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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Sarah B. Bass, PhD, MPH¹, Brenda Seals, PhD, MPH¹, Elizabeth J. Leebron, PhD², and Dominique G. Ruggieri, MA¹. (1) Department of Public Health, Temple University, 1700 N. Broad Street, Suite 304, Philadelphia, PA 12122, 215 204-5110, sarah.bass@temple.edu, (2) Department of Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media, Temple University, 2020 N. 13th Street, Tomlinson Hall, Room 214, Philadelphia, PA 19122

After 9/11/01, public health experts realized the need to expand preparedness efforts to include risk communication training for first responders. While the idea of “social marketing” is usually thought of in terms of how the public reacts to messages, it is equally important to think of social marketing in the context of the skill of the “marketer” to deliver that message. This study evaluated the perceived self-efficacy of public health personnel, police, fire fighters, EMTs and hospital personnel in Philadelphia. Ten point self-efficacy scales assessed their comfort in discussing different types of terror events as well as specific risk communication and media readiness skills. Results showed that first responders in the study do not perceive themselves as having adequate communication skills to inform the media or public during a terror event. There was also wide variability in what different responder groups were comfortable with. Public health personnel were more confident in their ability to discuss bioterror threats like smallpox and anthrax; police were more comfortable discussing a dirty bomb. There was also wide variability among those responders who had some media experience or training. Police leaders had high self efficacy means for feeling they were skilled and effective spokespeople (mean 7.75 out of 10) compared to public health personnel (mean 4.44) or other groups (overall mean of 5.12). These results illustrate that developing risk communication skills in first responders is a key process for disaster preparedness. Without adequate levels of self-efficacy, first responders will not communicate risk information effectively.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize how self-efficacy affects confidence in being able to communicate disaster information to the media and public.
• Identify which factors are related to higher first responder self-efficacy in communicating disaster information.
• Discuss which responders had higher self-efficacy scores in media readiness and communication skills.

Keywords: Media, Disasters

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered