The Oxford Encyclopedia of Health and Risk Message Design and Processing has been compiled as an up-to-date and comprehensive theoretically guided work in health and risk communication. Research and practice dedicated to communicating about health and risk to lay audiences grows exponentially with the availability of scientific knowledge on the subject. This work seeks to ensure that what is communicated is not only scientifically accurate but also avoids any partial information or overemphasis of particular features that result in beliefs or actions that may result in personal or societal harms. With the body of knowledge associated with health and risk communication collected in a credible and accessible resource, such outcomes appear to be less likely to occur is a collaboration of the leading scholars in the field.

Comprising 134 extensive articles, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Health and Risk Message Design and Processing examines, among others:

- message exposure and reach
- message recipient sociodemographics
- normative and integrated approaches
- cognitive- and affect-based motivational processes
- social determinants of health and risk

More than 150 scholars from around the globe examined the overarching topic from the lens of multiple disciplines and eras of thought. The perspectives represented range from disciplinary to interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary in illuminating decades of knowledge. Authors do not shy away from critiques of past strategic message design efforts in explaining the roles of individual characteristics linked to outcomes. Nor do contributors avoid controversial discussions related to the substantial evidence that demonstrates roles for personal relationships, social networks, and societal practices and policies on individual decision-making aligned with health and risk. Novel insights emerge from systematic case studies used to illustrate some of these principles in practice, while gaps in existing research generate recommendations for future programs of study and practice.