Risky Business: New York City's Experience With Fear-Based Public Health Campaigns.
Fear-based public health campaigns have been the subject of an intense moral and empirical debate. We examined how New York City, under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, used fear-based appeals to confront three challenges to public health: high rates of tobacco use, obesity, and HIV infection. New York City's use of this type of messaging may have set a precedent. Other state and local health departments will have to navigate how and whether to use fear in a context where it is possible to assert that it can serve the interests of public health. But this will not reduce the need to carefully balance efficacy, uncertainty, stigma, marginalization, emotional burdens, justice, community participation, and scientific credibility.
Amy L. Fairchild (alf4@columbia.edu) is a professor in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, in New York City.
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Ronald Bayer is a professor at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
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James Colgrove is a professor in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000070497:Healthy Lifestyle; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D057545:Social Stigma; D013240:Stereotyping; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
Health Promotion/Disease Prevention; Politics; Public Health