Are COVID‐19 conspiracies a threat to public health? Psychological characteristics and health protective behaviours of believers

The fast-changing COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to many conspiracy theories, and these have the potential to undermine public health measures and safeguarding behaviours. We conducted three studies before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK) (n = 302, 404 and 399) to (i) identify the prevalence of COVID-19 conspiracy theories in the UK, (ii) map their socio-psychological predictors, and (iii) investigate their association with health safeguarding behaviours. We found COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs were prevalent (25% of participants endorsed at least one) and predicted by beliefs in unrelated conspiracies, a conspiracy mind-set, distrust in governmental authorities, education, and cognitive reflection. Unexpectedly, COVID-19 conspiracy believers adhered to basic health guidelines both before and after the lockdown as strictly as non-believers (e.g., washing hands, social distancing) and adopted more advanced health protective behaviours not (yet) officially recommended in the UK (e.g., wearing a mask, washing groceries with soap). Conspiracy believers were also more reluctant to install the contact-tracing app, get tested for and vaccinated against COVID-19 because of the perceived risks associated with these procedures. We discuss psychological characteristics that explain the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and people’s behaviours and intentions, and suggest practical recommendations for public health initiatives.

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Precautionary Behavior Practices and Psychological Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients and Quarantined Persons

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18116070 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 6070

Author(s):

Yubin Lee ◽

Byung-Woo Kim ◽

Shin-Woo Kim ◽

Hyunjin Son ◽

Boyoung Park ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

South Korea ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Online Survey ◽

Early Stage ◽

Psychological Characteristics ◽

Social Solidarity ◽

Psychological States ◽

Precautionary Behavior ◽

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Background: since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported in 2019, South Korea has enforced isolation of patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, as well as quarantine for close contacts of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 and persons traveling from abroad, in order to contain its spread. Precautionary behavior practices and psychological characteristics of confirmed and quarantined persons were investigated for planning pandemic recovery and preparedness. Methods: this study was conducted with 1716 confirmed patients and quarantined persons in Daegu and Busan, regions where a high number of cases were confirmed during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. We collected online survey data from 23 April to 20 May 2020, in Daegu, and 28 April to 27 May 2020, in Busan, in cooperation with Daegu and Busan Infectious Disease Control Centers and public health centers in the regions. COVID-19 symptoms, pre-cautionary behavior practices, psychological states, and the need for improvement in isolation/quarantine environments were examined using an online survey. Results: compared to patients infected with coronavirus, quarantined persons engaged in more hygiene-related behaviors (e.g., hand washing, cough etiquette, and proper mask-wearing) and social distancing. COVID-19 patients had a strong fear of stigma, while quarantined persons had a strong fear of contracting COVID-19. Study participants responded that it was necessary to provide financial support and adequate information during isolation/quarantine. Conclusions: the study highlights the importance of precautionary behavior to prevent COVID-19 infection and the need to provide support (both psychological and financial) to patients and quarantined persons, to reinforce effective communication, social solidarity, and public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) in a pandemic situation.

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Exploring the Role of Enforcement in Promoting Adherence with Protective Behaviours During COVID-19

10.31234/osf.io/89sj3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Freya Mills ◽

Charles Symons ◽

Holly Carter

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Search Terms ◽

The Impact ◽

Practical Implications ◽

Specific Barriers ◽

Protective Behaviours

Purpose: To explore the conditions under which enforcement likely is, or is not, an effective strategy to increase adherence to recommended protective behaviours during COVID-19. Design/Methodology/Approach: Relevant search terms were entered into three key databases (Google Scholar, medXriv, psyArXiv) to identify both peer-reviewed and pre-publication articles that reported empirical data relating to the impact of enforcement on adherence with recommended public health behaviours. Findings: Enforcement is less effective when: it is applied inconsistently; rules are ambiguous; behaviours are unobservable. Providing food and financial support, creating social norms and increasing trust are more effective in addressing specific barriers and fostering voluntary adherence. Where enforcement forms part of the strategy for policing COVID-19 regulations, rules must be clear and local responders must be given time and opportunity to plan their response as new rules are implemented. Research limitations/implications: This narrative review was limited to papers published in English and available either via the databases searched, or via reference searching; some relevant studies may therefore not have been identified. Practical implications: Findings inform an understanding of the impact of enforcement on adherence and facilitate the development of recommendations for increasing adherence to protective behaviours during COVID-19. Given the importance of public adherence, these recommendations are not only useful in the context of COVID-19 but also for future public health emergencies. Originality/value: This narrative review is the first to explore the circumstances under which enforcement can increase or reduce adherence with COVID-19 guidelines, generating recommendations for improved public adherence.

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Cultural contexts during a pandemic: a qualitative description of cultural factors that shape protective behaviours in the Chinese-Canadian community

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-11928-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Charlotte T. Lee ◽

Rahim Kanji ◽

Angel H. Wang ◽

Aaida Mamuji ◽

Jack Rozdilsky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Cultural Factors ◽

Qualitative Description ◽

Cultural Groups ◽

Early Adoption ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

Chinese Canadian ◽

Protective Behaviours

Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been significant variations in the level of adoption of public health recommendations across international jurisdictions and between cultural groups. Such variations have contributed to the dissimilar levels of risks associated with this world-changing viral infection and have highlighted the potential role of culture in assigning meaning and importance to personal protective behaviours. The purpose of this study is to describe the cultural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic that shaped protective health behaviours in the Chinese-Canadian community, one of the largest Chinese diasporas outside of Asia. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Content analysis was used to analyze the data from semi-structured virtual interviews conducted with 83 adult Chinese-Canadian participants residing in a metropolitan area in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Findings The cultural factors of collectivism, information seeking behaviour, symbolism of masks, and previous experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged as themes driving the early adoption of personal protective behaviours within the Chinese-Canadian community during the first wave of COVID-19. These protective behaviours that emerged prior to the first nation-wide lockdown in Canada included physical distancing, mask use, and self-quarantine beyond what was required at the time. Conclusion These findings have implications for the development of future public health interventions and campaigns targeting personal protective behaviours in this population and other ethnic minority populations with similar characteristics.

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Precautionary behaviours of individuals with multimorbidity during the COVID-19 pandemic

European Journal of Ageing ◽

10.1007/s10433-021-00632-8 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Alice Delerue Matos ◽

Andreia Fonseca de Paiva ◽

Cláudia Cunha ◽

Gina Voss

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Intensive Care Units ◽

Financial Distress ◽

Severe Case ◽

European Countries ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Preventive Actions ◽

Protective Behaviours

AbstractStudies show that older individuals with multimorbidity are more susceptible to develop a more severe case of COVID-19 when infected by the virus. These individuals are more likely to be admitted to Intensive Care Units and to die from COVID-19-related conditions than younger individuals or those without multimorbidity. This research aimed to assess whether there are differences in terms of precautionary behaviours between individuals aged 50 + with multimorbidity and their counterparts without multimorbidity residing in 25 European countries plus Israel. We used data from the SHARE-COVID19 questionnaire on the socio-demographic and economic characteristics, multimorbidity, and precautionary behaviours of individuals. SHARE wave 8 and 7 databases were also used to fully identify individuals with multimorbidity. Our results showed that individuals with multimorbidity were more likely to exhibit precautionary behaviours than their counterparts without multimorbidity when gender, age, education, financial distress and countries were included as controls. Additionally, we found that women, more educated individuals and those experiencing more financial distress adopt more protective behaviours than their counterparts. Our results also indicate that the prevalence of precautionary behaviours is higher in Spain and Italy and lower in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. To guarantee the adoption of preventive actions against COVID-19, public health messaging and actions must continue to be disseminated among middle and older aged persons with multimorbidity, and more awareness campaigns should be targeted at men and less educated individuals but also at persons experiencing less financial distress, particularly in countries where people engaged in fewer precautionary behaviours.

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What Can Twitter Tell Us about Skin Cancer Communication and Prevention on Social Media?

Dermatology ◽

10.1159/000506458 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 236 (2) ◽

pp. 81-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carina Vasconcelos Silva ◽

Dilki Jayasinghe ◽

Monika Janda

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Skin Cancer ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Skin Cancer Prevention ◽

Cancer Communication ◽

Prevention Interventions ◽

Health Related ◽

Quantitative And Qualitative Methods ◽

Protective Behaviours

Background: Skin cancer places a substantial burden on the health system in Australia. The modernisation of skin cancer prevention interventions by using social media may enhance their contemporary reach and relevance, especially among the youth. This study aimed to analyse Twitter posts in Australia to establish a baseline of skin cancer and sun-related communication trends. Methods: Tweets posted over the summer of 2018/2019 relating to relevant keywords and hashtags such as “slipslopslap” and “sunscreen” were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The number of tweets, related communication patterns, and possible factors for sudden changes in tweet volume were studied. Results: Results showed that Australians are using Twitter to communicate about their sun-related and skin cancer experiences and to share advice and information on this matter. Overall, Australians use Twitter more frequently to talk about sunscreen (number of tweets between December 2018 and February 2019 = 5,842) and/or skin cancer (n = 3,936), but not so often to communicate about other sun-protective behaviours (n = 1,972) or skin cancer prevention campaigns (n = 108). The number of tweets is greatly affected by the increase in temperature. Celebrities, non-health-related organisations with a high number of followers, and individuals sharing their own skin cancer experiences achieve a substantial number of likes and retweets and thus influence on Twitter regarding skin cancer-related communication. Conclusions: The results allow deeper understanding of important determinants for effective social media use for health promotion and public health messaging in the future. Linking tweets with temperature, sharing by celebrities or non-health-related organisations and individuals with a high following can all contribute to greater spread of skin cancer and sun-related messages.

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COVID-19 related stigma and health-protective behaviours among adolescents in the Netherlands: An explorative study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253342 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253342

Author(s):

L. C. Preusting ◽

M. P. Raadsen ◽

A. Abourashed ◽

H. A. C. M. Voeten ◽

M. N. Wagener ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Health Benefit ◽

Convincing Evidence ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Social Distancing ◽

The Social ◽

Related Stigma ◽

Study Participants ◽

Protective Behaviours

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many governments to impose social distancing measures upon its citizens, including in the Netherlands. Motivating adolescents to adhere to measures such as social distancing can be challenging, since adolescents are relatively more affected by them, while experiencing virtually no personal health benefit. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to impact the social environment of adolescents in schools, as some media sources have reported bullying and stigmatisation of students with an Asian appearance. This study aims to explore the experiences of adolescents regarding their Health-Protective Behaviour (HPB), as well as the prevalence and expression of stigma towards ethnic minorities within the context of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. We performed a cross-sectional mixed-methods study, including two independent online questionnaires. An adapted version of the “HPB” questionnaire (n = 528) and the “Measure of Disease-Related Stigma (MDRS)” questionnaire (n = 380), were administered to Dutch adolescents of 10–16 years old, attending primary or secondary school. Furthermore, 15 interviews were held with eight male and seven female adolescents. All data collection took place between March 17 and April 20, 2020. Results show that adolescents perceive COVID-19 as a threat to other peoples’ health, rather than their own, and report adherence to public health measures in the interest of older and more vulnerable members of their community. We found no convincing evidence for widespread misinformation or stigmatising of certain ethnic groups among adolescents related to COVID-19 during this study. Participants acknowledged such behaviour happened in the early stages of the pandemic, before this study was initiated. Adolescents are a vital group for public health researchers to engage with during a pandemic, even when reaching them can be challenging.

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Behaviour adoption approaches during public health emergencies: implications for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

BMJ Global Health ◽

10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004450 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. e004450

Author(s):

Mohamed F Jalloh ◽

Aasli A Nur ◽

Sophia A Nur ◽

Maike Winters ◽

Jamie Bedson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Human Behaviour ◽

Top Down ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

The World ◽

Health Threats ◽

Contextual Framework ◽

Protective Behaviours

Human behaviour will continue to play an important role as the world grapples with public health threats. In this paper, we draw from the emerging evidence on behaviour adoption during diverse public health emergencies to develop a framework that contextualises behaviour adoption vis-à-vis a combination of top-down, intermediary and bottom-up approaches. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, we operationalise the contextual framework to demonstrate how these three approaches differ in terms of their implementation, underlying drivers of action, enforcement, reach and uptake. We illustrate how blended strategies that include all three approaches can help accelerate and sustain protective behaviours that will remain important even when safe and effective vaccines become more widely available. As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and prepares to respond to (re)emerging public health threats, our contextual framework can inform the design, implementation, tracking and evaluation of comprehensive public health and social measures during health emergencies.

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