Information Seeking Behaviors and Intentions in Response to Environmental Health Risk Messages: A Test of A Reduced Risk Information Seeking Model

Hovick, Shelly R.; Bigsby, Elisabeth; Wilson, Sam R.; Thomas, Samuel S.

doi:10.1080/10410236.2020.1804139

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The outcome of stage 3 is driven by the interaction between perceived threat and efficacy, affective state, and individual difference and, as framed by the EPPM, results in no response (driver C: insufficient threat perceived), defensive response (driver D: defensive motivation), or problem-focused response (driver E: protection motivation). Decision-making in stage 3 may be extended by driver F (information seeking), which is a precursor to developing intentions around action [ 65 ]. Neither the EPPM nor the PAPM provide well-established drivers at stages 6 and 7, for which habit formation and actual, as opposed to perceived, efficacy are expected to be important [ 55 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear, Efficacy, and Environmental Health Risk Reporting: Complex Responses to Water Quality Test Results in Low-Income Communities

Nowicki

Bukachi

Hoque

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Reducing disease from unsafe drinking-water is a key environmental health objective in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, where water management is largely community-based. The effectiveness of environmental health risk reporting to motivate sustained behaviour change is contested but as efforts to increase rural drinking-water monitoring proceed, it is timely to ask how water quality information feedback can improve water safety management. Using cross-sectional (1457 households) and longitudinal (167 participants) surveys, semi-structured interviews (73 participants), and water quality monitoring (79 sites), we assess water safety perceptions and evaluate an information intervention through which Escherichia coli monitoring results were shared with water managers over a 1.5-year period in rural Kitui County, Kenya. We integrate the extended parallel process model and the precaution adoption process model to frame risk information processing and stages of behaviour change. We highlight that responses to risk communications are determined by the specificity, framing, and repetition of messaging and the self-efficacy of information recipients. Poverty threatscapes and gender norms hinder behaviour change, particularly at the household-level; however, test results can motivate supply-level managers to implement hazard control measures—with effectiveness and sustainability dependent on infrastructure, training, and ongoing resourcing. Our results have implications for rural development efforts and environmental risk reporting in low-income settings.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear, Efficacy, and Environmental Health Risk Reporting: Complex Responses to Water Quality Test Results in Low-Income Communities

Nowicki

Bukachi

Hoque

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…These data were collected as part of a larger online experiment in which participants were randomly assigned to a message condition (lower threat, higher threat, or no message control), with or without a cue to seek information (i.e., “Be proactive—get more information about [risk] today.”) and topic (arsenic, BPA, or VOCs; see Hovick, Bigsby, Wilson, & Thomas, 2020). Participants in the control conditions were excluded from these analyses because they did not receive (and therefore did not process) a message.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Afterwards, they were given an opportunity to seek information online on the risk topic they were assigned (i.e., “Would you like to seek more information about [topic]?”). Participants who answered “yes” were directed to an online search page (separate from the Qualtrics survey) that mimicked a google search results page and contained live links to information produced by state and federal agencies (for more information, see Hovick et al., 2020). Once they completed seeking information, participants were asked to complete a final set of assessments, including information acquisition intentions and behavioral intentions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whereas the lower threat messages provided basic information about the risks and did not include statements intended to increase perceived severity and susceptibility. Information about development of the stimuli is reported elsewhere (see Hovick et al., 2020). Linguistic analysis of the stimuli to validate the messages was conducted using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software (Tausczik & Pennebaker, 2010), which confirmed that word choices differed across messages; the higher threat messages included more negative emotion words (e.g., danger, kill, damage), body and health words (e.g., cancers, heart, blood), and personal pronouns (i.e., you) than the lower threat messages.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Information Seeking and Risk Reduction Intentions in Response to Environmental Threat Messages: The Role of Message Processing

et al. 2021

Self Cite

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Communicating complex information about environmental health risks in a single message is impossible. Thus, message designers hope that risk messages encourage people to think more about the message and risks, look for more information, and ultimately make behavior changes. The presentation of information about environmental risks using threat appeals is a common message design strategy thought to increase message engagement and influence attitudes, information seeking, and risk reduction behaviors. We compared lower threat messages, which did not include explicit statements about susceptibility and severity of a risk, to higher threat messages, which did. We combined predictions from the extended parallel process model with dual‐process theories of persuasion to examine whether people respond to these types of messages differently. In an online experiment, participants (N = 892) were randomly assigned to a message condition (higher or lower threat) and topic condition (arsenic, bisphenol A, or volatile organic compounds). Overall, participants exposed to higher threat messages (regardless of risk topic) reported experiencing higher levels of fear. Higher levels of fear were associated with more positive thoughts about the message (in alignment with the message advocacy) and fewer negative thoughts about the message (against the message advocacy), both of which influenced message attitudes. Finally, message attitudes were associated with increased information seeking and intentions to engage in risk reduction behaviors.

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“…TMIM and RISP model converge in terms of highlighting the difference between one's current and desired levels of knowledge or uncertainty as an important motivator of information seeking. Many recent studies have employed the RISP model or TMIM to examine the effects of different antecedents on OHIS (Hovick et al, 2020;Kanter et al, 2019;J. Li & Zheng, 2020;So et al, 2019).…”

Section: Theories Of Information Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a theoretical model to examine the antecedents to cyberchondria among Chinese Internet users

Zheng¹

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who offered me invaluable guidance and constructive feedback on my thesis writing. The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without their enthusiastic support and continual encouragement. More importantly, through working with them over the past four years, I have learnt how to become a good researcher.Second, I am indebted to some of my graduate cohort friends in the WKWSCI who walked with me through my PhD journey. We provided emotional and intellectual support each other, and shared jokes and "scholarly" debates, making our PhD journal more exciting and enjoyable. Additionally, I would like to thank all staff in the WKWSCI for their warm support and help.Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents, who have unconditionally supported my study from a bachelor's degree to a doctoral degree overseas. Their constant encouragement is the key to my success. I am very grateful for their love and kindness. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Information Seeking Behaviors and Intentions in Response to Environmental Health Risk Messages: A Test of A Reduced Risk Information Seeking Model

Cited by 18 publications

References 45 publications

Fear, Efficacy, and Environmental Health Risk Reporting: Complex Responses to Water Quality Test Results in Low-Income Communities

Fear, Efficacy, and Environmental Health Risk Reporting: Complex Responses to Water Quality Test Results in Low-Income Communities

Information Seeking and Risk Reduction Intentions in Response to Environmental Threat Messages: The Role of Message Processing

Developing a theoretical model to examine the antecedents to cyberchondria among Chinese Internet users

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