title: Risk communication, risk perception, and public health.
abstract: Risk communication is about building trust while deploying an interactive and ongoing communication process in which audience members are active participants. This interactive participation may not solve a public health crisis, but it will help reduce unwarranted fear, anxiety and distrust. Consequently, if a government agency fails to understand how to effectively communicate about health risks, their trustworthiness and credibility may suffer, and a crisis event may go from bad to worse.
authors.affiliation: Health Hazard Evaluation Section, Bureau of Environmental Health, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aakko
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D004189:Disaster Planning; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D023481:Terrorism; D014922:Wisconsin