title: Theory-based approaches to understanding public emergency preparedness: implications for effective health and risk communication.
abstract: Recent natural and human-caused disasters have awakened public health officials to the importance of emergency preparedness. Guided by health behavior and media effects theories, the analysis of a statewide survey in Georgia reveals that self-efficacy, subjective norm, and emergency news exposure are positively associated with the respondents' possession of emergency items and their stages of emergency preparedness. Practical implications suggest less focus on demographics as the sole predictor of emergency preparedness and more comprehensive measures of preparedness, including both a person's cognitive stage of preparedness and checklists of emergency items on hand. We highlight the utility of theory-based approaches for understanding and predicting public emergency preparedness as a way to enable more effective health and risk communication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Advertising, Public Relations, & Retailing, College of Communications Arts & Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Hye-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Paek
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hilyard
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Freimuth
authors.forename: J Kevin
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Barge
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mindlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003625:Data Collection; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011635:Public Health Administration; D012307:Risk Factors; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012938:Social Perception