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Co-Designing Communication: A Design Thinking Approach Applied to Radon Health Communication

Author

Listed:
  • Sofie Apers

    (Department of Communication Studies, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
    Institute for Environment, Health, and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK CEN, 2400 Mol, Belgium)

  • Heidi Vandebosch

    (Department of Communication Studies, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Tanja Perko

    (Institute for Environment, Health, and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK CEN, 2400 Mol, Belgium
    Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Nadja Železnik

    (Elektroinštitut Milan Vidmar, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Abstract

Indoor radon is a natural radioactive gas and is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Despite multiple policy and communication interventions to increase radon testing and mitigation, the uptake of these measures remains insufficient. A participatory research design was applied in Belgium and Slovenia to probe the barriers and facilitators homeowners experience regarding radon protective behavior on the one hand and co-designing communication tools on the other hand. The results show that there remains a need for interventions on all levels (i.e., policy, economic interventions, and communication). Moreover, results indicated a need for a communication strategy that follows the different steps between awareness and performing mitigation measures. Further, involving the target group in the early stages of intervention design was beneficial. Future research is needed to test the effectiveness of the proposed communication strategies in a controlled setting.

Suggested Citation

  • Sofie Apers & Heidi Vandebosch & Tanja Perko & Nadja Železnik, 2023. "Co-Designing Communication: A Design Thinking Approach Applied to Radon Health Communication," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:6:p:4965-:d:1094539
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wouter Poortinga & Karin Bronstering & Simon Lannon, 2011. "Awareness and Perceptions of the Risks of Exposure to Indoor Radon: A Population‐Based Approach to Evaluate a Radon Awareness and Testing Campaign in England and Wales," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(11), pages 1800-1812, November.
    2. Ragnar Lofstedt, 2019. "The communication of radon risk in Sweden: where are we and where are we going?," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(6), pages 773-781, June.
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