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. 2022 Aug;50(6):660-661.
doi: 10.1177/14034948221110409. Epub 2022 Jul 10.

The Children of Risk Communication

Leena Paakkari  1 , Orkan Okan  2
Affiliations

The Children of Risk Communication

Leena Paakkari et al. Scand J Public Health. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

For the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, risk communication has been a much-needed preventive and educative action to support citizens - including children - to adopt preventive and health protective measures. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only health concern at hand that has raised concerns about the health status of children and required disease-preventive strategies. Bearing in mind the mental health problems and learning losses reported during the pandemic, in this commentary, we will argue that by now, it is time to consider critically if there could be more space for positive communication and education, both alongside and as an integral part of risk communication, to help adolescents not just to survive but also to live the fullest possible life now and in the future. Otherwise, the adolescents of COVID-19 could become 'the children of risk communication' to the detriment of their health and well-being.

Keywords: Adolescents; COVID-19; health promotion; prevention; risk communication.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

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