Hygiena 2017, 62(3):90-93 | DOI: 10.21101/hygiena.a1555

HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT AND PSYCHoSOMATIC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF RISK PERCEPTIONPodíl tabáku na úmrtích ve východní Evropě

Vladimír Bencko

Univerzita Karlova, 1. lékařská fakulta, Ústav hygieny a epidemiologie, Praha

Qualified assessment of potential health risks in the living and working environment, related to existing buildings and planned industrial, transport or other building activities/projects is an essential part of their audit. While the initial phase of the risk assessment, namely its identification and exposure assessment, are of a purely naturalistic nature, the self-estimation of the risk level already includes increasingly arbitrary aspects (eg safety factors). Risk communication and, in particular, risk management mean that, in psychosocial terms, decision-making is then put into a political context. An indispensable component of that system of considerations, or simply a stage of risk assessment, is how it perceives or evaluates the relevant risk of the population that is or will be exposed to it. Insufficient, incomplete or purpose fully misrepresented information can lead psychologically labile individuals to psychosomatic health problems. Psychosocial aspects may be of paramount importance in perceiving potential health risks. This is especially true when our knowledge of the real health implications of human exposure to the environmental factor is incomplete, or the intensity of this exposure is in the range of doubts as to possible biological effects. The most serious feature of these situations, particularly among psychologically labile individuals, is the presence of often severe neuropsychic and psychosomatic problems. Despite the difficult objectification, for the bearer they pose different degrees of complaints or suffering, which cannot be underestimated in terms of the quality of their lives. The prevention of these problems can be systematic and timely educational or explanatory activity, targeted health education at the time of preparation of industrial, transport, military or other constructions and the use and involvement of local civic activists or activities. It should not be a cheap downplaying of the risk but a clear convincing of the acceptability of its degree with the advantages that the project will bring. Additional attempts to explain to the public the real state of affairs are usually accepted with distrust or spite, with the information being "well-paid" misinformations that conceal the true state of affairs.

Keywords: health risk assessment (HRA), risk perception, psychosomatic aspects

Published: September 30, 2017  Show citation