Risk Communication and Public Health
Peter Bennett, Kenneth Calman, Sarah Curtis, and Denis Fischbacher-Smith
Abstract
Controversies about risks to public health regularly hit the news, whether about food safety, environmental issues, medical interventions, or ‘lifestyle’ risks such as drinking. To those trying to manage or regulate risks, public reactions sometimes seem bizarre. To the public, the behaviour of those supposedly ‘in charge’ can seem no less odd. Trust is currently at a premium. This new edition of Risk Communication and Public Health covers the theoretical and research background, and presents a wide range of contemporary case studies and the learning experiences from these, and the political, ... More
Controversies about risks to public health regularly hit the news, whether about food safety, environmental issues, medical interventions, or ‘lifestyle’ risks such as drinking. To those trying to manage or regulate risks, public reactions sometimes seem bizarre. To the public, the behaviour of those supposedly ‘in charge’ can seem no less odd. Trust is currently at a premium. This new edition of Risk Communication and Public Health covers the theoretical and research background, and presents a wide range of contemporary case studies and the learning experiences from these, and the political, institutional and organisational issues they raise. It concludes with an analysis of the lessons learned and gives pointers for the future. The book offers international perspectives, and contributors include representatives from consumer organisations as well as public health practitioners and academics. This edition is substantially updated with new material and case studies, but retains the same focus: the improvement of communication and promotion of ‘good practice’ in risk communication, Government, the Health Service and elsewhere.
Keywords:
risk communication,
public health,
controversies,
news,
food safety,
environmental issues,
medical interventions,
lifestyle risks,
drinking,
public reactions
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2010 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199562848 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: February 2010 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562848.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Peter Bennett, editor
Head of Analysis for Health Protection, Department of Health, London, UK
Kenneth Calman, editor
Chancellor, University of Glasgow, UK
Sarah Curtis, editor
Professor of Health and Risk, Durham University, UK
Denis Fischbacher-Smith, editor
Professor of Risk and Resilience, CHERR - Centre for Health, Environment and Risk Research, University of Glasgow, UK
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