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A survey instrument to isolate effectiveness of a novel risk communication intervention
Risk communications can be used to inform, persuade and facilitate public support for hazard risk mitigation and preparedness. Some common risk communications practices, such as the use of fear-based appeals, may inadvertently trigger maladaptive behavior. A brochure, film or advertisement may be ju...
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Published in: | Natural hazards (Dordrecht) 2016-05, Vol.82 (1), p.59-72 |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Risk communications can be used to inform, persuade and facilitate public support for hazard risk mitigation and preparedness. Some common risk communications practices, such as the use of fear-based appeals, may inadvertently trigger maladaptive behavior. A brochure, film or advertisement may be just one part of a larger campaign to promote hazard readiness, and these items can and should be tested separately for efficacy and effectiveness prior to broad deployment. The purpose of this article is to show the development of a survey instrument, the 25-item
earthquake
-
resistant
construction knowledge and opinions
(EKO) scale. This scale was created to test a non-emergency communications intervention designed to encourage earthquake-resistant school construction. It was utilized in a randomized controlled trial measuring change in outcomes after viewing a 20-minute film (trial results are reported elsewhere). The intervention film featured community members in Nepal who had worked toward making their school buildings earthquake safe. Study participants were 761 adult community members at schools with buildings in need of seismic work. Factor analysis yielded four questionnaire subscales labeled
knowledge
,
feasibility
,
would
-
help
-
school
and
would
-
recommend
-
to
-
others
, accounting for 55.7 % of the variance. Internal consistency was acceptable, with Cronbach’s
α
of 0.78–0.93 for all but the
knowledge
factor (
α
= 0.48). The EKO scale may be adapted to measure risk communications in other settings. Research on further development and application of the EKO scale and other similar questionnaires may facilitate the evaluation of risk communication interventions and help improve understanding of factors that contribute to intervention effectiveness. |
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ISSN: | 0921-030X 1573-0840 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s11069-016-2179-2 |