Innovative Message Framing for Comprehension and Uptake of Health Crisis Communication: Fear Appeal Strategy use during the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa and Namibia

From 2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and ensuing communication has highlighted the importance of careful reflection on message framing in developing communication strategies during health crises. This research project focuses on understanding the potential impact of specific message frames and the extent to which they can enable or limit understanding and uptake. Official government communication practices regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, Namibia and many other countries globally have largely been premised on the use of fear appeal strategies as mechanisms to influence behavioural change and to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. The inherent value of this framing approach is that it is persuasive, with messages providing a high potential for uptake and influencing behavioural change for pandemic containment purposes. Of importance, too is crucial role that the media play in public health messaging, essential amplification of messages thereby creating awareness about salient issues. The project adopts a two-pronged approach: (1) analysis of fear appeal strategies and their potential effects on health-related behaviour; and (2) a critical examination of how the media amplified the messages by government and repurposed them for public consumption in the two countries as well as the capacity of science and health journalists. Expected Outputs The expected outputs of this project are: - Generate a technical report - Compile a draft policy framework for health crisis communication. -1 Policy Brief - Publish 2 Journal articles in high impact peer-reviewed journals - Training manual for science journalists and a workshop about how to report health crises. - Media outputs such as 3 webinars, press release, social media and an article in The Conversation. - Rich qualitative and quantitative data sets which will inform other projects - Unpack capacity development needs for science and health journalists - Newspaper coverage by science and health journalists