SEFS Assistant Professor, Francisca Santana, joined SEFS faculty in the fall of 2023 as part of a cohort of faculty interested in climate adaptation. Santana’s most recent research paper, published in the Journal of Risk Research, examines the role that social processes have in human behavior and adaptation to wildfire smoke among other climate-related health hazards. In other words, how does our social world influence how we respond to health threats?

This study, entitled Descriptive social norms, social support, and behavioral response to climate-related and co-occurring health hazards, found that certain social processes– specifically social norms and social support– are significant in guiding people as they make decisions to protect themselves from health threats (protective health behavior). Social processes, like social norms, can be a strong motivator of behavior change, even in the absence of information.

Santana shared that this research can help guide public health communications, highlighting how social norms can better motivate the public to make healthy decisions and protect themselves from health hazards, like wildfire smoke.