Drexel University; Philadelphia, PA USA.
Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013 Dec;9(12):2670-1. doi: 10.4161/hv.26653. Epub 2013 Oct 1.
Visual imagery can powerfully shape perceptions of risks as is clearly demonstrated by research on the use of graphic warnings on cigarette packs. Government efforts to counteract public fears of vaccines could harness this phenomenon by using public information campaigns that present visually the effects of vaccine-preventable diseases. Visual representations can also be used to communicate the relative risks of vaccines, which are generally negligible, and of the diseases they prevent. Such initiatives have the policy advantage of minimizing the sense of government intrusion that measures such as vaccine mandates and social restrictions could engender and the legal advantage of avoiding claims of infringement on civil liberties. Government policy should take advantage of this important and accessible tool.
视觉意象可以有力地塑造人们对风险的认知，这一点在研究香烟包装上的图形警示标签的使用时得到了明确证明。政府可以利用这一现象，通过开展公共宣传活动，用视觉效果展示疫苗可预防疾病的影响，来消除公众对疫苗的恐惧。视觉表现还可以用来传达疫苗的相对风险，疫苗的风险通常是可以忽略不计的，以及它们所预防的疾病的风险。这些举措具有政策优势，可以最大限度地减少人们对疫苗接种要求和社会限制等措施的政府干预感，并且具有法律优势，可以避免侵犯公民自由的说法。政府政策应该利用这一重要且易于使用的工具。
