If It Is Meant to Be, Let It Be: Risk communication among Bosnian Refugees Resettled in the U.S.

Authors

  • H. Xin Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
  • A. Karamehic-Muratovic University of Kentucky, Department of Anthropology and Sociology
  • D. Cluphf Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/hcs.2015.185

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand how a Bosnian refugee community perceives and responds to the potential risk of a natural disaster in order to identify tailored approaches to improve risk communication. This is a qualitative study. Participants resettled in St Louis, Missouri were identified through criterion and snowball sampling. Thirty-three face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using both content and thematic analysis. Findings indicate that due to their war experiences, cultural and religious understanding of natural disaster, and social influence on their risk interpretation, participants tended to underestimate the potential threat of natural disaster. Media was the main communication methods in times of potential natural disaster. Lack of organizational support during risk communication was a major concern. Ethnic radio stations and word of mouth were rated as the most popular communication channels for disseminating messages in preparation of a natural disaster. Using a community-based participatory approach to identify community needs and involve Bosnian community partners in risk communication planning, implementation, and evaluation, is vital for a Bosnian community.

Author Biographies

H. Xin, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education

Dr. Xin joined the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at SIUE in Fall, 2011. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Clinical Medicine from the Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China. She practiced medicine both in psychiatry and internal medicine in China for many years. In 2007, Dr.Xin received her master's degree in Public Health (MPH) from the Department of Public Health Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2011, she received her doctoral degree in Public Health (DrPH) from the same department. Her dissertation focused on examining individual, family, and community resilience to a natural disaster among Vietnamese refugees in North Carolina by using an ethnographic approach. 

Dr. Xin's research interests focus on working with vulnerable populations and their mental health disparities. For example, she conducted studies with multiethnic international refugee groups. The goal is to reduce their vulnerabilities to mental disorders including disaster mental disorders within a social-ecological domain, and increase their access to mental health care. Furthermore, Dr. Xin has been actively involved in health-related program evaluation by using community-based participatory research/evaluation methodologies. She is a professional member of the American Public Health Association, American Evaluation Association, Mental Health America, and the Association of Refugee Service Professionals. 

A. Karamehic-Muratovic, University of Kentucky, Department of Anthropology and Sociology

Ajlina Karamehic-Muratovic, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Saint Louis University, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. Her background is in Health Communication, especially as relevant to minority populations and communities. She has experience in evaluation on large and nationally funded grants, as well as in substance abuse prevention, cancer prevention, and culturally appropriate interventions. Her current projects focus on health interventions with refugee and immigrant populations. She teaches medical sociology, research methods, statistics, program evaluation and needs assessment and mental health.

 

D. Cluphf, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education

David Cluphf received his Ed.D. in Physical Education Teacher Education in 1999 from West Virginia University. As an Associate Professor and Program Director in the Physical Education Teacher Education Masters Programs at SIUE he teaches Action Research and Research Methods in Physical Education. At the undergraduate level he teaches Early Childhood PE, Curriculum, Team Activities, and directs Field Placements. His primary research focus is on contextual applications of theoretical models. Additionally he has research interests in the study of teaching and assessment. He has co-authored articles that have been published in Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, Physical Educator and Assessment Updates. He has also made numerous presentations at national and regional conferences.

Dr. Cluphf's previous publications include:

Cluphf, D., & Lox. C. (2009). The use of electronic student-teacher journals as a form of program assessment. Assessment Updates

Cluphf, D., & Vogler, E.W. (2008). Lesson Study as a form of professional development for physical educators. ICHPER. 3(2), 86-94.

Cluphf, D., (2007). Lesson study as a form of professional development for physical educators. Illinois AAHPERD.

Schroeder C., & Cluphf, D., (2007). Intramurals as a means of promoting physical activity in elementary school. IllinoisAAHPERD.

Rees, K.S., Thompson, S., Rees, C., Cluphf, D. (2005). Unexpected Findings in an Alternative High School: New Implications for Values Education. Californian Journal of Health Promotion Volume 3, Issue 1, 130-139

Cluphf, D., Schroeder, C., & Lox. C. (2004). A pilot study on the effect of involvement in physical education class on the affective states of at-risk middle school students. Illinois Schools Journal, 83, 77-82.

Cluphf, D. (2003). A low-ropes initiative unit for at-risk students. Strategies, 17, 13-17.

References

Andrulis, D. P., Siddiqui, N. L. & Gantner, J. L. (2007). Preparing racially and ethnically diverse communities for public health emergencies. Health Affairs 26(5): 1269-1279.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Crisis and emergency risk communication (2012 edition). Retrieved from http://emergency.cdc.gov/cerc/

Covello, V. T., Peters, R. G., Wojtecki, J. G., & Hyde, R. C. (2001). Risk communication, the West Nile Virus epidemic, and bioterrorism: Responding to the communication challenges posed by the intentional or unintentional release of a pathogen in an urban setting. Journal of Urban Health 78(2): 382-391.

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication.

Dash, N., & Gladwin, H. (2007). Evacuation decision making and behavioral responses: Individual and household. Natural Hazards Review, 8(1): 69-77.

Drabek T. E. (1999). Understanding disaster warning responses. Social Science Journal, 36(3): 515-523.

Eisenman, D. P., Cordasco, K. M., Asch, S., Golden, J. F., & Glik, D. (2007). Disaster planning and risk communication with vulnerable communities: Lessons from hurricane Katrina. American Journal of Public Health, 97: S109–S115.

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2013). Disaster Declarations by State/Tribal Government. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/disasters/grid/state-tribal-government

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2013). Disaster Declarations for Missouri. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/disasters/grid/state-tribal-government/67

Frewer, L. (2004). The public and effective risk communication. Toxicology Letters, 149: 391–7.

Glik, D. C. (2007). Risk communication for public health emergencies. Annual Review of Public Health, 28: 33–54.

Holmes, B. J., Henrich, N., Hancock, S., & Lestou, V. (2009). Communicating with the public during health crises: Experts' experiences and opinions. Journal of Risk Research, 12(6): 793-807.

International Institute-St Louis. (2013). 20,000th refugee is sponsored by International Institute. St Louis, MO. Retrieved from http://www.stlbosnians.com/20000-the-refugee-is-sponsored-by-international-institute/

Matsuoa, H., Tomazica, T., Karamehic, A., Cheahc, W. H., & Poljarevica, A. (2008). Cross-cultural adaptation of Bosnian refugees in St. Louis, Missouri: Methodological considerations. Proceedings.

McGough, M., Frank, L. L., Tipton, S., Tinker, T., & Vaughan, E. (2005). Emergencies in a diverse society: A case study of special populations in North Dakota. Biosecurity Bioterrorism, 3(3): 235-245.

Mitchell, T., Haynes, K., Hall, N., Choong, W., & Oven,, K. (2008). The role of children and youth in communicating disaster risk. Child Youth Environment, 18(1): 254-279.

Montano, D. E., & Kasprzyk, D. (2002). The theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior. In Health behavior and health education, edited by K. Glanz., B. K. Rimer, and F. M. Lewis, 67-99. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

Peacock, W. G., Brody, S. D., & Highfield, W. (2005). Hurricane risk perceptions among Florida’s single family homeowners. Landscape Urban Planning, 73: 120-135.

Quinn, S. C. (2008). Crisis and emergency risk communication in a pandemic: a model for building capacity and resilience of minority communities. Health Promotion Practice, 9: 18S-25S.

Rogers, B. M., Amlot, R., Rumin, J. G., Wessely, S., & Krieger, K. (2007). Mediating the social and psychological impacts of terrorist attacks: The role of risk perception and risk communication. International Review of Psychiatry, 19(3): 279-288.

Spence, P. R., Lachlan, K. A., & Griffin, D. R. (2007). Crisis communication, race, and natural disasters. Journal of Black Studies, 37(4): 539-554.

State Emergency Management Agency. (2013). Declared Disasters in Missouri. Retrieved from http://sema.dps.mo.gov/maps_and_disasters/disasters/

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication.

Sullivan, H. T., & Hakkinen, M. T. (2011). Preparedness and warning systems for populations with special needs: Ensuring everyone gets the message and knows what to do. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 29: 225–236.

Downloads

Published

2015-07-22

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2015): Integration, Participation and Identity: Understanding Diversity

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.