Will Public Health's Response to Terrorism Be Fair? Racial/Ethnic Variations in Perceived Fairness During a Bioterrorist Event

Eisenman, David; Wold, Cheryl; Setodji, Claude Messan; Hickey, Scot; Liu, Ben; Stein, Bradley D.; Long, Anna C. J.

doi:10.1089/bsp.2004.2.146

Cited by 36 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…31,41,54,[61][62][63][64][65] The PEMDP also corroborated published findings that suggest that distrust of the government is more pronounced among minority communities, including African Americans and Hispanics, who fear unequal treatment in a disaster. 50,66,67 The PEMDP results were consistent with a quantitative study showing that openness in government response about an event is important in fostering trust. The…”

Section: Public Actions In An Eventsupporting

confidence: 78%

Communicating With the Public About Emerging Health Threats: Lessons From the Pre-Event Message Development Project

et al. 2008

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Objectives. We sought to better understand the challenges of communicating with the public about emerging health threats, particularly threats involving toxic chemicals, biological agents, and radioactive materials. Methods. At the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we formed an interdisciplinary consortium of investigative teams from 4 schools of public health. Over 2 years, the investigative teams conducted 79 focus group interviews with 884 participants and individual cognitive response interviews with 129 respondents, for a total sample of 1013 individuals. The investigative teams systematically compared their results with other published research in public health, risk communication, and emergency preparedness. Results. We found limited public understanding of emerging biological, chemical, and radioactive materials threats and of the differences between them; demand for concrete, accurate, and consistent information about actions needed for protection of self and family; active information seeking from media, local authorities, and selected national sources; and areas in which current emergency messaging can be improved. Conclusions. The public will respond to a threat situation by seeking protective information and taking self-protective action, underlining the critical role of effective communication in public health emergencies.

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Section: Public Actions In An Eventsupporting

confidence: 78%

Communicating With the Public About Emerging Health Threats: Lessons From the Pre-Event Message Development Project

et al. 2008

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“…Public trust and confidence can help mitigate and improve the ability to manage a terror threat, 24 but this is severely compromised if a large segment of the population is unable to access or process emergency communications, especially if they already have lower confidence in emergency response because of other socioeconomic factors. 13,14,46 Effective risk communication is essential for containing the public's fear and fatalism and for ensuring public cooperation during crisis events.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…23 Risk communication is important for improving decision making among individuals and groups. 24,25 While it is unknown how the public would actually respond in the event of a radiological terror event, evidence from nonterror radiation events, such as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, indicates that credible and trusted information is needed to address the significant social and psychological impacts that would occur. 26 Because of the fear of an unseen and unknown threat such as radiation, the public may be confused and have uncertainty which, without clear communication that is acceptable to all groups, may result in the public's being unable to act in ways that are protective of themselves and their families.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Do Low-Literacy Populations Perceive “Dirty Bombs”? Implications for Preparedness Messages

Bass¹,

Gordon²,

Maurer³

et al. 2016

Health Security

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Potential terror events such as "dirty bombs" could have significant public health effects, but little is known about how low-literacy populations perceive dirty bombs, their trust in public health or government officials to provide credible information, and their willingness to comply with recommended actions. We surveyed 50 low-literacy adults from a large urban center; they were mostly members of ethnic minority groups. We used unique social marketing methods-perceptual mapping and vector message modeling-to create 3-dimensional models that reflected respondents' knowledge of what a dirty bomb is, their intended behaviors should one occur, and their concerns about complying with "shelter in place" recommendations. To further understand individual variations in this at-risk group, a k-means cluster analysis was used to identify 3 distinct segments, differing on trust of local authorities and their emergency response, willingness to comply with emergency directives, and trust of information sources. Message strategies targeting each segment were developed to focus on concepts important to moving the groups toward a "shelter in place" behavior, revealing key differences in how best to communicate with risk communication. We discuss how these methods helped elucidate specific differences in each segment's understanding of and likely response during the event of a "dirty bomb" and how these techniques can be used to create more effective message strategies targeted to these groups.

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“…This stemmed in part from differences in risk perceptions among African Americans, which were partly rooted in historical memory of the Tuskegee syphilis experiments. 12 Further, these differences echo findings from a study of public opinion about the fairness of government response to a "bioterrorist attack," in which African Americans were less likely to feel that the government would "respond fairly to [their] health needs regardless of race, ethnicity, income or other personal characteristics," 13 and a study showing lower levels of specific aspects of trust, including "honesty" and "consistency in information," in the event of a smallpox attack. 14 These studies are important insofar as differences in trust may affect willingness to adhere to government recommendations during an attack.…”

mentioning

confidence: 79%

Public Response to an Anthrax Attack: A Multiethnic Perspective

SteelFisher¹,

Blendon²,

Brulé³

et al. 2012

Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, an

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The 2001 anthrax attacks emphasized the need to develop outreach that would more effectively support racial/ethnic minority populations during a bioterrorism incident. Given the importance of antibiotic prophylaxis in a future anthrax attack, it should be a priority to better support racial/ ethnic minorities in mass dispensing programs. To examine the needs and perspectives of racial/ ethnic minorities, this study used a nationally representative poll of 1,852 adults, including 1,240 whites, 261 African Americans, and 282 Hispanics. The poll examined public reactions to a "worst-case scenario" in which cases of inhalation anthrax are discovered without an identified source and the entire population of a city or town is asked to receive antibiotic prophylaxis within 48 hours. Findings suggest willingness across all racial/ethnic groups to comply with recommendations to seek prophylaxis at dispensing sites. However, findings also indicate possible barriers for racial/ethnic minorities, including greater concern about pill safety and multiple HHS Public Access Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript attacks as well as lesser knowledge about inhalation anthrax. Across all racial/ethnic groups, roughly half would prefer to receive antibiotics at mass dispensing sites rather than through the US Postal Service. People in racial/ethnic minority groups were more likely to say this preference stems from a desire to speak with staff or to exchange medication formulation or type. Findings suggest the need for tailored outreach to racial/ethnic minorities through, for example, emphasis on key messages and enhanced understandability in communications, increased staff for answering questions in relevant dispensing sites, and long-term trust building with racial/ethnic minority communities.During the 2001 anthrax attacks, public health officials were challenged with providing antibiotic prophylaxis to a racially and ethnically diverse group of people who had likely been exposed to Bacillus anthracis. [1][2][3] This experience emphasized the need to develop outreach and communications that would more effectively support racial/ethnic minority populations during a possible future bioterrorism incident. It should therefore be a priority to address the needs of racial/ethnic minority groups with respect to programs for mass dispensing of antibiotic prophylaxis, which form a central piece of the nation's capabilities for reducing mass casualties in the case of future anthrax attacks. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In order to improve mass dispensing programs for racial/ethnic minority groups, it is important to understand how people in racial/ethnic minorities might respond to such programs and whether that differs from majority white populations. 9 It may be particularly important to understand whether there are differences in attitudes about the dispensing programs or knowledge about disease etiology that might dissuade members of racial/ethnic minority groups from obtaining and taking antib...

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Will Public Health's Response to Terrorism Be Fair? Racial/Ethnic Variations in Perceived Fairness During a Bioterrorist Event

Abstract: To strengthen bioterrorism preparedness, public health officials must continue to improve perceived fairness among African American and Asian/Pacific Islander communities.

Cited by 36 publications

References 31 publications

Communicating With the Public About Emerging Health Threats: Lessons From the Pre-Event Message Development Project

Communicating With the Public About Emerging Health Threats: Lessons From the Pre-Event Message Development Project

How Do Low-Literacy Populations Perceive “Dirty Bombs”? Implications for Preparedness Messages

Public Response to an Anthrax Attack: A Multiethnic Perspective

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