One option for strategically targeting components of vestedness to improve health messaging would be an applied inoculation theory-based health campaigns.

Alicia Mason & Josh Compton

Introduction

Fear is a central component of risk perception and can be linked to a variety of behavioral responses enacted to manage fear and reduce exposure to danger, particularly when individuals face epidemics and pandemics involving airborne viruses and other communicable disease threats (De Hoog, Stroebe, & de Wit, 2007; Lench & Levine, 2005; Witte & Allen, 2000). This study uses vested interest (VI) as a theoretical framework for gathering process feedback about the efficacy of public health risk information messages during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Methods

Public polling data was gathered between March 12 and April 2, 2020. A total of 212 completed an online survey. Data was gathered using the Qualtrics Software Suite in the Communication Research Lab at a Midwestern university. All materials and measures received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.

Results

Findings revealed younger populations reported less outcome certainty, personal susceptibility, self-efficacy and threat severity, when compared to older populations, which indicates a need for tailored, public health risk messages for targeted populations. Results also show persons with direct experience with COVID-19 reported increased certainty, threat salience, personal susceptibility and threat severity, indicating a high degree of stake in the COVID-19 threat.

Discussion

The study highlights the need to create adaptable health risk messages to overcome resistance and illusions of invulnerability when communicating the risks posed by emerging public health threats in early stage pandemic warning messages that are designed to reduce exposure and mitigate harm. Findings from this study support the utility of vested interest theory (VI) to provide process feedback on the efficacy of public health outreach efforts during global pandemics.

Mason, A., & Compton, J. (2021, March). Severity, susceptibility, efficacy, certainty and salience: Insights from early-stage ‘vestedness’ of Midwestern populations toward the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) [paper presentation]. Central States Communication Association Conference, Virtual. *Winner, Top Paper Panel: Health Communication Division.