Targeting Perceptions of Risk from Injudicious Antibiotic Use: An Application of the Risk Information Seeking and Processing Model

Enhancing knowledge about antibiotic-associated risks is key to reducing injudicious antibiotic use and slowing antibiotic resistance. Using the Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) model, the study identified predictors of individuals’ seeking and avoidance of information about antibiotic risks and tested the effectiveness of exposure to a RISP-informed video intervention against exposure to a CDC-produced video and a control group. In a national sample (N = 1000), risk judgment led to greater negative affect toward risks of antibiotics and lower positive affect toward antibiotic usefulness. In turn, positive and negative affect shaped information insufficiency, which interacted with perceived information gathering capacity to influence risk information seeking and avoidance. In addition, informational subjective norms and affective responses directly shaped individuals’ information behavior. Results showed that relative to the control group, participants viewing the RISP-informed video had greater risk judgment, perceived current knowledge about antibiotic risks, perceived information gathering capacity, and informational subjective norms, as well as lower levels of positive affect toward antibiotics. The RISP-informed video and CDC-produced video performed equivalently well. Implications of the findings for the design of antibiotic stewardship messages are discussed.