Evidence-based communication on climate change and health: Testing videos, text, and maps on climate change and Lyme disease in Manitoba, Canada

gave recommendations on these communication tools to improve their efficacy and uptake. In general, many suggested clarifying the purpose and making the materials shorter and simpler, while several people suggested having more personal stories that make the content relatable. Some people wanted to see more data and “proof” while others wanted less scientific informa- tion. Other recommendations were to include: more information on solutions (e.g. how the general public can do their part to take action against climate change and slow the spread of blacklegged ticks); more comparative visuals of different types of ticks; more details from the story of the Lyme-affected community member; more information on the long-term effects of Lyme disease; and more “relatable” characters in the video. Suggestions for where to share the materials included: in outdoor magazines, hunting and fishing guides, hardware stores, a provincial park office or campground, schools, doctor’s offices and health centres, nature TV shows, weather websites, or online advertisements. Other suggestions included creating an app or online game for kids, adding tick information to goo- gle maps, or sharing it on social media. There was a suggestion to have the materials some- where people are “forced” to watch or read. Despite the constructive criticism regarding the materials, many focus group participants had thoughtful ideas on how the tools could be maxi- mally shared. Discussion In this study, we explored responses to three types of communication materials–video, maps,

and an article–about the connection between climate change and Lyme disease. We identified three key findings, as discussed below. Mediums of communication: Emotional engagement through video and story Most participants expressed a preference for the video, as it related visuals and stories. This finding aligns with previous research which suggests that visuals can make climate change impacts more concrete, relatable, and engaging (e.g. [21,34,35]) and further suggests that video in particular can change public attitudes on climate change (e.g. [36]). Video allows for dynamic storytelling in a way that static visuals [37] and text alone [34] do not. While the liter- ature is divided on whether climate visuals of impacts or solutions are more effective [38,39], the medium of video can allow both impact and action-oriented visuals to be woven together to produce a message that provides a balance of hope and urgency to motivate viewers. Simi- larly, some have argued that effective climate imagery should capture the depth and complexity of both the problem and its solutions to engage a wide audience [22,39]. The results here sug- gest that both visuals of the problem (e.g. animated map of disease spread) and the solution (e.g. scientists conducting field surveillance) resonated with participants. The video was found to be a more effective medium for engagement because of its use of narrative and focus on characters, such as the community member who shared his story of contracting Lyme disease. While some studies have emphasized the importance of featuring

“normal” people in climate communications (e.g. [40]), in practice there is often a lack of human stories [22]. Story narratives are found to be better than fact-based narratives at facili- tating experiential processing and motivating action-taking on climate change through height- ened affect and emotion [18,41]. These results align with this previous research which argues for emotional anchoring of climate information (e.g. [42]), while also raising interesting ques- tions around perceived credibility in storytelling on climate change. The fact that a non-expert messenger sharing their experience was more engaging for many–and more believable for some–than experts describing information fits with previous research on the importance of a PLOS ONE Evidence-based communication on climate change and health PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252952 June 10, 2021 9 / 17