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COVID-19 Risk and Crisis Communication Challenges and Opportunities: Qualitative Insights from Rural Wastewater

Savannah G Tucker¹, Beverly May¹, Matthew Liversedge¹

¹University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness

|February 18, 2025

Abstract

Objectives:

Understand perceptions of COVID-19 messages and information sources among rural wastewater treatment plant operators to inform context-specific communication strategies for implementing wastewater surveillance methodologies locally.

Methods:

Eight employees from 7 Eastern Kentucky facilities involved in SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance participated in semi-structured interviews. Respondents shared perceptions of traditional and social media COVID-19 information channels in their communities, as well as factors influencing trustworthiness of sources. Using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) framework, 3 investigators conducted iterative, thematic coding of interview transcripts.

Results:

Respondents' statements most frequently related to "Be Credible," "Be Right," and "Promote Action" CERC constructs, while mixed messages, high volumes of information, and numerous sources undermined trust in COVID-19 information.

Conclusions:

Understanding the relative importance of CERC constructs and their distractors may improve future risk communication to advance infectious disease surveillance strategies in rural contexts.

Keywords:

Appalachian Region COVID-19 COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater-based epidemiology crisis communication risk communication

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