TY - JOUR
T1 - Boil Water Advisories as Risk Communication
T2 - Consistency between CDC Guidelines and Local News Media Articles
AU - O’Shay, Sydney
AU - Day, Ashleigh M.
AU - Islam, Khairul
AU - McElmurry, Shawn P.
AU - Seeger, Matthew W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The Safe Drinking Water Act Public Notification Rule requires that customers of public water systems (PWS) be informed of problems that may pose a risk to public health. Boil water advisories (BWA) are a form of communication intended to mitigate potential health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed guidance for BWAs. We examined how local US news media incorporate the CDC’s guidelines when reporting on BWAs. A content analysis of 1040 local news media articles shows these reports did not consistently incorporate CDC guidelines. Overall, 89% of the articles communicated enough information for readers to determine if they were included in the impacted area. Articles that included at least some of the CDC’s instructions for boiling water were likely (p < .001) to include other risk information, such as the functions for which water should be boiled (e.g., drinking, brushing teeth) and that bottled water could be used as an alternative source. However, this information was included in only 47% of the articles evaluated. Results suggest public notifications often do not serve the public need for clear risk communication.
AB - The Safe Drinking Water Act Public Notification Rule requires that customers of public water systems (PWS) be informed of problems that may pose a risk to public health. Boil water advisories (BWA) are a form of communication intended to mitigate potential health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed guidance for BWAs. We examined how local US news media incorporate the CDC’s guidelines when reporting on BWAs. A content analysis of 1040 local news media articles shows these reports did not consistently incorporate CDC guidelines. Overall, 89% of the articles communicated enough information for readers to determine if they were included in the impacted area. Articles that included at least some of the CDC’s instructions for boiling water were likely (p < .001) to include other risk information, such as the functions for which water should be boiled (e.g., drinking, brushing teeth) and that bottled water could be used as an alternative source. However, this information was included in only 47% of the articles evaluated. Results suggest public notifications often do not serve the public need for clear risk communication.
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U2 - 10.1080/10410236.2020.1827540
DO - 10.1080/10410236.2020.1827540
M3 - Article
C2 - 33016137
AN - SCOPUS:85092186951
SN - 1041-0236
VL - 37
SP - 152
EP - 162
JO - Health Communication
JF - Health Communication
IS - 2
ER -