Exploring barriers and facilitators of physical distancing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study

Background: Physical distancing measures (e.g., keeping a distance of two metres from others, avoiding crowded areas, and reducing the number of close physical contacts) continue to be among the most important preventative measures used to reduce the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, it is important to understand barriers and facilitators of physical distancing to help inform future public health campaigns. Methods: The current study aimed to qualitatively explore barriers and facilitators of physical distancing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic using a qualitative interpretative design. Semi-structured one-to-one phone interviews were conducted with 25 participants aged 18+ years and living in the Republic of Ireland between September and October 2020. A purposive sampling strategy was used to maximise diversity in terms of age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Analysis resulted in the development of six main themes related to barriers and facilitators of physical distancing: (1) Maintaining and negotiating close relationships; (2) Public environments support or discourage physical distancing; (3) Habituation to threat; (4) Taking risks to protect well-being; (5) Personal responsibility to control the “controllables”; and (6) Confusion and uncertainty around government guidelines. Conclusions: Physical distancing measures were judged to be more or less difficult based on a number of internal and external psychosocial factors. Barriers to distancing included difficulties maintaining and negotiating close relationships, habituation to COVID-19-related threat, risk compensation, and confusion and uncertainty around government guidelines. Having a sense of personal responsibility to prevent COVID-19 transmission through distancing was an important facilitator. The structure of public environments was viewed as both barrier and facilitator. Barriers and facilitators may vary depending on context and life stage, which should be considered in the design of interventions to target physical distancing behaviour.

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Exploring barriers and facilitators of physical distancing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study

HRB Open Research ◽

10.12688/hrbopenres.13295.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 50

Author(s):

Karen Farrell ◽

Hannah Durand ◽

Jenny McSharry ◽

Oonagh Meade ◽

Eanna Kenny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Close Relationships ◽

Personal Responsibility ◽

Life Stage ◽

Sampling Strategy ◽

Well Being ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Qualitative Interview Study ◽

The Republic ◽

Public Health Campaigns

Background: Physical distancing measures (e.g., keeping a distance of two metres from others, avoiding crowded areas, and reducing the number of close physical contacts) continue to be among the most important preventative measures used to reduce the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID -19). Therefore, it is important to understand barriers and facilitators of physical distancing to help inform future public health campaigns. Methods: The current study aimed to qualitatively explore barriers and facilitators of physical distancing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic using a qualitative interpretative design. Semi-structured one-to-one phone interviews were conducted with 25 participants aged 18+ years and living in the Republic of Ireland between September and October 2020. A purposive sampling strategy was used to maximise diversity in terms of age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Analysis resulted in the development of six main themes related to barriers and facilitators of physical distancing: (1) Maintaining and negotiating close relationships; (2) Public environments support or discourage physical distancing; (3) Habituation to threat; (4) Taking risks to maintain well-being; (5) Personal responsibility to control the “controllables”; and (6) Confusion and uncertainty around government guidelines. Conclusions: Our study found that physical distancing measures are judged to be more or less difficult based on a number of internal and external psychosocial factors, including maintaining and negotiating close relationships, habituation to threat, risk compensation, structure of public environments, personal responsibility, and confusion or uncertainty around government guidelines. Given the diversity in our sample, it is clear that the identified barriers and facilitators vary depending on context and life stage. Messaging that targets sub-groups of the population may benefit from considering the identified themes in this analysis.

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Alternative Transportation Enterprises for Rural Australia: An Organizational Study of Greener Options and Use

International Journal of Rural Management ◽

10.1177/0973005219872934 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 269-292

Author(s):

Angela T. Ragusa ◽

Andrea Crampton

Keyword(s):

Impression Management ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Communication Theory ◽

Life Stage ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Carbon Neutrality ◽

Research Interview ◽

Organizational Study ◽

Public Health Campaigns

Economic and social norms/behaviours challenge ‘greener’ transportation alternatives in rural Australia’s car-dependent society. Surveys ( n = 412) and interviews ( n = 44) conducted at a rural Australian organization reveal experiences with, and perceptions about, carpooling, public transportation, greener cars and walking/cycling campaigns. Infrastructure, cultural norms and life-stage demands competed against pro-environmental transportation actions, even if self-identifying as ‘pro-environment’. Discussed amid cognitive dissonance and impression management theory, findings support ‘attitude/action’ gaps in environmental psychology research. Interview participants knew vehicles degraded the environment and 81 per cent surveyed used environmental ratings in car purchasing decisions. Thus, deficit-based communication theory and public health campaigns are limiting approaches. Change management requires innovative solutions, not awareness-raising campaigns, to achieve organizational carbon neutrality goals beyond ‘offsetting’ and address the reasons—inconvenience and social/physical undesirability—interviewees shared about their ability/willingness to walk/cycle/share-drive.

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Implementation of patient-centred care: which organisational determinants matter from decision maker’s perspective? Results from a qualitative interview study across various health and social care organisations

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027591 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e027591 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Kira Isabel Hower ◽

Vera Vennedey ◽

Hendrik Ansgar Hillen ◽

Ludwig Kuntz ◽

Stephanie Stock ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Social Care ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Sampling Strategy ◽

Well Being ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Patient Centred Care ◽

Qualitative Interview Study ◽

Health And Social Care

ObjectivesHealth and social care systems, organisations and providers are under pressure to organise care around patients’ needs with constrained resources. To implement patient-centred care (PCC) successfully, barriers must be addressed. Up to now, there has been a lack of comprehensive investigations on possible determinants of PCC across various health and social care organisations (HSCOs). Our qualitative study examines determinants of PCC implementation from decision makers’ perspectives across diverse HSCOs.DesignQualitative study of n=24 participants in n=20 semistructured face-to-face interviews conducted from August 2017 to May 2018.Setting and participantsDecision makers were recruited from multiple HSCOs in the region of the city of Cologne, Germany, based on a maximum variation sampling strategy varying by HSCOs types.OutcomesThe qualitative interviews were analysed using an inductive and deductive approach according to qualitative content analysis. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to conceptualise determinants of PCC.ResultsDecision makers identified similar determinants facilitating or obstructing the implementation of PCC in their organisational contexts. Several determinants at the HSCO’s inner setting and the individual level (eg, communication among staff and well-being of employees) were identified as crucial to overcome constrained financial, human and material resources in order to deliver PCC.ConclusionsThe results can help to foster the implementation of PCC in various HSCOs contexts. We identified possible starting points for initiating the tailoring of interventions and implementation strategies and the redesign of HSCOs towards more patient-centredness.

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Mass Vaccination

10.7591/cornell/9781501739989.001.0001 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Mary Augusta Brazelton

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Deep Roots ◽

Daily Lives ◽

The People ◽

Global Health Policy ◽

The Republic ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

Public Health Campaigns

While the eradication of smallpox has long been documented, not many know the Chinese roots of this historic achievement. This book examines the People's Republic of China's public health campaigns of the 1950s to explain just how China managed to inoculate almost six hundred million people against this and other deadly diseases. The book tells the story of the people, materials, and systems that built these campaigns, exposing how, by improving the nation's health, the Chinese Communist Party quickly asserted itself in the daily lives of all citizens. This crusade had deep roots in the Republic of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War, when researchers in China's southwest struggled to immunize as many people as possible, both in urban and rural areas. But its legacy was profound, providing a means for the state to develop new forms of control and of engagement. The book considers the implications of vaccination policies for national governance, from rural health care to Cold War-era programs of medical diplomacy. By embedding Chinese medical history within international currents, the book highlights how and why China became an exemplar of primary health care at a crucial moment in global health policy.

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The Politics and Culture of Medicine and Disease in Central America

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.013.52 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

David Carey Jr.

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Central America ◽

Indigenous People ◽

Social Relations ◽

Social Power ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Public Health Campaigns

With its diverse ecological zones and varied public health threats that ranged from lowland epidemic to highland endemic diseases, Central America is a challenging place to practice healthcare. In addition to topography and geography, social relations have also influenced the dynamic, contested, and negotiated process of healthcare in developing countries. Adversarial relations among indigenous people, African immigrants and slaves, and the state marked the region’s pasts. After the Spanish conquest established racist structures that favored Hispanic citizens by instituting forced labor mechanisms and limiting access to political, economic, and social power, colonists extracted land and labor from indigenous communities. Although most countries assumed that adopting Hispanic customs would improve the lives of indigenous and Afro-Central Americans, many elites felt such workers’ health was important only insofar as it did not impede their ability to labor. Characterized by holistic approaches to health that took into account psychological, emotional, and physical well-being, indigenous and other traditional healing practices flourished even after states embraced the fields of bacteriology and parasitology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Primarily served by curanderos, midwives, bonesetters, and other traditional healers for generations, some remote rural communities were isolated from schooled medicine and its practitioners. In other rural communities and cities, hybrid healthcare offered patients palatable and efficacious healing options. As doctors became politicians and states embraced science to modernize their nations, politics and public health became inextricably linked. Often with the assistance of multinational companies and nongovernmental organizations, governments deployed scientific medicine and public health campaigns to undergird assimilationist projects. Based on assumptions that traditional medicine was impotent and indigenous people and African descendants were vectors of disease, public health campaigns often discounted, rejected, or persecuted the healing practices of such peoples. When authorities embraced rather than problematized the confluences of race and health, they enjoyed some success. Yet neither authoritarian nor democratic governments could establish a medical monopoly.

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Psychosocial Issues ‌of Retirement in Iran: ‌A Qualitative Study

Salmand ◽

10.32598/sija.15.4.2879.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 396-409

Author(s):

Zohreh Alavi ◽

◽

Fardin Alipour ◽

Hassan Rafiey ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Elderly Care ◽

Sampling Strategy ◽

Well Being ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Care Providers ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Emotional Deprivation ◽

Psychosocial Challenges

Objectives: Retirement is a potentially challenging event in old age that has different‏ effects on older people’s lives. This study aims to identify the psychosocial consequences, barriers, and facilitators of adaption to retirement in Iran. Methods & Materials: In this study, we used conventional content analysis. The samples consisted of 22 people with experience or expertise in the field of retirement, who were selected by maximum diversity and purposeful sampling strategy Data were collected through semi-structured interviews from February 2019 to September 2019. Graneheim and Lundman's approach was used for data analysis. Results: Of 22 participants, 59% were male and 41% were female. Four main categories and 13 sub-categories were extracted covering different psychosocial aspects of adaption to retirement Including: Psychosocial challenges (emotional deprivation, reduced psychological resilience, role loss, social isolation, and family challenges), post-retirement development (developing interests and activities, and feeling of being free), barriers to retirement adaptation (health problems, lack of a retirement plan, and macro-structural deficiencies), and contextual/supportive facilitators (individual characteristics, job characteristics, and social support systems). Conclusion: After retirement, people face psychosocial challenges or opportunities for development. In the meantime, some barriers and facilitators can affect adaption to retirement. Therefore, preparation for retirement is an important issue in the field of gerontology services. Elderly care providers and health professionals can benefit from the finding of this study in their interventions to promote the psychosocial well-being of retirees and their families.‎

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Barriers and Facilitators of Adherence to Social Distancing Recommendations among a Large International Sample of Adults Recruited in April 2020

10.31219/osf.io/62g7z ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Adina Coroiu ◽

Chelsea Moran ◽

Tavis Campbell ◽

Alan Geller

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Responsibility To Protect ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Work Study ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Individual Level ◽

Public Health Campaigns

This cross-sectional study collected data from 2013 participants recruited via social media. The study was conducted during a period of well-enforced regulations about social distancing. Adherence to social distancing recommendations was relatively high for most behaviours, but not nearly close to 100%. The study identified key modifiable barriers and facilitators of adherence to social distancing: strongest facilitators included wanting to protect the self, feeling a responsibility to protect the community, and being able to work/study remotely; strongest barriers included having friends or family who needed help with running errands, socializing in order to avoid feeling lonely, and seeing many people in the streets. Future interventions to improve adherence to social distancing measures should couple individual-level strategies targeting key barriers to social distancing identified herein, with effective institutional measures and public health interventions. Public health campaigns should continue to highlight compassionate attitudes towards social distancing.

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The influence of education on women’s well-being: Evidence from Australia

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0247765 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0247765

Author(s):

Dai Binh Tran ◽

Thao Dinh Ngoc Pham ◽

Thuy Thanh Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Formal Education ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Healthy Behaviors ◽

Monetary Benefit ◽

Education Levels ◽

Using Data ◽

Labor Dynamics ◽

Public Health Campaigns ◽

The Relationship

This study investigates the relationship between women’s education and their level of well-being, using data from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA). To take into account potential endogeneity, the instrumental variables (IV) approach is employed, with partners’ education as an instrument. The findings show that higher education levels lead to a higher level of eudaimonic well-being, hedonic well-being, positive affect, and reduced psychological distress, highlighting a non-monetary benefit of education. Thus, policymakers should continue to widely promote education, in order for women to achieve higher levels of future well-being. Additionally, the findings show that the connection between education and well-being is mediated by healthy behaviors, such as engaging in physical activity, abstaining from drinking and smoking, social interactivity, and higher income. Therefore, public health campaigns which promote healthy behaviors among women should potentially mitigate gaps in formal education.

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Promoting Hearing Loss Prevention in Audiology Practice

Perspectives on Public Health Issues Related to Hearing and Balance ◽

10.1044/hcoa13.1.3 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 3-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David C. Byrne ◽

Christa L. Themann ◽

Deanna K. Meinke ◽

Thais C. Morata ◽

Mark R. Stephenson

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Sound Level ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Loss Prevention ◽

Hearing Conservation ◽

Prevention Services ◽

Occupational Programs ◽

Strategic Position ◽

Public Health Campaigns ◽

Self Protection

An audiologist should be the principal provider and advocate for all hearing loss prevention activities. Many audiologists equate hearing loss prevention with industrial audiology and occupational hearing conservation programs. However, an audiologist’s involvement in hearing loss prevention should not be confined to that one particular practice setting. In addition to supervising occupational programs, audiologists are uniquely qualified to raise awareness of hearing risks, organize public health campaigns, promote healthy hearing, implement intervention programs, and monitor outcomes. For example, clinical audiologists can show clients how to use inexpensive sound level meters, noise dosimeters, or phone apps to measure noise levels, and recommend appropriate hearing protection. Audiologists should identify community events that may involve hazardous exposures and propose strategies to minimize risks to hearing. Audiologists can help shape the knowledge, beliefs, motivations, attitudes, and behaviors of individuals toward self-protection. An audiologist has the education, tools, opportunity, and strategic position to facilitate or promote hearing loss surveillance and prevention services and activities. This article highlights real-world examples of the various roles and substantial contributions audiologists can make toward hearing loss prevention goals.

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Africa - Israel - Africa Return-migration experiences of African labour migrants

MIGRATION LETTERS ◽

10.33182/ml.v10i1.111 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 57-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Galia Sabar

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Social Norms ◽

Return Migration ◽

Personal Responsibility ◽

Well Being ◽

Material Goods ◽

Economic Assets ◽

Migration Experiences ◽

Return Process

This paper analyses homecoming experiences of African labour migrants who lived in Israel and returned home. Using qualitative research methodologies, I discerned what factors - material and non-material - determine the relative success of the return process. Focusing on these factors’ effects, I offer a new understanding of labour migrants’ homecoming experiences: those who are “content,” “readjusting,” or “lost. Following Ulrich Beck's (2006) analysis of cosmopolitanism, I suggest that these categories portray significant new life spaces that are neither what they left nor what they came from, and are dynamic, fragile, and constantly changing. In some cases the influence of economic assets on the returned migrants’ homecoming experience was indeed crucial, in many other cases the challenges of reconnecting oneself with home, family, and existing social norms and customs was much more influential on their homecoming experience including on their sense of well-being. Furthermore, some of the non-material goods such as individualization, personal responsibility, and long-term planning proved useful, others such as trust, particularly in relation to family, were detrimental.

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