Describing Interdisciplinary Agricultural Research Center Directors’ Perceptions of Science Communication Through Goals and Beliefs

This study explored the perceptions of science communication held by interdisciplinary agricultural research center directors and identified the directors’ goals and beliefs, specifically related to science communication. Ten interdisciplinary agricultural research center directors from top research, land-grant institutions were interviewed for this study. Findings from this study determined that the directors’ perceptions were rooted in service to the public, knowledge, public good, obligation, and relationships. Participants discussed attempting to bring awareness to science as a goal of science communication. They also discussed feeling obligated to communicate about science as part of a land-grant institution. Participants particularly believed that faculty with Extension appointments were more so obligated to communicate with the public. Future research should determine the science communication participation of Extension faculty. Additionally, future research should determine if faculty at land-grant institutions are more inclined to communicate about science when compared to faculty not associated with land-grant institutions

Challenges and Motivations of Science Communication: An Administrative Perspective at Land-Grant Universities

Interdisciplinary agricultural research centers are becoming more common at land-grant universities. These centers often use an interdisciplinary approach to address complex science issues. As these centers address agricultural issues that impact society, effective science communication is a necessary activity. However, these centers may face unique barriers or opportunities. This study utilized a qualitative approach to identify the barriers and motivations of interdisciplinary agricultural center directors when communicating about science. Participants identified common science communication challenges, such as time and lack of funding. Funding was also identified as a motivation, as well as factors related to the tenure and promotion process. Recommendations from this work include evaluating the public relations and the effectiveness of science communication from these centers. Future research should also examine the financial structure of interdisciplinary centers to better inform best practices

Exploring Social Media Engagement of a Mosquito Control Campaign: Comparing Engagement Rates per Content Type and Content Frame

This study explored the social media follower engagement of a campaign with the intention to inform Florida residents about mosquito-related topics, specifically mosquito control. Engagement rates were compared between social media content type and content frames. Text graphics without characters were the most engaged content type, while the personal responsibility frame was the most engaged frame. The social media campaign examined in this study had overall low engagement rates, which could have been attributed to factors outside the scope of this study. Future recommendations for research should determine what factors most contribute to the engagement of social media content. In-depth focus groups should also be conducted to test the frames and messages used in this study. Practitioners should consider using the personal responsibility frame when communicating with the public about mosquito-related topics. Furthermore, practitioners should also apply the use of authoritative figures when designing a campaign similar to the one in this study after determining what authoritative figures effectively resonate with the intended audience

Framing Friction: A Content Analysis Investigating How the CDC Framed Social Media Communication with the Public During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The novel coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019. This zoonotic disease quickly spread through over 100 countries, including the U.S. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency by the end of January 2020. Soon after, many U.S. states issued mandatory stay-at-home orders, which caused adverse effects for agricultural businesses and food supply chains. During this crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared information through social media platforms such as Facebook. This study sought to understand how the CDC framed direct communication to the public about issues related to COVID-19 using Facebook videos. Five videos directly related to COVID-19 were selected from the CDC’s Facebook page for analysis. A content and framing analysis was used to determine emergent frames and the use of organization-public relationship (OPR) indicators to better understand how a public entity communicates with the public during a pandemic. Emergent frames were community, protecting yourself, encouragement to take action, understanding, and fear. A conversational tone of voice was used in four out of the five videos, and each video demonstrated the use of at least one OPR indicator. Implications from this work reinforce that Facebook videos can be used to communicate the importance of scientific information using conversational voice and OPR indicators. It is recommended that agricultural communicators include OPR indicators in social media videos during other similar zoonotic disease crises. Future research should seek to understand the public’s response to this type of scientific communication

Utilizing Twitter to Communicate Risk after a Natural Disaster

Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle as a category five hurricane on October 10, 2018. One of the risks after a hurricane is the spread of mosquito-borne disease due to standing floodwaters, which provide perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. People often turn to social media during times of crisis to receive up-to-date information. Therefore, there is a need to understand how to use social media to communicate about risks after a natural disaster. The purpose of this study was to explore how Twitter was used to communicate about mosquito control before and after Hurricane Michael and was guided by the Centers for Disease Control’s crisis communication recommendations. Data were collected using Sysomos Media Analytics Platform (MAP). The search included tweets about mosquito control two weeks before and two weeks after Hurricane Michael made landfall and was limited to Florida residents. There were 198 tweets about mosquito control in this timeframe, and a sharp increase in tweets in the weeks following the hurricane. Users tweeting the most about mosquito control were public agencies like mosquito control districts, and common hashtags included #mosquito and #mosquitocontrol; #HurricaneMichael was rarely used. The largest number of tweets were identified with the frame Be First to warn people about mosquito spraying in their local areas. A minority of tweets promoted self-efficacy or promoted action related to mosquito control. None of the analyzed tweets expressed empathy. Extension can use the findings from this study to guide future risk communication on social media following a natural disaster

Impacting Agriculture and Natural Resource Policy: County Commissioners’ Decision-Making Behaviors and Communication Preferences

Elected officials at the local, state, and national levels play key roles in shaping the agriculture and natural resources (ANR) sectors through the development and implementation of ANR policies and regulations. As such, it has become necessary for members of the ANR community to understand the policy formation process and how to communicate effectively with elected officials about ANR policies and issues. However, little research has been conducted at the local level to examine how local elected officials (LEOs) interact with information specific to ANR policies to make decisions. This study was designed to assess the communication and information-seeking preferences and behaviors of LEOs that impact their decisions about ANR issues and policies. Of the sources of communication considered by LEOs when making ANR policy decisions, respondents in this study identified communication from farmers and ranchers as having the highest impact on their decision-making. This finding supports the use of farmers and ranchers as opinion leaders in impacting ANR policies. LEOs in this study also reported they would seek factual information from multiple sources to understand the positive or negative impact of the ANR policy before voting on the ANR issue

What Now: The Role of Attitude and Communicative Actions When Making Decisions During a Disease Crisis

During a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations often communicate about a risk to encourage people to take particular protective actions, and the decision-making process about protective actions can be especially complex. It is important to determine how organizations can encourage specific behaviors and, as such, this study sought to investigate how attitudes and communicative actions influenced behavior related to recommendations from the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the purpose of this study, an online quantitative survey was distributed to United States residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from this study reveal that attitude and transmission and acquisition communicative actions are good predictors of behavior. Organizations should prioritize improving target audience’s attitude toward the organization since this will likely lead to supportive behaviors during an infectious disease outbreak

Rewarding Relationships: A Quasi-Experimental Design Evaluating the Impact of an Extension Public Relations Seminar

While Extension communication units have seen success in implementing brand strategies to raise awareness of Extension, the public value and need for Extension programming continue to be misunderstood. College students have the potential to ensure the future of Extension is viable. To expose undergraduate students to the brand and value of Extension, a public relations seminar was developed and delivered by a state Extension specialist to 95 students enrolled in an agricultural technical writing course at a land-grant university. The seminar served as a treatment in the quasi-experimental design, which included information about the land-grant mission, Extension resources, and potential careers related to Extension. Findings revealed that the public relations seminar had a significant impact on the students’ awareness and value of Extension and their consideration of Extension as a career. Implications from this study support strategic public relations having a positive, short-term impact on students’ perceptions of Extension. While future research should explore the long-term impacts of public relations on students’ perceptions of Extension, it is recommended that Extension professionals and agricultural communicators implement public relations activities targeting undergraduate students and use brand advocates, like Extension specialists, to elevate the brand

Rural Redemption: A Model to Help Understand the Perspectives of Rural Americans Related to Vaccine Science

Rural communities are vital to the foundation of American agriculture and are currently disproportionately affected by health and environmental challenges that will require broad scientific solutions. Cooperative Extension professionals and agricultural communicators are increasingly tasked with communicating about the science surrounding these topics and need effective tools for determining strategic communication tactics to influence personal behaviors. The purpose of this study was to understand the role of community-based social marketing (CBSM) concepts and trust in science on rural Americans’ intentions and attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. A hypothesized model was developed that included concepts of CBSM, trust in science, intentions, and attitudes all related to the COVID-19 vaccine. Results showed that CBSM principles had significant explanatory power for predicting intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. CBSM and trust in science were also significant predictors of rural Americans attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Implications for this study reveal a need for future research and practice related to communicating about science and vaccines to rural Americans while building community-based principles for increasing trust and advancing perceptions of science. Future research should determine the impact of CBSM and trust in science on the end-state behavior of receiving the vaccine. Additionally, Extension professionals and agricultural communicators should prioritize CBSM concepts when developing programming and messages related to health behaviors

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe