Potential avian influenza-induced pandemic: Minimising public panic

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/404539

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Communication appearing in the Australian media regarding a potential bird flu epidemic can serve to accurately and effectively inform the public OR misinform and contribute to panic and undesirable behavioural responses. The Australian Government has time to develop communication strategies and specific messages that can effectively convey desired information at different stages of the anticipated pandemic. This research team proposes to develop communication strategies (including specific messages, media vehicles, spokespeople, images etc for the different target audiences) that government, medical authorities, NGOs and other relevant organisations can use to increase the public's understanding of the risk. Such strategies will ensure that we can minimise fear, refute misinformation the public may encounter from individuals (e.g., co-workers) or media sources, and enhance the likelihood of the public taking the recommended preventive and remedial actions should an Avian Influenza pandemic occur. Additionally, the research team will then utilise these communication strategies to develop evidence-based guidelines for communication strategies to be used in cases of similar serious health threats in Australia. Based at the University of Wollongong, the project team is a sophisticated and synergistically qualified team of experts. The team includes: a main media health promotions expert (Associate Professor Sandra Jones); two marketing communications experts, one of whom has an academic focus and the other a practitioner focus (Professor John Rossiter and Dr Max Sutherland respectively); a public health and medical expert in health behaviour change (Professor Don Iverson); a senior public health campaigns expert (Professor Chris Puplick), and an expert in communicable diseases and infection control education and programs (Professor Julian Gold).

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2006

End Date: 01-01-2006

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Strategic Awards

Funding Amount: $249,854.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Social and Community Psychology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Behaviour change | Communication | Influenza | Provision of consumer information | public, medical & psychology not elsewhere classif

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