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Getting the Message Out: Social Media and Word-of-Mouth as Effective Communication Methods during Emergencies
- Amy F. Wolkin, Amy H. Schnall, Nicole K. Nakata, Esther M. Ellis
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 34 / Issue 1 / February 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 December 2018, pp. 89-94
- Print publication:
- February 2019
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Effective communication is a critical part of managing an emergency. During an emergency, the ways in which health agencies normally communicate warnings may not reach all of the intended audience. Not all communities are the same, and households within communities are diverse. Because different communities prefer different communication methods, community leaders and emergency planners need to know their communities’ preferred methods for seeking information about an emergency. This descriptive report explores findings from previous community assessments that have collected information on communication preferences, including television (TV), social media, and word-of-mouth (WoM) delivery methods. Data were analyzed from 12 Community Assessments for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPERs) conducted from 2014-2017 that included questions regarding primary and trusted communication sources. A CASPER is a rapid needs assessment designed to gather household-based information from a community. In 75.0% of the CASPERs, households reported TV as their primary source of information for specific emergency events (range = 24.0%-83.1%). Households reporting social media as their primary source of information differed widely across CASPERs (3.2%-41.8%). In five of the CASPERs, nearly one-half of households reported WoM as their primary source of information. These CASPERs were conducted in response to a specific emergency (ie, chemical spill, harmful algal bloom, hurricane, and flood). The CASPERs conducted as part of a preparedness activity had lower percentages of households reporting WoM as their primary source of information (8.3%-10.4%). The findings in this report demonstrate the need for emergency plans to include hybrid communication models, combining traditional methods with newer technologies to reach the broadest audience. Although TV was the most commonly reported preferred source of information, segments of the population relied on social media and WoM messaging. By using multiple methods for risk communication, emergency planners are more likely to reach the whole community and engage vulnerable populations that might not have access to, trust in, or understanding of traditional news sources. Multiple communication channels that include user-generated content, such as social media and WoM, can increase the timeliness of messaging and provide community members with message confirmation from sources they trust encouraging them to take protective public health actions.
,Wolkin AF ,Schnall AH ,Nakata NK .Ellis EM Getting the Message Out: Social Media and Word-of-Mouth as Effective Communication Methods during Emergencies . Prehosp Disaster Med.2019 ;34(1):89–94.
Assessment of Behavioral Health Concerns in the Community Affected by the Flint Water Crisis — Michigan (USA) 2016
- Gamola Z. Fortenberry, Patricia Reynolds, Sherry L. Burrer, Vicki Johnson-Lawrence, Alice Wang, Amy Schnall, Price Pullins, Stephanie Kieszak, Tesfaye Bayleyegn, Amy Wolkin
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 33 / Issue 3 / June 2018
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 19 April 2018, pp. 256-265
- Print publication:
- June 2018
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Objectives
The Flint Community Resilience Group (Flint, Michigan USA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, Georgia USA) assessed behavioral health concerns among community members to determine the impact of lead contamination of the Flint, Michigan water supply.
MethodsA Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) was conducted from May 17 through May 19, 2016 using a multi-stage cluster sampling design to select households and individuals to interview.
ResultsOne-half of households felt overlooked by decision makers. The majority of households self-reported that at least one member experienced more behavioral health concerns than usual. The prevalence of negative quality of life indicators and financial concerns in Flint was higher than previously reported in the Michigan 2012 and 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey.
ConclusionsThe following can be considered to guide recovery efforts in Flint: identifying additional resources for behavioral health interventions and conducting follow-up behavioral health assessments to evaluate changes in behavioral health concerns over time; considering the impact of household economic factors when implementing behavioral health interventions; and ensuring community involvement and engagement in recovery efforts to ease community stress and anxiety.
,Fortenberry GZ ,Reynolds P ,Burrer SL ,Johnson-Lawrence V ,Wang A ,Schnall A ,Pullins P ,Kieszak S ,Bayleyegn T .Wolkin A Assessment of Behavioral Health Concerns in the Community Affected by the Flint Water Crisis — Michigan (USA) 2016 . Prehosp Disaster Med.2018 ;33 (3 ):256 –265 .
Disaster Impact on Impoverished Area of US: An Inter-Professional Mixed Method Study
- Linda H. Banks, Lisa A. Davenport, Meghan H. Hayes, Moriah A. McArthur, Stacey N. Toro, Cameron E. King, Hazel M. Vazirani
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 31 / Issue 6 / December 2016
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 19 September 2016, pp. 583-592
- Print publication:
- December 2016
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Introduction
In the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains, in central Appalachia (a region that spans 13 states in the US), sits an economically distressed and rural community of the United States. Once a thriving coal-mining area, this region now is reported as one of the hardest places to live in the US. Southeastern Kentucky, located in a remote, rocky, mountainous area surrounded by rivers and valleys and prone to flooding, experienced a major flood in Spring 2013 causing significant damage to homes and critical infrastructure.
PurposeAims of the study were to: (1) identify and better understand the contextual variables compounding the impact of a disaster event that occurred in Spring 2013; (2) identify ways participants managed antecedent circumstances, risk, and protective factors to cope with disaster up to 12 months post-event; and (3) further determine implications for community-focused interventions that may enhance recovery for vulnerable populations to promote greater outcomes of adaptation, wellness, and readiness.
MethodsUsing an ethnographic mixed-methods approach, an inter-collaborative team conducted face-to-face interviews with (N=12) Appalachian residents about their disaster experience, documented observations and visual assessment of need on an observation tool, and used photography depicting structural and environmental conditions. A Health and Emergency Preparedness Assessment Survey Tool was used to collect demographic, health, housing, environment, and disaster readiness assessment data. Community stakeholders facilitated purposeful sampling through coordination of scheduled home visits.
ResultsTriangulation of all data sources provided evidence that the community had unique coping strategies related to faith and spirituality, cultural values and heritage, and social support to manage antecedent circumstances, risk, and protective factors during times of adversity that, in turn, enhanced resilience up to 12 months post-disaster. The community was found to have an innate capacity to persevere and utilize resources to manage and transcend adversity and restore equilibrium, which reflected components of resilience that deserve greater recognition and appreciation.
ConclusionResilience is a foundational concept for disaster science. A model of resilience for the rural Appalachia community was developed to visually depict the encompassing element of community-based interventions that may enhance coping strategies, mitigate risk factors, integrate protective factors, and strengthen access. Community-based interventions are recommended to strengthen resilience, yielding improved outcomes of adaptation, health and wellness, and disaster readiness.
,Banks LH ,Davenport LA ,Hayes MH ,McArthur MA ,Toro SN ,King CE .Vazirani HM Disaster Impact on Impoverished Area of US: An Inter-Professional Mixed Method Study . Prehosp Disaster Med.2016 ;31 (6 ):583 –592 .
Use of Community Assessments for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPERs) to Rapidly Assess Public Health Issues — United States, 2003-2012
- Tesfaye M. Bayleyegn, Amy H. Schnall, Shimere G. Ballou, David F. Zane, Sherry L. Burrer, Rebecca S. Noe, Amy F. Wolkin
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 30 / Issue 4 / August 2015
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 July 2015, pp. 374-381
- Print publication:
- August 2015
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Introduction
Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) is an epidemiologic technique designed to provide quick, inexpensive, accurate, and reliable household-based public health information about a community’s emergency response needs. The Health Studies Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides in-field assistance and technical support to state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) health departments in conducting CASPERs during a disaster response and in non-emergency settings. Data from CASPERs conducted from 2003 through 2012 were reviewed to describe uses of CASPER, ascertain strengths of the CASPER methodology, and highlight significant findings.
MethodsThrough an assessment of the CDC’s CASPER metadatabase, all CASPERs that involved CDC support performed in US states and territories from 2003 through 2012 were reviewed and compared descriptively for differences in geographic distribution, sampling methodology, mapping tool, assessment settings, and result and action taken by decision makers.
ResultsFor the study period, 53 CASPERs were conducted in 13 states and one US territory. Among the 53 CASPERS, 38 (71.6%) used the traditional 2-stage cluster sampling methodology, 10 (18.8%) used a 3-stage cluster sampling, and two (3.7%) used a simple random sampling methodology. Among the CASPERs, 37 (69.9%) were conducted in response to specific natural or human-induced disasters, including 14 (37.8%) for hurricanes. The remaining 16 (30.1%) CASPERS were conducted in non-disaster settings to assess household preparedness levels or potential effects of a proposed plan or program. The most common recommendations resulting from a disaster-related CASPER were to educate the community on available resources (27; 72.9%) and provide services (18; 48.6%) such as debris removals and refills of medications. In preparedness CASPERs, the most common recommendations were to educate the community in disaster preparedness (5; 31.2%) and to revise or improve preparedness plans (5; 31.2%). Twenty-five (47.1%) CASPERs documented on the report or publications the public health action has taken based on the result or recommendations. Findings from 27 (50.9%) of the CASPERs conducted with CDC assistance were published in peer-reviewed journals or elsewhere.
ConclusionThe number of CASPERs conducted with CDC assistance has increased and diversified over the past decade. The CASPERs’ results and recommendations supported the public health decisions that benefitted the community. Overall, the findings suggest that the CASPER is a useful tool for collecting household-level disaster preparedness and response data and generating information to support public health action.
,Bayleyegn TM ,Schnall AH ,Ballou SG ,Zane DF ,Burrer SL ,Noe RS .Wolkin AF Use of Community Assessments for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPERs) to Rapidly Assess Public Health Issues — United States, 2003-2012 . Prehosp Disaster Med.2015 ;30 (4 ):1 -8.
Assessing Radiation Emergency Preparedness Planning by Using Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) Methodology
- Mawuli K. Nyaku, Amy F. Wolkin, Jevon McFadden, Jim Collins, Michelle Murti, Amy Schnall, Shane Bies, Martha Stanbury, Jennifer Beggs, Tesfaye M. Bayleyegn
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 29 / Issue 3 / June 2014
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 06 June 2014, pp. 262-269
- Print publication:
- June 2014
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Introduction
Approximately 1.2 million persons in Oakland County, Michigan (USA) reside less than 50 miles from the Fermi Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 2, but information is limited regarding how residents might react during a radiation emergency. Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey methodology has been used in disaster and nondisaster settings to collect reliable and accurate population-based public health information, but it has not been used to assess household-level emergency preparedness for a radiation emergency. To improve emergency preparedness plans in Oakland County, including how residents might respond during a radiation emergency, Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), conducted a CASPER survey.
MethodsDuring September 2012, a 2-stage cluster sampling design was used to select 210 representative households in Oakland County. By using in-person surveys, the proportion of households with essential needs and supplies, how residents might respond to public health authorities’ instructions, and their main source for obtaining information during a radiation emergency were assessed. Data were weighted to account for the complex sampling design.
ResultsOf the goal of 210 households, 192 (91.4%) surveys were completed: 64.7% and 85.4% of respondents indicated having 3-day supplies of water and of nonperishable food, respectively; 62.8% had a 7-day supply of prescription medication for each person who needed it. Additionally, 64.2% had a working carbon monoxide detector; 67.1% had a first-aid kit; and 52% had an alternative heat source. In response to instructions from public health officials during a radiation emergency, 93.3% of all respondents would report to a radiation screening center; 96% would evacuate; and 91.8% would shelter-in-place. During a radiation emergency, 55.8% of respondents indicated their main information source would be television, 18.4% radio, and 13.6% the Internet. The most trusted source for information would be the local public health department (36.5%), local news (23%), a physician (11.2%), and family members (11.1%). Including completed and incomplete interviews, refusals, and nonrespondents, 517 total households were contacted.
ConclusionsCASPER data regarding how residents might react during a radiation emergency provided objective and quantifiable information that will be used to develop Oakland County's radiation emergency preparedness plans. Survey information demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of CASPER methodology for radiation emergency preparedness planning.
,Nyaku MK ,Wolkin AF ,McFadden J ,Collins J ,Murti M ,Schnall A ,Bies S ,Stanbury M ,Beggs J .Bayleyegn TM Assessing Radiation Emergency Preparedness Planning by Using Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) Methodology . Prehosp Disaster Med.2014 ;29 (3 ):1 -9 .
An Evaluation of Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) in North Carolina, 2003-2010
- Jennifer Horney, Meredith K. Davis, Sarah E.H. Davis, Aaron Fleischauer
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 28 / Issue 2 / April 2013
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 January 2013, pp. 94-98
- Print publication:
- April 2013
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Introduction
Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) is a group of tools and methods designed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide rapid, reliable, and accurate population-based public health information. Since 2003, North Carolina public health professionals have used CASPERs to facilitate public health emergency responses and gather information on other topics including routine community health assessments.
ProblemTo date, there has been no evaluation of CASPER use by public health agencies at the state or local level in the US.
MethodsLocal health departments of North Carolina reported when and how CASPERs were used during the period 2003 to 2010 via an online survey. Data on barriers and future plans for using CASPERs also were collected.
ResultsFifty-two of North Carolina's 85 local health departments (61%) completed the survey. Twenty-eight departments reported 46 instances of CASPER use during 2003 to 2010. The majority of CASPERs were performed for community health assessments (n = 20, 43%) or exercises (n = 11, 24%). Fifty-six percent of respondents indicated they were “likely” or “very likely” to use CASPERs in the future; those who had prior experience with CASPERs were significantly more likely (P = .02) to report planned future use of CASPERs compared to those without prior experience with the tool. Lack of training, equipment, and time were the most frequently reported barriers to using CASPERs.
ConclusionsLocal public health agencies with clear objectives and goals can effectively use CASPERs in both routine public health practice and disaster settings.
. ,Horney J ,Davis MK ,Davis SEH .Fleischauer A An Evaluation of Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) in North Carolina, 2003-2010 . Prehosp Disaster Med.2013 ;28 (2 ):1 –5