Risk Ladder, Table, or Bulleted List? Identifying Formats That Effectively Communicate Personalized Risk and Risk Reduction Information for Multiple Diseases

Erika A. Waters, Julia Maki, Ying Liu, Nicole Ackermann, Chelsey R. Carter, Hank Dart, Deborah J. Bowen, Linda D. Cameron and Graham A. Colditz
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Erika A. Waters: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Julia Maki: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Ying Liu: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Nicole Ackermann: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Chelsey R. Carter: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Hank Dart: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Deborah J. Bowen: University of Washington, Merced, CA, USA
Linda D. Cameron: University of California, Merced, CA, USA
Graham A. Colditz: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA

Medical Decision Making, 2021, vol. 41, issue 1, 74-88

Abstract: Background Personalized medicine may increase the amount of probabilistic information patients encounter. Little guidance exists about communicating risk for multiple diseases simultaneously or about communicating how changes in risk factors affect risk (hereafter “risk reduction†). Purpose To determine how to communicate personalized risk and risk reduction information for up to 5 diseases associated with insufficient physical activity in a way laypeople can understand and that increases intentions. Methods We recruited 500 participants with 0.05). Sequential mediation analyses revealed a small beneficial indirect effect of risk ladder versus list on intentions through gist comprehension and then through perceived risk ( b IndirectEffect = 0.02, 95% confidence interval: 0.00, 0.04). Conclusion Risk ladders can communicate the gist meaning of multiple pieces of risk information to individuals from many sociodemographic backgrounds and with varying levels of facility with numbers and graphs.

Keywords: personalized medicine; physical activity; risk communication; visual display (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:medema:v:41:y:2021:i:1:p:74-88

DOI: 10.1177/0272989X20968070

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