Closing the gap: Reducing social inequities in the effectiveness of crisis and emergency risk communication

Historical evidence and recent public health crises such as Hurricane Katrina illustrate how longstanding gaps in communication planning for certain populations contribute to a disproportionate impact of a public health emergency across society. Despite efforts to integrate ethnically and racially diverse communities into emergency preparedness planning, gaps in communication readiness were again evident during the response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Evidence from empirical studies and technical reports, news accounts and anecdotal stories from public health officials in several states revealed gaps in emergency health preparedness, including risk communication. Plans to build public trust; dispel rumors; inform about vaccine safety, availability and effectiveness; and motivate preventive behavior seemed less successful in removing vaccination barriers among certain racial/ethnic groups. Importantly, several social and demographic factors that predicted increased risk of medical complications from the H1N1 virus also were associated with more skepticism about vaccine safety and less persuasive impact of public health communications. This presentation will describe evidence from multiple sources that suggests reduced effectiveness of H1N1 risk communications during 2009 for certain segments of African-American and Latino populations. We will discuss why risk communications may have had limited success among some groups during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, and identify concrete steps to improve communication readiness for culturally diverse and vulnerable populations. Proposed strategies draw on a substantial knowledge base and evidence regarding best practice in crisis/risk communication, and are consistent with principles highlighted in a recent statement by the National Consensus Panel on Emergency Preparedness and Cultural Diversity.