Shifting the Focus of Reporting from Record-Breaking Temperatures to Health Protective Messaging during Extreme Heat Events

Posted on February 6, 2024 by Emily Tetzlaff

This entry is part 6 of 16 in the series Mar 2024

To strengthen public resilience and readiness against extreme heat, time-sensitive and evidence-based public health messages can be communicated to the public.

The public often learns about the health risks of heat and how to protect themselves through the media during extreme heat events (commonly known as heat waves). However, how the media presents this information can either help to increase public understanding and support appropriate actions or potentially underplay the risks and limit public action. As extreme heat events due to climate change are expected to increase in frequency and intensity, the importance of conveying evidence-informed heat health information is more critical than ever.

Read the Article in JPHMP

Findings from our new ‘Hot Topic’ study in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice looked at media coverage of the deadliest extreme heat event on record in Canada – the 2021 Western Heat Dome. We found many insightful findings – including shedding light on whether public health messages circulated through the media reached the right people in the right places and at the right time.

We collected nearly 3,000 media articles published following the first heat warning of the 2021 Heat Dome until seven months after the event. We then systematically analyzed the articles to identify the basic framework elements for information gathering in journalism — who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Our analysis yielded 6 key findings that not only help us characterize the historic 2021 Heat Dome, but also provide practical and actionable implications for informing the public of the risks of future such events.

Articles focused on record-breaking temperatures and infrastructure impacts instead of implications for human health. Articles that prioritize health protective messages during heat events may better support readers in taking health protective actions. For example, public health officials could issue press releases with pre-heat season informational material about their heat action programming and the critical health impacts of heat to all stakeholders.
Heat-health messages included contradictory content, inconsistent language, incorrect advice, or overly simplified messaging. Most also failed to consider cultural differences. Evidence-based and accessible heat-health guidance provided by health officials for journalists may be This could be accomplished by providing journalists access to information on evidence-supported heat-mitigation behaviours and actions, such as sharing a knowledge translation reference guide tailored explicitly for journalists.
Limited coverage was noted in advance of the Heat Dome. Health officials could better time the release of heat-health messages and include them within the initial heat alert. For example, prepackaged information, and evidence-based messages could be provided to journalists in advance of the heat season and again with the release of heat alerts to promote proactive coverage.
Few articles included messaging tailored for heat-vulnerable groups. Heat-vulnerable populations (eg, older adults, children, people with pre-existing medical conditions) should be prioritized within heat-health messaging. For example, journalists and other stakeholders could be provided with targeted content that identifies heat-vulnerable populations and specific protective actions, where applicable.
The media coverage prioritized urban centers. Heat-health messaging needs to reach rural and remote residents decision makers could rely on the diverse range of outlets and mediums of messaging available beyond traditional media to fill-in any coverage gaps in their communities with targeted heat-health messaging content.
The media frequently citied government officials as experts, along with other sector-specific spokespeople (eg, agriculture, health). Heat-health evidence-based training and information could be provided to spokespeople in advance of the heat season. For example, decision-makers could be provided and prepared with evidence-informed heat-health protective messages that they can convey when quoted by the media.

Recognizing the critical role of risk communication during extreme weather, collaborative efforts between decision-makers and the media could help share evidence-based public health messages with the public. As the public receives considerable health information from the media, improved communication could ultimately strengthen public resilience and readiness to respond to extreme heat.

Read Our Article in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice:

Hot Topic: A Systematic Review and Content Analysis of Heat-Related Messages During the 2021 Heat Dome in Canada

This work was conducted through a collaboration between the Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit (HEPRU) at the University of Ottawa and the Heat Division within the Climate Change and Innovation Bureau at Health Canada (Government of Canada). The author team includes leading Canadian experts on extreme heat, heat physiology and public health. Dr. Glen Kenny is the Director of the HEPRU. Dr. Robert Meade is a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Nicholas Goulet is a graduate student at the HEPRU. Melissa Gorman, Gregory Richardson, and Paddy Enright from Health Canada work to protect the health of Canadians from extreme heat.

About the Author

Emily Tetzlaff: Emily Tetzlaff is a PhD candidate at the Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit at the University of Ottawa. Emily has a Master’s in Human Kinetics and an Honours Bachelor of Physical and Health Education in Health Promotion. Her research focuses on messaging in public health and occupational health and safety.