Scientific evidence alone does not automatically change human behavior. While the scientific community has reached broad consensus that infectious pathogens, such as viruses can spread through airborne transmission, one critical challenge remains: How can scientific evidence be transformed into public understanding and meaningful action for effective prevention and control of airborne diseases?
Published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, a Nature Portfolio journal, an international study led by researchers of Aerosol Science Research Center, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan provides one of the first large-scale evidence-based evaluations of how different science communication formats influence scientific understanding and preventive health behaviors. Using the original educational resource "The Quest of the Virosols", developed by the Aerosol Science Research Center at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), the study compared plain text, explainer comics, and animation among 3,217 participants from Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, including healthcare professionals, educators, and university students.
The findings demonstrate that while all three communication formats improved scientific knowledge, animation was the most effective in promoting understanding, strengthening empathy and risk perception, and motivating preventive health behaviors. The study further shows that effective science communication extends beyond information delivery—it transforms scientific knowledge into understanding, understanding into empathy, and empathy into action.
Beyond COVID-19, these findings highlight science communication as an essential component of pandemic preparedness, public health communication, disease prevention, environmental health, sustainability, and evidence-informed policymaking. By fostering human capacities aligned with the Inner Development Goals (IDGs), effective science communication can also accelerate progress toward multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), strengthening more resilient, informed, and sustainable societies.
Science communication is not merely about transferring knowledge. It is about transforming knowledge into understanding, understanding into empathy, and empathy into action.
