergies and intolerances (34.2% correct), and government regulations related to food allergies (15.5% correct). Most restaurant servers (82.0%) agreed or strongly agreed that initiating communication and preventing food allergy reactions were responsibilities of customers with food allergies. Perceived severity of food allergy reactions, previous communication training, sources of media exposure, and perceived responsibilities of preventing food allergy reactions were found to influence restaurant servers’ risk reduction and communication behaviors (R²=0.367, p<0.001). Restaurateurs, foodservice educators, food allergy advocates, and policy makers may use these findings when developing food allergy training and strategies to prevent food allergy reactions in restaurants.

O gerenciamento de riscos em uma instalação nuclear é necessário para a segurança de trabalhadores e de populações vizinhas. Parte desse processo é a comunicação dos riscos que propicia o diálogo entre gestores da empresa e moradores das áreas de risco. A população que conhece os riscos a que está exposta, como esses riscos são gerenciados e o que deve ser feito em uma situação de emergência tende a se sentir mais segura e a confiar nas instituições responsáveis pelo plano de emergência. Sem diálogo entre empresa e público, o conhecimento dos procedimentos a serem seguidos em caso de acidente não chega à população, ou quando chega, não há confiança dessas pessoas na sua eficácia. Em Angra dos Reis, no litoral sul do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, está a Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto. No entorno dessa Central Nuclear existe uma população que, de acordo com o Plano de Emergência Externo (PEE/RJ), deverá ser evacuada ou ficar abrigada, caso ocorra um acidente na instalação. Um trabalho de comunicação de riscos entre esses moradores é necessário para que eles conheçam o plano de emergência e os procedimentos corretos para uma situação de emergência, além de buscar esclarecer dúvidas e mitos. Esse trabalho apresenta uma análise da comunicação dos riscos feita para a população local, a percepção que ela tem dos riscos e o grau de conhecimento do plano de emergência externo por parte dessas pessoas. / Risk management in a nuclear facility is necessary for the safety of workers and the surrounding population. One part of this process is risk communication that enables dialogue between the company managers and people who live within risk area. People who are aware of the risks to which they are exposed, how these risks are handled and how to behave in an emergency situation tend to feel safer and to trust the institutions responsible for the emergency plan. Without dialogue, the population has no access to the procedures necessary in occurrence of an accident, and even if they do have access, there is no trust in the institution. In Angra dos Reis, on the southern coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, there is the Almirante Álvaro Alberto Nuclear Power Plant. In the surroundings of the power plant there is a population that, according to the External Emergency Plan, must be evacuated or sheltered in the occurrence of an accident. Communication with this population is crucial, so that they become aware of the emergency plan and to its procedures, in addition to clarify doubts and myths about the risks they are exposed. This work presents an analysis of risk communication regarding local population surrounding the nuclear power plant in Angra dos Reis, their risk perception and the degree of knowledge of the external emergency plan by this population.

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Orientadores: Bernardino Ribeiro Figueiredo, Lucia da Costa Ferreira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T07:42:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DiGiulio_GabrielaMarques_D.pdf: 4612566 bytes, checksum: 3691b27af29e23cacbcffe279afe67be (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Este trabalho tem o objetivo de contribuir para a fundamentação teórica na qual se apóiam a comunicação e governança do risco, por meio da análise de três casos de contaminação ambiental e humana por chumbo, enfocando a participação dos diferentes grupos sociais na construção social do risco, de modo a subsidiar a regulamentação de práticas institucionais que assegurem a participação pública no enfrentamento/gerenciamento de situações de risco para o ambiente e saúde pública. São analisadas as experiências de Santo Amaro da Purificação (BA), Bauru (SP) e La Teja (Montevidéu, Uruguai). Com este estudo busca-se identificar, compreender e analisar como o problema da contaminação por chumbo alcançou a opinião pública, foi percebido, comunicado e gerenciado nos três casos em foco. A partir da proposta de uma abordagem integrada para lidar com os riscos em situações de áreas contaminadas, entendendo o risco como inegavelmente real e como uma construção social, este trabalho se apóia na discussão sobre a abordagem da amplificação social do risco, comunicação do risco participativa e governança do risco. As hipóteses e os argumentos defendidos neste trabalho são testados e validados a partir de uma pesquisa documental, com acesso às notícias jornalísticas, e pesquisa empírica, com realização de entrevistas com grupos envolvidos nestas situações de risco: comunidade, autoridades/gestores, pesquisadores e jornalistas. Os resultados revelam as principais características dessas situações e as percepções do risco da contaminação, que vão do reconhecimento do perigo (daí decorrendo sentimentos e atitudes relacionadas ao medo e ao enfrentamento) à negação do problema. Os resultados evidenciam que a mídia tem papel relevante na forma como o risco é comunicado e percebido, mostrando, assim, que a perspectiva da amplificação social do risco se aplica nos casos estudados. Quanto à comunicação do risco, as experiências estudadas revelam que os esforços são motivados pela transferência de conhecimento e persuasão do público, embasados no modelo básico da comunicação e do déficit de conhecimento. O enfrentamento/gerenciamento do risco segue a abordagem técnico-científica, que prioriza o conhecimento técnico e legitima a autonomia dos cientistas, considerando pouco os interesses dos afetados. A análise dos resultados permite pensar que o enfrentamento/gerenciamento destas situações demanda ações intra e intersetoriais e abordagens interdisciplinares que incluam comunicação de risco participativa, articulação, cooperação e integração entre os grupos sociais envolvidos / Abstract: The study seeks to engage with contemporary debates on risk communication and governance. Drawing on empirical research in three communities exposed to lead, this work focuses on participation of different social groups in the social construction of risk. It also tries to offer recommendations to institutional practices, related to public participation in management of public health and environmental risk situations. In this work three cases are studied: Santo Amaro da Purificação (BA), Bauru (SP) and La Teja (Montevidéu, Uruguay). The research seeks to investigate/understand/analyze how the risk issue entered the public opinion, and how the risk was perceived, communicated and managed in those situations. We use an integrated approach to deal with risks in situations of contaminated areas, which understands the risk as real and a social construction. To support this, in this study we adopt the social amplification of risk, participative risk communication and risk governance approaches. The hypotheses and arguments are validated through documental research, with analysis of journalistic articles, and empirical research, including interviews with social groups (involving local people, authorities, researchers and journalists). The findings highlight the main characteristics of those situations as well the common risk perceptions of contamination, which include concerns about hazards, fear, attempts to deal with the risk and/or to deny the problem. The findings suggest that the media has aformative role in ways in which risk is communicated and perceived. This demonstrates that social amplification of risk approach can be used to help explain these case studies. Considering risk communication, the findings suggest that, in general, the efforts focus on information transmission and public persuasion, based on the basic model of communication and the knowledge deficit model. The findings also suggest that the strategies to deal with risk gravitate towards a risk management approach that considers only scientific knowledge as legitimate knowledge, and underestimates the potential input from the public. The analysis of results encourages thinking that the risk management requires actions among different sectors, as well as interdisciplinary approaches which include participative risk communication, articulation, cooperation and integration between the different social groups involved / Doutorado / Aspectos Sociais de Sustentabilidade e Conservação / Doutor em Ambiente e Sociedade

This research has as objective to analyze of which forms the risk communication can contribute for an ethical quarrel in relation to the waters transposition of the San Francisco River. To reach our goal, we list three specific purposes: systemize Environmental Impact Report (RIMA) information related to the risks and social and environmental impacts caused by the Integration project of the San Francisco River with hydrographic basins of the northern northeast; to verify as sergipana press has located itself in relation to the transposition, by means of analysis of the journalistic speeches tied in Correio de Sergipe, Jornal da Cidade and Cinform periodicals, in the period from 2004 to 2007; identify information types and/or distortions presents in the analyzed journalistic speeches. This research itself uses of the structuralist method; it still has had a descriptive character, with primary and secondary document analysis. The study itself consists of bibliographical research on the theoretical beddings concerning the relation of the man with the nature, over all from modern authors, as Hobbes (2002) and Rousseau (1989, 1999), and contemporaries as Jonas (2006). To understand ourselves the environmental problematic in the present time, It became necessary to study the social construction of the risk , while factor that can contribute for the different threat perceptions and, therefore, to modify the exposition probability to the danger conditions. We list works by Habermas (2001, 2003) to think a communication based on the ethics about the speech. As for the documents research the information contained in the RIMA about risks and social and environmental impacts related to the transposition had been systemized. The journalistic speeches had been selected from its statements. In our analysis, we attempt to identify, at first, the study of meanings and the mapping of voices , so that we can employ discourse analysis do get to the discursive forms. We hope that the results obtained from this research can strengthen interdisciplinary academic debates, specially regarding the contributions of risk communication for an ethical discussion concerning the appropriate use of water, whether in the area of the São Francisco or those of other rivers in Sergipe. We may also expect the employ of risk communication in future environmental projects to stimulate the practice of transparency in the access to information, so as to make the dialogue between all concerned parts possible, as well as contributing to effective public participation in decision processes. / Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar de que forma a Comunicação de Risco pode contribuir para uma discussão ética em relação à transposição das águas do rio São Francisco. Para atingirmos nossa meta, elencamos três objetivos específicos: sistematizar as informações do Relatório de Impacto Ambiental (RIMA) relacionadas aos riscos e impactos socioambientais ocasionados pelo Projeto de Integração do Rio São Francisco com Bacias Hidrográficas do Nordeste Setentrional; verificar como a imprensa sergipana tem se posicionado em relação à transposição, por meio de análise dos discursos jornalísticos vinculados nos principais jornais sergipanos Correio de Sergipe, Jornal da Cidade e Cinform, no período de 2004 a 2007; e identificar tipos de informações e/ou distorções presentes nos discursos jornalísticos analisados. Esta pesquisa se utiliza do método estruturalista, tendo ainda um caráter descritivo, com análise de documentos primários e secundários. O estudo consiste de pesquisa bibliográfica sobre os fundamentos teóricos acerca da relação do homem com a natureza, sobretudo a partir de autores modernos, como Hobbes (2002) e Rousseau (1989, 1999), e contemporâneos como Jonas (2006). Para compreendermos a problemática ambiental na atualidade, fez-se necessário estudar a construção social do risco , enquanto fator que pode contribuir para as diferentes percepções de ameaça e, por conseguinte, alterar a probabilidade de exposição às condições de perigo. Elencamos as obra de Habermas (2001, 2003) para pensarmos uma comunicação pautada pela ética no discurso. No que se refere à pesquisa de documentos foram sistematizadas as informações contidas no RIMA sobre riscos e impactos socioambientais ligados à transposição. Os discursos jornalísticos foram selecionados a partir de seus enunciados. Em nossa análise, buscamos identificar, num primeiro momento, o estudo dos sentidos e o mapeamento das vozes , para então chegarmos às formações discursivas a partir da Análise do Discurso. Esperamos que o resultado desta pesquisa fortaleça os debates acadêmicos, de modo interdisciplinar, especialmente no que concerne às contribuições da Comunicação de Risco para uma discussão ética sobre o bom uso da água, seja no âmbito do rio São Francisco ou dos demais rios sergipanos. Almejemos ainda que a empregabilidade da Comunicação de Risco em projetos ambientais futuros estimule a prática da transparência no acesso às informações e possibilite o diálogo entre as partes envolvidas, além de uma efetiva participação pública nos processos decisórios.