為有效減少因不可預期的極端氣候災害所產生的傷亡，可透過提升災害預警機制與災害認知使民眾具備更佳的災害應變決策能力。本研究選擇以台灣地區仍不常見的堰塞湖災害為研究對象以呼應極端氣候不可預期的特性，首先整理出居民在進行災害應變決策時的思考模式與程序，並釐清影響最後決策的各項因素，作為本研究主要研究架構的初擬參考；在分析工具方面則選用結構方程模式(Structural Equation Modeling, SEM)，以同時解決將心理層面認知量化與各變項間直線迴歸關係的問題。 為將以上構想付諸實行，本研究先經由文獻回顧提出居民的災害應變決策概念架構，以此概念架構為基礎進行問卷設計，並在台東縣嘉蘭村與高雄市瑪雅里進行問卷調查作業，取得資料後再透過結構方程模式建立適合台灣地區民眾的堰塞湖災害決策模型；最後則針對本研究所建立的模型與分析，對現況風險溝通與預警機制提出相關政策建議。 在試圖達成前述目的的研究過程中，本研究發現台灣民眾在面對不熟悉的堰塞湖災害時，外在的預警訊息、過去的受災經驗，以及家戶狀況等三項因素對決策影響最大；另外雖然本研究所提出的決策架構在台東與高雄兩處受測範圍內均可適用，但仍會因聚落的受災經驗、居民屬性，以及交通區位等特性上的不同而在變項重要性上有所差異。最後，本研究提出相關風險溝通的策略建議，作為未來在面臨堰塞湖災害或其他極端氣候時的政策參考。 / In order to reduce the unpredictable and extreme weather disasters’ casualties effectively, we can improve disaster warning mechanisms and disaster awareness so that people have decision-making capacity for better disaster response. This study selects the Landslide dam’s disaster, which is not common in Taiwan, as the research object. First sorted out the residents’ disaster response policy and procedures of thinking, and clarified the factors affect the final decision as the beginning research framework of this study. Analysis tools are used in structural equation model (SEM), to address both the psychological aspects of cognitive variables to quantify and the question of the relationship between the linear regressions. On the research process, first put forward the residents’ conceptual framework for disaster response decision-making through the literature review, and using this conceptual framework as the basis for questionnaire design. Taitung County and Kaohsiung City are the questionnaire surveys in this study. After the data obtained, we established a suitable decision model for Taiwan’s Landslide dam disaster through the SEM tool. Finally, we can make recommendations on risk communication policy and early warning mechanism through this model. In the research results, this study found that the external warning message, past disaster experience, and household conditions are three of the most important decision factors when Taiwan public is facing the Landslide dam disaster. In addition, although this framework can be applied in Taitung and Kaohsiung areas, but there will still be differences because of the differences in some characteristics such as the affected experience, residents’ properties, and location of traffic. Last, this study proposes some strategies of risk communication as the policy reference when facing the Landslide dam’s disaster or other extreme weather disasters in the future.

2009年4月，墨西哥與美國西南地區出現人類感染A／H1N1新型流感病毒，此一新興傳染疾病在短時間內，擴散至全球各地。因媒體是社會大眾獲得健康風險訊息的主要來源之一，媒體呈現的H1N1新型流感樣貌，可能影響閱聽眾對此疾病的認知、態度，甚或行為。故本文研究目的有二，一為探討報紙媒體如何呈現H1N1新型流感新聞，分析新聞版面、性質、篇幅、主題、消息來源與圖表運用，二為檢視H1N1新型流感新聞內容是否聚焦風險不確定的面向，呈現公眾憤怨恐慌的要素，以及是否提供民眾評估風險的資訊。了解台灣報紙媒體如何呈現新流感相關議題，為國內媒體呈現傳染疾病的研究新增不同類型的個案。 本研究蒐集《中國時報》、《聯合報》、《自由時報》和《蘋果日報》，自2009年4月25日至2010年2月25日止，共1,324則H1N1新型流感新聞為樣本，採用內容分析法檢視四報H1N1新型流感新聞的特性與呈現的風險訊息。並依H1N1新型流感疫情發展分為五個階段，比較各階段報導呈現風險訊息之異同。 研究結果發現，主題分布依疫情階段而有顯著差異，雖「疫情現況」為各時期H1N1新型流感報導最常呈現的報導主軸，但各疫情階段報導的主題比例仍有不同，尤其疫情趨緩期的主題比重與其他時期差異較大。在主要消息來源方面，各疫情階段皆以「衛生單位官員」為最多，尤其至疫情趨緩期時，主要消息來源偏向更為明顯。 在報導呈現公眾憤怨恐慌的要素方面，以各時期呈現憤怨恐慌的要素總比例比較之，疫情升溫期呈現憤怨恐慌要素的比例為最多，至疫情高峰期與疫情趨緩期，呈現憤怨恐慌的要素之總比例則明顯減少。四報呈現憤怨恐慌的要素皆以「憤怨恐慌的修辭」為最多，高達近五成新聞出現「憤怨恐慌的修辭」要素。 在報導呈現風險解釋方面，以各疫情階段呈現風險解釋的總比例相比，疫情入台傳散期，報導呈現各項風險解釋的比例為最高，其次為疫情初始期，再次為疫情升溫期。四報呈現的風險解釋以「過程解釋」類訊息為最多，其次為「實用建議」類的訊息，而「定義解釋」、「風險程度」、「風險比較」類訊息則較少被提及。 報導圖表文字內容呈現方面，則發現除《蘋果日報》外，其他三報運用圖表的比重偏低，顯示H1N1新型流感報導運用圖表解釋風險仍不甚普遍。但包含圖表的報導，圖表文字多為「風險解釋」的訊息，常提及「過程解釋」與「實用建議」類資訊。研究也發現，新聞正文與圖表文字呈現相對應的風險解釋類型有顯著相關性，其中以新聞正文與圖表文字呈現「風險比較」的相關程度最高。 透過本研究分析發現，四報有部分報導凸顯風險不確定的面向，憤怨恐慌要素以「恐懼恐慌」、「疫情失控淪陷」、「衝突或矛盾」比例較多；在風險解釋呈現方面，則以「疫情數據資料更新」、「目前疫情傳佈範圍／地區」類的訊息為最多，「風險程度」、「定義」與「風險比較」等訊息則較少被提及。 假定報導提供風險解釋，可減少公眾因對風險的「不確定性」產生的憤怨恐慌，本研究發現提醒媒體實務工作者，記者在危機或風險事件發生，擔負風險溝通的責任之際，應提供閱聽眾評估風險的資訊，以清晰明確的文字或圖表解釋風險過程與民眾自我保護的等訊息，減輕民眾的憤怨不安或恐懼。 / In April 2009, Mexico and the Southwestern United States confirmed human cases of Influenza A/H1N1. In a short time, H1N1 influenza was spreading across the rest of the world. People obtain health risk messages mainly through mass media, so what the media cover about H1N1 influenza may do have influences on their audience’s cognition, attitudes, and even behaviors toward this disease. This study has two research purposes. First, it studies how the newspaper media cover H1N1 influenza by analyzing location of article, article type, news length, content about theme, news source, and usage of graphics. Second, it examines the coverage of H1N1 influenza to see if the media focus the facets of risk and uncertainty, present public outrage factors, and offer people the information to evaluate the risks. From this study, we can understand what related issues of H1N1 influenza were presented by four major newspapers in Taiwan, and to the study of coverage of domestic media on infectious diseases this adds a different case. It sampled 1324 H1N1 influenza news reports from Chinese Times, United Daily News, The Liberty Times, and Apple Daily, covered from April 25, 2009 to February 25, 2010. It adopted content analysis to examine these four newspapers about the characteristics of their H1N1 influenza coverage and their risk communication factors. And according to the development of H1N1 influenza in Taiwan, we divided the period into five phases, comparing the similarities and differences of news content among various phases. Results of content analysis showed that the distribution of news theme varies significantly among the phases, though “epidemiological description” is the main theme. There were differences in news theme proportion among the five phases, especially notable difference of the decreasing phase. And that main news source is health officials in all phases. Source bias was more obvious especially during the decreasing phase. In terms of the coverage of public outrage factors, the news content of the four newspapers showed that it has the most outrage factors during H1N1 influenza increasing phase. In the peak and the decline of H1N1influenza contagion, news content of outrage factors decreased significantly. The most presented outrage factors by the four newspapers is the “outrage rhetoric.” Nearly fifty percent of the coverage has “outrage rhetoric” factor. Regarding the coverage of risk explanations in news content, compared by phases, the spreading phase has the highest percentage of risk explanations of H1N1 influenza news, followed by the initial phase and then the epidemic increasing phase. Among the risk explanations presented by the four newspaper, the news group of “process explanations” was found the most, followed by the news categorized of “ practical recommendation,” whereas the news groups of “definitions”, ”risk level explanations” and ”risk comparisons” were seldom mentioned. On the news with graphics, except for Apply Daily, three other newspapers have low usage of graphics. It appears that for H1N1 influenza news it is not common yet to use graphics to explain risks. For those reports with graphs, they are commonly for “risk explanations” and they often mention of messages of “process explanations” and “practical recommendation.” In addition, this study finds that there is significant correlation between articles and graphs when they both present same risk explanations in the news content. To sum up, through this study we found some reports of the four newspapers highlight the risk uncertainty, among which outrage factors are presented with higher exposure of “fear/ panic”, “epidemic out of control”, and “conflicting reports.” On the coverage of 'risk explanations,” it has the most messages about “update the data of H1N1 influenza” and “current epidemic category and area,” whereas it has less messages about “definitions”,” risk level explanations” and ”risk comparisons”. This study used an exploratory framework that posits risk explanations can mitigate negative public reactions by communicating the hazard with clearer articles or graphics. Result of this study recommends when a crisis or risk event happens, media worker should take responsibility of risk communication, and provide accurate and clear risk information to the audience. Thus, it may alleviate the negative public reactions, like outrage, anger, worry, fear, and panic.

面對高度科技化、工業化及專業化的社會，風險溝通已是政府面對環境爭議時難以規避的課題。回顧台灣近年來各項環境政策所遭遇的激烈抗爭，顯現政府風險溝通的不足。近年來興起的審議式民主，強調在理性與互惠的前提下，讓公民針對議題發表不同意見，成為政府替代傳統風險溝通的另一選項。尤其對於亟需完善風險溝通的高科技議題-「核廢料處置」而言，審議式民主似乎為其帶來契機。本研究透過分析「核廢何從電視公民討論會」審議活動過程政府與民眾的風險溝通關係，以及會議參與者的深度訪談資料，探討審議式會議如何落實風險溝通理念，藉此瞭解並反思審議式民主在台灣的實踐及其能否成為有效的風險溝通機制。 研究發現，在理論層面，審議式民主與風險溝通理論有許多相通之處；而在實踐層面，審議式民主得以落實風險溝通四項核心要素：「雙向互動」、「資訊公開、即時及更新」、「轉譯為常民語言」及「利害關係人參與」；除此之外，與會者及相關人員亦受到審議機制正向的影響；但在此會議中民眾與政府間信任關係的改善程度有限。本研究建議政府未來進行風險溝通時，應健全溝通管道、有效連結「會議結論」與「政策制定」、整合資訊公開管道並縮短數位落差、及處理與核能政策連動問題，方能有助於低放射性廢棄物的風險溝通。 / Risk communication is an unavoidable task when the government faces a highly industrialized and professionalized society. In the past years, environmental policies the government proposed and the protests these policies triggered show the deficiency of the government on risk communication. Recently, the rising deliberative democracy that emphasizes citizen dialogue on the basis of equality, rationality and reciprocity, could become an alternative to traditional risk communication for the government. Especially for the high-tech issue--disposal of nuclear waste-- which is desperate for comprehensive risk communication, deliberative democracy seems to bring the window of opportunity. Through examining the case of “Where Would the Nuclear Waste Go?” TV forum, this study explores risk communication between the government and citizens, and discusses how deliberative forum realizes the idea of risk communication in practice and delivers risk knowledge. Furthermore, this study rethinks the practice of deliberative democracy in Taiwan and accesses whether it could be an effective risk communication mechanism. This study discovers that there is no contradiction between the practice of deliberative forum and the theory of risk communication. Deliberative democracy facilitates four core elements of risk communication: “two-way communication,” “information disclosure, in time and update,” “transfer into the language of ordinary people” and “the participation of stakeholders.” In addition, the participants and staffs were empowered positively by the deliberative mechanism. However, the improvement of trust between the government and citizens is very limited. This study suggests that when conducting risk communication for the low-level radioactive waste issue, the government should enhance risk communication channels, link the conclusions of citizen forums to policy making, integrate various information disclosure mechanisms, bridge the digital divide, and deal with the problem related to the nuclear energy policy.

The increasing transparence of the human genome has profound implications for how we understand health and illness and perceive our biological and social relatedness to others. Presymptomatic testing for adult onset conditions, in particular, creates the novel situation in which some individuals know in advance of impending illness while others learn that they have escaped such a fate. How families at risk for one adult onset condition — Huntington Disease (HD) — communicate about such information is the topic of this dissertation. HD is often described as a 'genetic time bomb'. It is an autosomal dominant neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by mid-life onset, involuntary movements, cognitive impairment, and depression. There is no effective prevention or cure but with the advent of predictive testing in 1987 it became possible for at risk individuals to learn if they had inherited the mutation associated with HL\ Empirical studies on predictive testing for HD focus primarily on the individual psychological impacts of the test; few studies consider how families understand and attempt to manage genetic information in their everyday lives. This dissertation begins to address these lacunae by examining the stories that test candidates and their families tell about hereditary risk and predictive testing. These stories derive from a prospectively designed study which includes 102 in-depth, at-home interviews conducted in the pre and post-results period with 16 test candidates and 33 family members. Focusing on three narrative 'moments', the dissertation explores how study participants storied their experiences of: 1) learning about the family history of HD, 2) deciding to request the predictive test and, 3) making sense of an informative result. Drawing upon a social constructionist approach, the analysis emphasizes the processual nature of predictive testing as well as the significance of interpersonal communication in producing and reproducing the social realities in which genetic information acquires a particular salience. Given the recent proliferation of genetic tests as well as the absence of an adequate popular discourse on embodied risk, the research underscores lay actors' abilities to reframe existing clinical schema in order to interpret and manage hereditary risk in an intersubjectively meaningful way.

Suite aux notifications de cas de comportements suicidaires associés aux antidépresseurs (ADs) chez les jeunes, une mise en garde réglementaire a été émise en mai 2004 au Canada, et deux guides de pratique clinique ont été publiés dans la littérature en novembre 2007. L'objectif de ce mémoire fut d'évaluer l’association entre ces interventions de communication et le suivi médical de la population pédiatrique traitée par ADs au Québec. Une étude de cohorte rétrospective (1998-2008) a été menée chez 4 576 enfants (10-14 ans) et 12 419 adolescents (15-19 ans) membres du régime public d’assurance médicaments du Québec, ayant débuté un traitement par AD. Le suivi médical dans les trois premiers mois de traitement a été mesuré par l’occurrence et la fréquence de visites médicales retrouvées dans les banques de données de la RAMQ. Les facteurs associés à un suivi conforme aux recommandations ont été évalués à partir de modèles de régression logistique multivariés. Seuls 20% des enfants ou adolescents ont eu au moins une visite de suivi à chaque mois, en conformité avec les recommandations. La probabilité de recevoir un suivi médical conforme était plus élevée lorsque le prescripteur initial était un psychiatre. L’occurrence et la fréquence des visites n’ont pas changé après la publication de la mise en garde ou des recommandations. De ce mémoire on conclut que d'autres interventions visant à optimiser le suivi médical devraient être envisagées. / Following reports of a potential association between antidepressants (ADs) and suicidal behaviour in youth, a regulatory warning was issued in Canada in May 2004, and clinical practice guidelines on recommended medical follow-up were published in the literature in November 2007. This Master's thesis aimed at assessing the association between these communication interventions and medical follow-up practices. A retrospective cohort study (1998-2008) was conducted among 4,576 children (10-14 years) and 12,419 adolescents (15-19 years) members of the Quebec public drug plan. Medical follow-up was ascertained through patterns of physician billing practices found in the RAMQ medical services databases. Study outcomes consisted of occurrence and frequency of visits in the first three months of AD treatment. Factors associated with follow-up consistent with recommendations were identified through multivariate logistic regression models. The main independent variable was exposure to each of the communication interventions. Covariates included: gender, class of AD, number of concomitant chronic diseases, psychiatric conditions, prescriber’s specialty, and potential exposure to each intervention. Only 20% of children or adolescents received at least one visit each month. The probability of receiving adequate follow-up was greater when treatment was initiated by a psychiatrist. Occurrence and frequency of visits did not change after the warning nor the publication of the recommendations. From this thesis, one may conclude that further interventions to optimize medical follow-up practices should be envisaged.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There have been new infections of HIV despite campaigns aimed at arresting the further spread of the epidemic particularly the new infections. This study sought to investigate whether HIV positive individuals disclose their status to their sexual partners. The study looked at both longtime partners and casual partners. The overall aim was to find the factors that contribute to non-disclosure or to disclosure to sexual partners by HIV positive individuals. The specific objectives were to identify prevailing levels of HIV sero-status disclosure among people living with HIV who were attending the ARV clinic; to identify people living with HIV’s attitude towards HIV status disclosure; to establish factors contributing to disclosure or non-disclosure among people living with HIV; to establish if there is a difference between disclosure rates between ‘long time’ sex partners and casual/’once-off’ sex partners and to provide guidelines to counsellors on how to educate HIV positive people on disclosure. The objectives were achieved by using a quantitative research design through the use of questionnaires targeting 50 HIV positive individuals attending the ARV clinic at Katutura Hospital in Windhoek Namibia. The questionnaire was self-administered and consisted of close-ended questions and one open-ended question which helped collect the quantitative data. The quantitative data was then analyzed using statistical tools (graphs, tables and charts). Results showed that HIV positive individuals are aware of the importance of disclosure. The results showed that majority of the participants did not disclose for fear of abandonment. Some did not disclose because they thought that their partner was also already infected. As for casual sex partners, some did not disclose because they wanted ‘to infect someone since they were also infected by someone’. Some said that they were drunk and hence did not disclose. Participants disclosed because they wanted moral support, they did not want to infect their partners and that they wanted their partners to get tested as well. One of the recommendations was that there is a need to encourage couple counselling in cases of married couples or ‘live-in’ couples to reduce the need for disclosure. It was also recommended that HIV/AIDS health workers need special training to enhance their skills on how to educate HIV positive individuals about disclosure. The link between risky sexual behavior and alcohol abuse was highlighted and it was recommended that there is a need to educate people, particular teenagers, the link between the two. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was die bepaling van die mate waartoe persone wat MIV-positief is en klinieke bywoon hulle MIV-status bekendmaak. Die studie is by die Katutura hospitaal in Windhoek, Namibië gedoen en 50 MIV-positiewe pasiënte is as steekproef gebruik. ‘n Vraelys wat die pasiënte self ingevul het is in die studie gebruik en data is op ‘n beskrywende wyse ontleed. Resultate het aangetoon dat MIV-positiewe pasiënte wel bewus is van die belangrikheid om hulle MIV-status bekend te maak. Laasgenoemde pasiënte doen dit egter nie, hoofsaaklik uit vrees vir stigma, diskriminasie en verwerping. Sommige pasiënte maak ook nie hulle status bekend nie omdat hulle bloot aanvaar dat die persoon met wie hulle saambly ook MIV-positief is en die bekendmaking van status dus onbelangrik is. Een van die belangrikste aanbevelings wat in die studie gemaak word is dat getroude paartjies aangemoedig moet word om MIV-voorligting by te woon, hulle te laat toets en hulle status bekend te maak. Dit word ook verder aanbeveel dat MIV/Vigs-gesondheidswerkers spesiale opleiding moet kry in hoe om persone wat MIV-positief is te oorreed om hulle MIV-status bekend te maak. Die studie sluit af deur te wys op die belangrike verwantskap tussen seksuele risikogedrag en die misbruik van alkohol. Daar word sterk gepleit dat die gemeenskap, en veral tienderjariges, bewus gemaak moet word van hierdie gevaar.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This work provides a comprehensive overview of the South African HIV/AIDS epidemic. It examines the historical and social background of the HIV/AIDS situation and looks at the importance of the media and science communication in combating the effects of the epidemic on society. This research explores the different forms of health communication and the varied benefits of each. Overall, it highlights positive media efforts that have helped redirect the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the social and political context of the HIV epidemic in South Africa. The second half of this work covers the challenges experienced in gaining publicsector antiretroviral treatment and the roles the media have played in informing and mobilizing society for these efforts. Through a community clinic ethnographic case study this work explores the current state of treatment clinics, social challenges experienced in the Usapho Lwethu Clinic of Gugulethu and the future of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie werk verskaf ‘n omvattende oorsig van die Suid-Afrikaanse HIV/VIGS epidemie. Dit ondersoek die historiese en sosiale agtergrond van die HIV/VIGS toestand en belig die belangrikheid van media en wetenskaplike kommunikasie in die bestryding van die effek van hierdie epidemie op die samelewing. Hierdie navorsing verken die verskillende vorms van gesondheidskommunikasie en die onderskeie voordele van elk. In sy geheel beklemtoon dit die positiewe pogings van die media wat gehelp het met die herkanalisering van die HIV/VIGS epidemie binne die sosiale en politieke konteks in Suid-Afrika. Die tweede helfte van die werk gee 'n oorsig van die rol wat die media speel in die beskikbaarstelling van inligting en die mobilisasie van die publiek en die stryd rondom die verkryging van antiretrovirale behandeling vir die algemene publiek. ‘n Etnies-grafiese gevallestudie van ‘n plaaslike gemeenskapskliniek word gebruik om die huidige toestand in behandelingsklinieke toe te lig asook die sosiale uitdagings in die Usapho Lwethu Kliniek in Gugulethu en die toekoms rondom die HIV/VIGS epidemie in Suid-Afrika.

Submitted by Priscilla Araujo (priscilla@ibict.br) on 2015-11-25T18:12:31Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 21267 bytes, checksum: 73e23c2acaaf13389e092bd813e3223d (MD5) Tese - 20150311 - Final.pdf: 4288454 bytes, checksum: 06e538e83b4a49fe3178ffdd7ecd91f8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-25T18:12:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 21267 bytes, checksum: 73e23c2acaaf13389e092bd813e3223d (MD5) Tese - 20150311 - Final.pdf: 4288454 bytes, checksum: 06e538e83b4a49fe3178ffdd7ecd91f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-09 / O desenvolvimento tecnológico inerente às sociedades ditas modernas tem cada vez mais colocado o ser humano frente a situações de escolha entre uma ampla variedade de riscos possíveis. Como forma de proteger as pessoas e o meio ambiente, ações precisam ser desenvolvidas com o propósito de mitigar eventuais consequências da materialização desses riscos. A geração termonuclear de energia elétrica demanda planejamento com o intuito de preparar respostas a eventuais situações de emergência, pois mesmo sendo considerada de baixa probabilidade de ocorrência, quando acontecem, apresentam impacto significativo para as populações e regiões do seu entorno. Considerando a relevância desse tema, esta tese teve o propósito de identificar e analisar a dinâmica da preparação e resposta às situações de emergência em uma Central Nuclear. Buscou-se entender a sua evolução ao longo do tempo e sistematizá-la, levando em conta os atores envolvidos e os processos de aprendizagem organizacional, inovação e comunicação de risco, considerados de fundamental importância para o desenvolvimento e aprimoramento de planos de emergência. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo de caso sobre a dinâmica evolutiva do Plano de Emergência da Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto – CNAAA. Sobre a preparação e resposta às eventuais situações de emergência nessa central nuclear foi possível não apenas confirmar a importância dos três processos estudados, mas também observar que os mesmos podem ser tratados e avaliados de forma integrada e sistematizada. Assim, foi apresentado um modelo que busca facilitar a compreensão dessa perspectiva e valorizar a importância da participação e a cooperação entre os atores envolvidos (organizações e população local) dentro de uma perspectiva sócioparticipativa. Para tal, esta pesquisa exploratória buscou evidências em documentos, na participação em reuniões de planejamento e no exercício geral do Plano de Emergência da CNAAA de 2013, na realização de entrevistas com alguns dos atores envolvidos e através da aplicação de questionário junto à população da Praia Vermelha, em Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro. / The technological development inherent to modern societies has placed human beings in situations of choice from a wide variety of possible risks. As a way to protect people and the environment, actions need to be developed in order to reduce possible consequences of the materialisation of these risks. The thermonuclear power generation demand planning in order to prepare answers to possible emergency situations, as even being considered of low probability of occurrence, when they happen have a significant impact on populations and regions of its surroundings. Considering the relevance of this issue, this thesis aimed to identify and analyze the dynamics of preparedness and response to emergency situations in a Nuclear Power Plant, trying to understand its evolution over the time and systematizing it, considering the actors involved, processes of organizational learning, innovation and risk communication, considered as crucial for the development and improvement of emergency plans. Concerning preparedness and response to possible emergency situations in this nuclear plant, it was possible not only to confirm the importance of the three processes studied, but also observe that they can be treated and evaluated in an integrated and systematic way. So, it was presented a model that aims to facilitate the understanding of this perspective and enhance the importance of participation and cooperation between all stakeholders (organizations and the local population) within a socio-participatory perspective. To this end, this exploratory research sought for evidences in documents, participation in planning meetings, direct observation of the general exercises of the CNAAA External Emergency Plan of 2013, interviews with some of the actors involved and through the application of a questionnaire among the population of the Praia Vermelha, in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro.

This study investigated influence strategies used by university students to negotiate condom use. The study examined the seven condom influence strategies (CISs) -withholding sex, direct request, seduction, relationship conceptualizing, risk information, deception, and pregnancy prevention- used by heterosexually active male and female students. The sample comprised of 156 first year students (male=44 and female=112). Statistically significant correlations were found among all the condom influence strategies subscales. Results suggest that the university students influence their partners in all identified condom influence strategies and the risk information strategy holds the most promise of all the strategies.

The increasing transparence of the human genome has profound implications for how we understand health and illness and perceive our biological and social relatedness to others. Presymptomatic testing for adult onset conditions, in particular, creates the novel situation in which some individuals know in advance of impending illness while others learn that they have escaped such a fate. How families at risk for one adult onset condition — Huntington Disease (HD) — communicate about such information is the topic of this dissertation. HD is often described as a 'genetic time bomb'. It is an autosomal dominant neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by mid-life onset, involuntary movements, cognitive impairment, and depression. There is no effective prevention or cure but with the advent of predictive testing in 1987 it became possible for at risk individuals to learn if they had inherited the mutation associated with HL\ Empirical studies on predictive testing for HD focus primarily on the individual psychological impacts of the test; few studies consider how families understand and attempt to manage genetic information in their everyday lives. This dissertation begins to address these lacunae by examining the stories that test candidates and their families tell about hereditary risk and predictive testing. These stories derive from a prospectively designed study which includes 102 in-depth, at-home interviews conducted in the pre and post-results period with 16 test candidates and 33 family members. Focusing on three narrative 'moments', the dissertation explores how study participants storied their experiences of: 1) learning about the family history of HD, 2) deciding to request the predictive test and, 3) making sense of an informative result. Drawing upon a social constructionist approach, the analysis emphasizes the processual nature of predictive testing as well as the significance of interpersonal communication in producing and reproducing the social realities in which genetic information acquires a particular salience. Given the recent proliferation of genetic tests as well as the absence of an adequate popular discourse on embodied risk, the research underscores lay actors' abilities to reframe existing clinical schema in order to interpret and manage hereditary risk in an intersubjectively meaningful way. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate