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Cumulative risk communication: comparing practitioner perspectives with public interpretation and response
Joseph Ripberger1, Kuhika Gupta2, Hank Jenkins-Smith2
1Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA. jtr@ou.edu.
BMC Public Health
|December 24, 2025
Summary
Practitioners rarely communicate cumulative risks, assuming the public cannot understand. However, the public prefers messages on multiple interacting risks, showing no difference in comprehension compared to single-risk messages.
Area of Science:
- Environmental health
- Risk communication
- Public health
Background:
- Cumulative risk assessment is vital for understanding interacting stressors.
- Effective communication of cumulative risks to the public remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine professional practices in cumulative risk communication.
- To assess public responses to cumulative risk messages.
Main Methods:
- Semi-structured interviews with 15 federal risk communicators.
- Online survey of 2,531 U.S. adults with a comparative experiment.
- Thematic analysis of qualitative data and statistical analysis of survey data.
Main Results:
- Most practitioners rarely communicate cumulative risks due to perceived barriers.
- Public survey respondents preferred messages addressing multiple, interacting risks.
- Experimental data showed no significant differences in comprehension between cumulative and single-risk messages.
Conclusions:
- A significant gap exists between practitioner assumptions and public preferences in risk communication.
- Addressing this gap requires organizational support and accessible tools.
- Further research is needed to align practices with public capabilities.
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