The effect of graphical and numerical presentation of hypothetical prenatal diagnosis results on risk perception.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate various formats for the communication of prenatal test results.


METHODS
In study 1 (N=400), female students completed a questionnaire assessing risk perception, affect, and perceived usefulness of prenatal test results. A randomized, 2 (risk level; low, high) x 4 (format; ratio with numerator 1, ratio with denominator 1000, Paling Perspective Scale, pictograms) design was used. Study 2 (N=200) employed a 2 (risk level; low, high) x 2 (format; Paling Perspective Scale, risk comparisons in numerical format) design.


RESULTS
In study 1, the Paling Perspective Scale resulted in a higher level of perceived risk across different risk levels compared with the other formats. Furthermore, participants in the low-risk group perceived the test results as less risky compared with participants in the high-risk group (P < 0.001) when the Paling Perspective Scale was used. No significant differences between low and high risks were observed for the other 3 formats. In study 2, the Paling Perspective Scale evoked higher levels of perceived risks relative to the numerical presentation of risk comparisons. For both formats, we found that participants confronted with a high risk perceived test results as more risky compared with participants confronted with a low risk.


CONCLUSIONS
The Paling Perspective Scale resulted in a higher level of perceived risk compared with the other formats. This effect must be taken into account when choosing a graphical or numerical format for risk communication.
Institute for Environmental Decisions, Consumer Behavior, Zürich, Switzerland. msiegrist@ethz.ch
Michael
M
Siegrist
Pascale
P
Orlow
Carmen
C
Keller
D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires