The Better-Than-Average Effect in the Era of COVID-19: Cognitive Bias in the Age of Pandemic and its Relationship to Vaccination Hesitancy (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Kulesza ◽  
Dariusz Dolinski ◽  
Paweł Muniak ◽  
Daisy Winner ◽  
Kamil Izydorczak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Average Effect ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Scale Behavior ◽  
Vaccination Hesitancy ◽  
Better Than

BACKGROUND The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented global health crisis. Because large-scale behavior change has been critical to slowing the spread of the virus, understanding the mechanisms behind people’s decisions and behaviors to follow (or not) public health recommendations, is essential. OBJECTIVE In order to investigate one possible mechanism, we investigated the presence of the better-than-average effect. METHODS in 3066 individuals across Poland, Iran, and Kazakhstan. RESULTS Participants demonstrated clear the BTAE in all three countries. Furthermore, we found that the level of BTAE was a predictor of COVID-19 vaccination (declarative) claims. CONCLUSIONS These findings contribute to the growing literature on the role of cognitive biases on health behaviors, particularly during global health emergencies. We provide recommendations for public health communicators on how to address this bias to help ensure people adopt the behaviors that are critical to combatting the virus.

Anticipating on a post covid-19 world and the pivotal role of science and technology

Coronaviruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Khan ◽  
Tusha Sharma ◽  
Basu Dev Banerjee ◽  
Scotty Branch ◽  
Shea Harrelson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Future Outbreak

: Currently, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has transformed into a severe public health crisis and wreaking havoc worldwide. The ongoing pandemic has exposed the public healthcare system's weaknesses and highlighted the urgent need for investments in scientific programs and policies. A comprehensive program utilizing the science and technologydriven strategies combined with well-resourced healthcare organizations appears to be essential for current and future outbreak management.

The Origins of Human Rights in Global Health

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence O. Gostin ◽  
Benjamin Mason Meier
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Global Health ◽  
International Law ◽  
Right To Health ◽  
Right To Health Care ◽  
Global Standards ◽  
The Right

This chapter introduces the foundational importance of human rights for global health, providing a theoretical basis for the edited volume by laying out the role of human rights under international law as a normative basis for public health. By addressing public health harms as human rights violations, international law has offered global standards by which to frame government responsibilities and evaluate health practices, providing legal accountability in global health policy. The authors trace the historical foundations for understanding the development of human rights and the role of human rights in protecting and promoting health since the end of World War II and the birth of the United Nations. Examining the development of human rights under international law, the authors introduce the right to health as an encompassing right to health care and underlying determinants of health, exploring this right alongside other “health-related human rights.”

scholarly journals The Role of Risk Preferences in Responses to Messaging About COVID-19 Vaccine Take-Up

2021 ◽  
pp. 194855062199962
Author(s):  
Jennifer S. Trueblood ◽  
Abigail B. Sussman ◽  
Daniel O’Leary
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Risk Preferences ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Flu Vaccine ◽  
Nationally Representative

Development of an effective COVID-19 vaccine is widely considered as one of the best paths to ending the current health crisis. While the ability to distribute a vaccine in the short-term remains uncertain, the availability of a vaccine alone will not be sufficient to stop disease spread. Instead, policy makers will need to overcome the additional hurdle of rapid widespread adoption. In a large-scale nationally representative survey ( N = 34,200), the current work identifies monetary risk preferences as a correlate of take-up of an anticipated COVID-19 vaccine. A complementary experiment ( N = 1,003) leverages this insight to create effective messaging encouraging vaccine take-up. Individual differences in risk preferences moderate responses to messaging that provides benchmarks for vaccine efficacy (by comparing it to the flu vaccine), while messaging that describes pro-social benefits of vaccination (specifically herd immunity) speeds vaccine take-up irrespective of risk preferences. Findings suggest that policy makers should consider risk preferences when targeting vaccine-related communications.

Ambivalence and Adherence to Measures to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris K. Schneider ◽  
Angela Rachael Dorrough ◽  
Celine Frank
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Direct Costs ◽  
Pharmaceutical Treatment ◽  
Mixed Emotions ◽  
German Sample ◽  
Mixed Feelings ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
Scale Behavior

The COVID-19 pandemic poses one of the largest behavioral change challenges in the last decades. Because currently, there is no widely available pharmaceutical treatment available to contain the spread of infection, governments worldwide rely – at least to some extent – on behavioral recommendations aimed at reducing spread. The success of this strategy is dependent on the number of people that follow the recommendations. Most recommendations need people to change their behavior or adopt a new behavior. We propose that such behavioral change, with direct costs and delayed benefits, is a source of conflict and mixed feelings. This ambivalence negatively affects adherence to such recommendations. We present three studies that support our hypotheses: the more ambivalent people are about the recommendations, the less they follow them. We also examined the effect of the mixed emotions of hope and worry on adherence and find that it positively relates to adherence. Our findings replicated both in a U.S. sample as well as a representative German sample. Our work is the first to investigate the role of ambivalence in large-scale behavior change and highlight the importance of understanding the conflict that comes with changing behavior. We discuss implications for policy and communication.

scholarly journals Role of Community Medicine during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-244
Author(s):  
Epari Venkata Rao ◽  
Prem Sagar Panda
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Community Medicine ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Expert ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health Expert

Pandemics have significantly affected economy of each country. Health & political system have been also drastically affected in each part of the country. To fight against pandemic, it demands multidimensional approaches comprising of various measures like surveillance, containment, isolation & quarantine, border restriction as well as various socio-political and community measures. Though the entire health workforce is involved at multiple levels, the role of a community medicine/public health expert is maximum in controlling the spread in the community and managing the situation. The community medicine specialists can contribute to the public health as well as health-care services in combating the pandemic. This review has been done for giving an insight of proper utilisation of public health services and existing manpower of community medicine. Also this will channelize our health system and give a direction for combating future public health crisis.  So Government should utilise the experiences and expertise to manage the pandemic very well.

scholarly journals COVID-19 as an “Infodemic” in Public Health: Critical Role of the Social Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debanjan Banerjee ◽  
K. S. Meena
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The Impact

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a significant and global public health crisis. Besides the rising number of cases and fatalities, the outbreak has also affected economies, employment and policies alike. As billions are being isolated at their homes to contain the infection, the uncertainty gives rise to mass hysteria and panic. Amidst this, there has been a hidden epidemic of “information” that makes COVID-19 stand out as a “digital infodemic” from the earlier outbreaks. Repeated and detailed content about the virus, geographical statistics, and multiple sources of information can all lead to chronic stress and confusion at times of crisis. Added to this is the plethora of misinformation, rumor and conspiracy theories circulating every day. With increased digitalization, media penetration has increased with a more significant number of people aiding in the “information pollution.” In this article, we glance at the unique evolution of COVID-19 as an “infodemic” in the hands of social media and the impact it had on its spread and public reaction. We then look at the ways forward in which the role of social media (as well as other digital platforms) can be integrated into social and public health, for a better symbiosis, “digital balance” and pandemic preparedness for the ongoing crisis and the future.

Bhutan: The Role of the Constitutional Monarch in a Public Health Crisis

2021 ◽  
pp. 279-292
Author(s):  
Sonam Tshering ◽  
Nima Dorji
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Drug Smuggling ◽  
Personal Involvement ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
The People ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Government

This chapter reflects on Bhutan’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The people’s trust and confidence in the leadership of His Majesty the King, their government, strong Buddhist values to help each other, and the conscience of unity and solidarity proved their foremost strength in containing this pandemic as a nation. The king’s personal involvement helped guide, motivate, and encourage compliance with and support for the government’s response. However, Bhutan faced several challenges during the pandemic. Though most of the people are united, there are outliers who took advantage of the situation; there are reported cases of drug smuggling and one case of a person who escaped from quarantine. The government responded by increasing border patrols. In the long run, other solutions could be considered: installing a smart wall—using drones, sensors, and artificial intelligence patrols—would give Bhutan more control over its borders in the context of another epidemic while also enabling the government to better control smuggling.

scholarly journals Beware the Kindleberger Trap in Global Health Governance

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Jin Jiyong
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global Health Governance ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Global Public Goods ◽  
Health Governance ◽  
Health Crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic is both a public health crisis and a stress test for global health governance. Effective health governance hinges on the provision of global public goods for health. Generally, the hegemon underwrites the operation and stability of the global public health architecture by ensuring the sustained supply of global public goods for health. But when the hegemon is unable or unwilling to shoulder this responsibility, global health governance may run the risk of falling into a Kindleberger Trap. The leadership vacuum that is opening up amid the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the process. At present, China should adopt a three-pronged approach to promote bilateral health cooperation with leading countries like the United States, strengthen regional institution-building with ASEAN, South Korea, Japan, and Belt and Road countries, and improve the performance, credibility, and integrity of global organizations like the WHO and G-20. The Kindleberger Trap in global health governance can be overcome by adapting regional health coordination to make it more agile and effective.

scholarly journals Overestimating one’s ‘green’ behavior: Better-than-average bias may function to reduce perceived personal threat from climate change

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Leviston ◽  
Hannah Velure Uren
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Average Effect ◽  
Environmental Behaviour ◽  
Personal Threat ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Environmental Behaviours ◽  
Better Than

The actions of others, and what others approve of, can be a powerful tool for promoting pro-environmental behaviour. A potential barrier to the utility of social norms however are cognitive biases in how we perceive others, including the better-than-average effect. This effect describes the tendency for people to think they are exceptional, especially when compared with their peers. In order to investigate the role of the better-than-average effect in the context of climate-relevant pro-environmental behaviour, we administered questions as part of a larger online survey of 5,219 nationally representative Australians. Participants were asked to report whether they engaged in a list of 21 pro-environmental behaviours, and then asked to estimate how their engagement compared with the average Australian. Over half of our participants ‘self-enhanced’; they overestimated their engagement in pro-environmental behaviours relative to others. ‘Self-enhancement’ was related to reduced perceptions of personal harm from climate change, more favourable assessments of coping ability, less guilt, and lower moral and ethical duty to take action to prevent climate change. These relationships held when participants sceptical about anthropogenic climate change were removed from analyses. We discuss the implications of the findings for the use of social norms in promoting pro-environmental behaviour.

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