National Health Risk Communication Training Program for State Health AgencyPersonnel

摘要

In February 1989, two surveys were developed by Rutgers University EnvironmentalCommunication Research Program (ECRP) concerning the health risk communication practices and needs of state health agencies. Agency commissioners and designated staff of 48 states and territories participated in the surveys. Data from both the Commissioners/Directors and Staff surveys indicated that agencies are expending more effort on responding to requests for information than on initiating dialogues with interested constituencies or alerting the public to risk. The data also suggest a gap between the stated philosophy and practice of the agencies. Few differences were found between responses from small and large states or between commissioner and staff responses. Respondents indicated states have a great interest in health risk communication, in general, and health risk communication training, in particular. On the other hand, respondents indicated that states have significant problems with a number of health risk communication issues. There was little correlation between those health risk communication issues that respondents indicated are significant problems and those which they indicated are priorities for health risk communication training. Responses also suggest gaps between agencies' stated commitments to health risk communication and their health risk communication practices.