Reframing communication about Zika and mosquitoes to increase disease prevention behavior

Figures & data

Table 1. Frame elements and variables in current Zika virus communication put forth by CDC and other governmental organizations. The “personal safety” frame

Frame elements	Variables
Topic/Theme	Mosquito control
	Individual action for individual prevention- personal safety
Actor	Individuals
Benefit	Reduced Zika virus for self
Benefit attribution	Reduced mosquito populations lead to reduced Zika load
Risk	Spread of Zika virus
Risk attribution	Lack of current effective mosquito control in urbanized areas
Solution	Individual protection and reduce mosquito populations
Proponent	Center for disease control and other governmental agencies
Treatment	Neutral/Negative

Table 2. Survey respondents (N = 60) ranked their perceived seriousness and likelihood of getting of following illnesses within the next year, 1 being most serious/likely and 4 being least serious/likely. Scores below represent the mean rank and the standard deviation

Illness	Serious	Likely
	Mean (std.dev.)	Mean (std.dev.)
Zika virus	1.5 (0.84)	3.0 (0.77)
Common cold	2.9 (1.10)	2.7 (0.99)
Flu	2.1 (0.98)	2.9 (0.84)
Food poisoning	2.0 (0.99)	2.9 (0.87)
Strep throat	2.1 (0.94)	3.0 (0.77)

Table 3. Frame elements and variables in our re-frame of Zika virus communication. The “collective action” frame

Frame elements	Variables
Topic/Theme	Individual action for group benefit- public wellbeing
	“Breaking transmission cycle”
Actor	Local community organizations
	Individuals
Benefit	Reduced Zika virus in the community
Benefit attribution	Breaking the transmission cycle
Risk	Spread of Zika virus
Risk attribution	Individuals in community may be infected with Zika virus but are unaware
Solution	Collective action to protect vulnerable populations against Zika virus and in mosquito control
Proponent	Academia (at current)
	CDC and other governmental organizations
Treatment	Positive

Table 4. A comparison of the two frames as was presented to survey participants. Highlights the key areas of emphasis that differed between

Individual action frame	Collective action frame
• Current communication frame • Individual preventative behaviors benefit self • Focus on illness and effects of Zika on the individual • Reducing mosquito populations will reduce Zika virus load in communities	• Proposed communication frame • Individual preventative behaviors benefit others • Focus on illness and effects of Zika on pregnant women and unborn babies • Breaking transmission cycle will reduce Zika virus load in communities