It is important to include risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) as part of national public health emergency responses. When a new public health emergency faces new communication challenges, a lot of lessons could be learned from a range of outcomes of the challenges including loss of trust, reputation, economy, and life. Since there are new lessons from various perspectives which could be learned, there are corresponding measures and actions that will contribute to effectively responding to the emergency. RCCE is acknowledged to be helpful for preventing infodemics, as well as building trust during the response, and increasing the probability of following the authority's health advice. By proposing and implementing effective RCCE strategies, the authorities could efficiently transform and deliver understandable, accessible, and credible scientific evidence for general populations and targeted communities. The effective RCCE will also contribute to the containment of the pandemic and help the general public take effective protective actions by involving individuals and groups in developing proper interventions from the community settings. Although WHO recognizes RCCE as an essential strategy for preparedness and response to public health emergencies, how to integrate RCCE into the national preparedness and response practice and ensure it plays an essential role in a country’s health emergency still deserves to be explored and discussed from a multidisciplinary perspective.
This Research Topic mainly aims to solicit studies that focus on the risk communication and community engagement readiness and response during public health emergencies, i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic, including theory and practice in risk communication systems, internal and external communication and coordination, public communication, communication engagement with affected communities, uncertainty addressing, perceptions and misinformation management. Furthermore, we also welcome innovative research on the package for targeted communities, readiness and initial response, toolkit and solution for national and sub-national capacity building, as well as effective RCCE policy and practical cases which may contribute to minimizing social disruption during emergencies.
Original Research, Reviews and Systematic Reviews, Policy and Practice Reviews, Perspective, Community Case Study, and Brief Research Report papers are welcomed on the following sub-titles including, but not limited to:
• Challenges of crisis and emergency risk communication with special populations during a pandemic;
• Difficulties and solutions in recognizing targeted messages to specific groups;
• RCCE strategy strengthening and planning, focusing on COVID-19 response;
• Case study on the implementation of RCCE campaigns and projects in field research;
• Development and application of toolkit in capacity building activities such as trainings, workshops and webinars in the field of RCCE;
• Governance in external communication and media relations in response to public health emergencies in a country;
• Identification and cooperation of community influencers and networks that can help with community engagement;
• The nature of risk communications experienced across different countries.
It is important to include risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) as part of national public health emergency responses. When a new public health emergency faces new communication challenges, a lot of lessons could be learned from a range of outcomes of the challenges including loss of trust, reputation, economy, and life. Since there are new lessons from various perspectives which could be learned, there are corresponding measures and actions that will contribute to effectively responding to the emergency. RCCE is acknowledged to be helpful for preventing infodemics, as well as building trust during the response, and increasing the probability of following the authority's health advice. By proposing and implementing effective RCCE strategies, the authorities could efficiently transform and deliver understandable, accessible, and credible scientific evidence for general populations and targeted communities. The effective RCCE will also contribute to the containment of the pandemic and help the general public take effective protective actions by involving individuals and groups in developing proper interventions from the community settings. Although WHO recognizes RCCE as an essential strategy for preparedness and response to public health emergencies, how to integrate RCCE into the national preparedness and response practice and ensure it plays an essential role in a country’s health emergency still deserves to be explored and discussed from a multidisciplinary perspective.
This Research Topic mainly aims to solicit studies that focus on the risk communication and community engagement readiness and response during public health emergencies, i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic, including theory and practice in risk communication systems, internal and external communication and coordination, public communication, communication engagement with affected communities, uncertainty addressing, perceptions and misinformation management. Furthermore, we also welcome innovative research on the package for targeted communities, readiness and initial response, toolkit and solution for national and sub-national capacity building, as well as effective RCCE policy and practical cases which may contribute to minimizing social disruption during emergencies.
Original Research, Reviews and Systematic Reviews, Policy and Practice Reviews, Perspective, Community Case Study, and Brief Research Report papers are welcomed on the following sub-titles including, but not limited to:
• Challenges of crisis and emergency risk communication with special populations during a pandemic;
• Difficulties and solutions in recognizing targeted messages to specific groups;
• RCCE strategy strengthening and planning, focusing on COVID-19 response;
• Case study on the implementation of RCCE campaigns and projects in field research;
• Development and application of toolkit in capacity building activities such as trainings, workshops and webinars in the field of RCCE;
• Governance in external communication and media relations in response to public health emergencies in a country;
• Identification and cooperation of community influencers and networks that can help with community engagement;
• The nature of risk communications experienced across different countries.
