초록 열기/닫기 버튼
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between government trust and risk perception of Mad Cow Disease (MCD). Methods: This study design was cross-sectional study using self-administerd questionnaire. The survey subjects were mothers of elementary school students in Seoul, total of 642 subjects. The survey period was from December 7 through December 18 of 2009, and the collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 12.0. Results: The subjects perceived high risk of the MCD. About 80.8% of the subjects perceived that the result of MCD was fatal, 74.9% agreed that the MCD was a new type of threat, 69.0 percent agreed that the MCD was a very dreadful disease. The risk perception of the MCD was related to government trust factors, especially government policy. Those who did not believe that the current government policy was correct and government was working toward the public's benefit and not its own had the higher level of risk perception of the MCD. Conclusion: In implementing government policy, all information should be efficiently and accurately communicated through a transparent implementation process. Also, the government must have plans for countermeasures in case of an emergency and respond efficiently in order to maintain their credibility. The understanding of the differences between the experts' and the public's risk communication should be considered. For more effective risk communication, media, health experts, government representatives, and related industries should work together.
