Communicating Health Risks With Visual Aids

Abstract

Informed decision making requires that people understand health risks. Unfortunately, many people are not risk literate and are biased by common risk communication practices. In this article, we review a collection of studies investigating the benefits of visual aids for communicating health risks to diverse vulnerable people (e.g., varying in abilities, ages, risk characteristics, and cultural backgrounds). These studies show that appropriately designed visual aids are often highly effective, transparent, and ethically desirable tools for improving decision making, changing attitudes, and reducing risky behavior. Theoretical mechanisms, open questions, and emerging applications are discussed.