Understanding the Perception, Strategies and Challenges of Communicating Heat-Related Health Risks to the Public

Multiple studies have shown that heat waves will become more intense, more frequent and longer lasting in the 21st century. Heat waves disproportionately impact the health of certain populations, including those that are low-income,  living in urban environments, minorities or elderly. Researchers recommend that the public health community initiate more communication on climate change’s  human health consequences versus only communicating that climate change is happening. The objective of this research is to understand how four geographically diverse localities have prepared for and communicated risks of extreme heat events to the general public. There were 69 semi-structured interviews conducted with community leaders and government officials representing various sectors, including public health, general social services and environmental services. Participants from four U.S. cities—Detroit, Michigan; New York City, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Phoenix, Arizona—were asked questions about programming, resources and how heat-related health risks were communicated to the public. While there was no dominant communication method, most interviewees described using existing community networks—including faith-based networks, elders in the community, and other trusted neighborhood leaders and messengers—to promote heat-related health messages.  Targeted communication strategies used for vulnerable populations included intergenerational messaging (youth-to-parent or youth-to-grandparent) and testimonials and personal stories to encourage actions to prevent negative health impacts. Additionally, pre-heat-season education and outreach for entities that frequently come in contact with vulnerable populations, such as public transportation workers, homeless shelter personnel, social service providers and home-based health care providers, were noted as important indirect strategies. Universal challenges to risk communication included addressing language barriers and high illiteracy rates and communicating with people who have visual and mental disabilities. Taking the time to understand community composition (language, culture and trusted leaders) will help government entities to better tailor heat-related health risk messages to the general public. While understanding the methods of risk communication for extreme heat events is the focus of this study, results highlight a need for formalized evaluations, both quantitative and qualitative,  to better understand what risk messages are effective for certain populations.