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

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.

scholarly journals Knowledge About Dengue Fever Prevention Among People Visiting Benazir Bhutto Hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-26
Author(s):  
Tamanna Fayyaz ◽  
Maria Yasin ◽  
Ahsan Tariq ◽  
Aashi Mughal ◽  
Mujtaba Haider Bukhari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Dengue Fever ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Ethical Review ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

Background: The higher incidence of dengue fever in Pakistan demands additional efforts in order to limit the disease. Despite active public health campaigns, low public awareness is one of the factors facilitating dengue virus transmission. For effective preventive measures, the assessment of the knowledge gap and then taking appropriate steps to fill the gap is required.The objective of this study is to assess knowledge about dengue fever prevention among people visiting Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi.Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study of 6 months duration was conducted with 280 participants selected via nonprobability convenience sampling. After informed consent, an interview was conducted based on a questionnaire that assessed socio-demographic parameters and knowledge about dengue virus transmission and prevention. Data were analyzed through SPSS v. 22. The study was approved by the Ethical Review Board (ERB) of Rawalpindi Medical University and Allied hospitals.Results: Out of 280 respondents, 54.6% were males and 45.4% females and the mean age was 35.0 ± 13.1 years. The respondents having high knowledge scores were 66(23.6%) while those having moderate and low scores were 159 (56.8%) and 55 (19.6%) respectively. Educated respondents (p=0.03) and urban residents (p=0.05) had higher knowledge scores.Conclusion: The majority of the participants know about dengue fever. However, only one out of every four respondents has good knowledge scores for dengue fever prevention.

The role of Science Literacy, Trust, and Impulsivity on Adherence to COVID-19 Recommendations: Cross-sectional Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perla Amalia Vargas ◽  
Nicole M Lee ◽  
Scott Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Science Literacy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Fox News ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Public Health Campaigns ◽  
Perfect Adherence

BACKGROUND To slow down transmission and prevent deaths in the face of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) pandemic, the public needs to adhere to recommendations to limit exposure and the spread of the disease. There is emerging evidence that television viewership choices and partisanship are associated to adherence to COVID-19 -related preventive recommendations. On the other hand, some suggest that believing fake news may be due to impulsivity or a lack of thinking rather than partisanship. OBJECTIVE To test whether 1) individuals with high levels of impulsivity will be less likely to adhere to COVID-19 recommendations; and 2) if the odds of adhering to the recommendations will be higher for those with positive attitudes toward science, higher levels of science literacy, and COVID-19 knowledge, who get their news from scientific/reliable sources. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional online survey administered via Qualtrics (Provo, UT). COVID-related survey items were extracted from recent COVID-19 studies. Respondents completed assessments on impulsiveness, perception of scientists and science literacy. selected their common sources of information including conservative and liberal media (e.g., Fox News or One America News Network – OANN and MSNBC or CNN). The sample was recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and from the student population of a large university in the southwestern U.S. After removing incomplete responses, the final sample included 1223 cases. RESULTS Consistent with previous reports, compared to respondents who got their News from sources other than Fox News or OANN, those who reported Fox News or OANN as their main source of information had significantly lower scores of COVID-19 knowledge. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that impulsivity was associated with adherence: high scores was associated to adherence failure while low scores were associated to perfect adherence. COVID-19 knowledge and trust in scientists showed the same significant associations: high knowledge scores were associated to perfect adherence and low to failure. Contrary to our hypothesis, Science Literacy did not predict adherence. Finally, race was also significantly associated with adherence: being white was associated to adherence failure while being non-white predicted perfect adherence. CONCLUSIONS To increase voluntary adherence to COVID-19 measures, it is critical to implement public health campaigns that foster trust in authorities –Republican and Democrat-- and leverage trustworthy individuals in the community to disseminate information. For individuals with high levels of impulsivity, environmental restructuring, and/or nudging may be necessary to increase adherence to preventive recommendations.

scholarly journals A cross-sectional population survey of physicians in Alberta, Canada about a novel provincial contact tracing smartphone app

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Jerome ◽  
M Pietrosanu ◽  
K Dhillon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
English Language ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Smartphone App ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Health Zone ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

Abstract Background The Canadian province of Alberta released the ABTraceTogether smartphone app in May 2020 to assist in contact tracing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Public engagement with this public health tool has been low, limiting the effectiveness of the intervention. This study examines physician knowledge of the app and practice patterns in relation to the app. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional self-administered online English language survey of physicians and medical students in Alberta, Canada. The survey link was sent to all registered members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and was distributed by other provincial physician organizations and health zone leaders. Results The survey received 317 responses. 96% of participants were aware of the app but only 27% had recommended the app to patients. The most common reason provided for not downloading or recommending the app was that participants had security concerns about the app. 23% of participants indicated they did not believe they had a responsibility to recommend the app to others. Conclusions Our study provides insights into participants’ knowledge and beliefs about the ABTraceTogether app. This information may be valuable to public health officials who wish to engage physicians in future public health campaigns.

scholarly journals Gender Discrepancies in SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Related Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethann Mangel Pflugeisen ◽  
Jin Mou
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Community Healthcare ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

Objectives: International studies suggest that males may be less likely to adhere to SARS-CoV-2 transmission mitigation efforts than females. However, there is a paucity of research in this field in the United States. The primary aim of this study was to explore the relationship of binary gender identity (female/male) with beliefs, attitudes, and pandemic-related practices in the early stages of the pandemic.Methods: This study is based on a cross-sectional, voluntary response survey. Patients who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 5 and June 7, 2020 were invited to participate. All patients were tested within a large community healthcare system that serves patients through eight hospitals and hundreds of clinics across Washington State. Bivariate associations between gender and various demographics were tested using Chi-squared and Student's t-tests. We examined associations between gender and pandemic-related beliefs, attitudes, and practices using multivariable logistic regression, accounting for potential confounding factors.Results: Females were more likely than males to agree that they (aOR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.14–2.00) or their families (aOR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.31–2.33) were threatened by SARS-CoV-2, or that their own behavior could impact transmission (aOR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.49–3.15). Similarly, females were more likely to agree that social distancing (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.19–2.46), handwashing (aOR = 3.27, 95% CI 2.06–5.21), and masking (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.02–1.94) were necessary to slow SARS-CoV-2 spread. Females were significantly less likely to visit outside of their social distancing circle (aOR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.47–0.81), but among those who did, practices of social distancing (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI 0.89–2.23), remaining outdoors (aOR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.56–1.40), and masking (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI 0.74–1.93) were comparable to males, while females practiced handwashing more than males (aOR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.33–3.34).Conclusions: Our study suggests that gender disparate beliefs, attitudes, and practices existed in the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Efforts should be tailored to encourage males to engage with mitigation efforts in ongoing pandemic-related public health campaigns.

scholarly journals Change in eating habits and physical activities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong: a cross‐sectional study via random telephone survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingxuan Wang ◽  
Eng Kiong Yeoh ◽  
Tony Ka Chun Yung ◽  
Martin Chi Sang Wong ◽  
Dong Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing

Abstract Background Hong Kong is a densely populated city with a low incidence and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The city imposed different levels of social distancing including, the closure of sports venues and restrictions on eateries. This inevitably affects the eating behaviour and physical activities of the population. We examined the changes in eating behavior and physical activities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and identified sociodemographic factors associated with the behavioral changes. Methods This was a cross-sectional study via a random telephone survey of Chinese adults conducted in Hong Kong from May to June, 2020 - a period in which social distancing measures were being imposed. We measured the physical activity habits from four aspects and dietary consumption patterns from seven aspects before and during the pandemic based on the World Health Organization’s guidelines and previous publications. Results In total, 724 participants were recruited. Individuals were found to cook more frequently at home (p < 0.001) and order take-out (p < 0.001) during the COVID-19 pandemic. While no significant change in the frequency of fast food consumption was observed, we found significant increases in the frequency of eating fruits (p < 0.001) and vegetables (p = 0.004). The frequencies of walking, moderate-intensive sports, and high-intensity sports were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). We found that healthy lifestyle behaviors during the pandemic were negatively associated with participants’ economic status. Conclusions Social distancing measures likely provided an opportunity for individuals to stay home and thus eat healthier. However, in a prolonged period of social restrictions, a lower physical activity level poses a risk to public health. Public health officials are thus advised to monitor physical health on a population-wide basis. The findings highlighted the importance of interventions tailored to individuals who have prolonged home stays - particularly for individuals in the low economic group.

scholarly journals Determinants of Social Distancing Among South Africans From 12 Days Into the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronel Sewpaul ◽  
Musawenkosi Mabaso ◽  
Natisha Dukhi ◽  
Inbarani Naidoo ◽  
Noloyiso Vondo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Physical Distance ◽  
Multinomial Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
South Africans

Introduction: Social or physical distancing has been an effective measure for reducing the spread of COVID-19 infections. Investigating the determinants of adherence to social distancing can inform public health strategies to improve the behaviour. However, there is a lack of data in various populations. This study investigates the degree to which South Africans complied with social distancing during the country's COVID-19 lockdown and identifies the determinants associated with being in close contact with large numbers of people.Materials and Methods: Data was collected from a South African national online survey on a data free platform, supplemented with telephone interviews. The survey was conducted from 8 to 29 April 2020. The primary outcome was the number of people that participants came into close contact with (within a 2-metre distance) the last time they were outside their home during the COVID-19 lockdown. Multivariate multinomial regression investigated the socio-demographic, psychosocial and household environmental determinants associated with being in contact with 1–10, 11–50 and more than 50 people.Results: Of the 17,563 adult participants, 20.3% reported having not left home, 50.6% were in close physical distance with 1–10 people, 21.1% with 11–50 people, and 8.0% with &gt;50 people. Larger household size and incorrect knowledge about the importance of social distancing were associated with being in contact with &gt;50 people. Male gender, younger age and being in the White and Coloured population groups were significantly associated with being in contact with 1–10 people but not with larger numbers of people. Employment, at least secondary school education, lack of self-efficacy in being able to protect oneself from infection, and moderate or high risk perception of becoming infected, were all associated with increased odds of close contact with 1–10, 11–50, and &gt;50 people relative to remaining at home.Conclusion: The findings identify subgroups of individuals that are less likely to comply with social distancing regulations. Public health communication, interventions and policy can be tailored to address these determinants of social distancing.

scholarly journals Are Need for Affect and Cognition Culture-Dependent? Implications for Global Public health Campaigns: A Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Zhang ◽  
Bei Zhu ◽  
Chunlan Yuan ◽  
Chao Chao ◽  
Jiaofeng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intrinsic Motivations ◽  
Need For Affect ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

Abstract Background: Cultural differences in affective and cognitive intrinsic motivations could introduce challenges to global public health campaigns, which use cognitive or affective goals to evoke desired attitudes and proactive health-promoting actions. This study aimed to demonstrate cross-cultural differences in affective and cognitive intrinsic motivations, and discuss the potential value of this information in public health promotion.Methods: A cross-sectional survey, using cross-culturally validated need for affect (NFA) and need for cognition (NFC) scales, was carried out among 1166 Chinese participants and compared to published data from 980 American participants. Additionally, we assessed a highly prevalent symbolic geriatric health condition, hearing loss, in 500 community-dwelling seniors. MANOVA test and Hedge’s g statistic were employed to compare the NFA and NFC levels between individuals from different countries and between seniors with and without hearing loss. The relation of early healthcare seeking intention to NFA and NFC was also explored.Results: The primary Chinese sample demonstrated decreased NFA and NFC in contrast to their American peers. This difference was preserved in the senior sample. Moreover, seniors with hearing loss had even lower NFA and NFC than those without hearing loss. Intention for early healthcare seeking was low but was associated with intrinsic motivation.Conclusions: There was a general lack of affective and cognitive intrinsic motivation in Chinese individuals, particularly in seniors with hearing loss, compared with their American peers. These differences, point to a potential challenge in framing effective messages for some cultures in the geriatric public health domain. Ideally, recognizing and understanding this challenge will inspire consideration of novel persuasive strategies for these audiences.

scholarly journals Social Media Platforms for Health Communication and Research in the Face of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross Sectional Survey in Uganda

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Olum ◽  
Felix Bongomin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

ABSTRACTObjectives(1) To examine the usage of social media and other forms of media among medical students (MS) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) in Uganda. (2) To assess the perceived usefulness of social media and other forms of media for COVID-19 public health campaigns.DesignA descriptive WhatsApp messenger-based cross-sectional survey in April 2020.SettingMakerere University Teaching Hospitals (MUTH) and 9 of the 10 medical schools in Uganda.ParticipantsHCPs at MUTH and MS in the 9 medical schools in Uganda.Main outcome measuresWe collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, sources of information on COVID-19, preferences of social media platform and perceived usefulness of the different media platforms for acquisition of knowledge on COVID-19.ResultOverall, response rate was 21.5% for both MS and HCPs. In total, 877 (HCPS [136, 15.5%], MS [741, 85.5%]) were studied. Majority (n=555, 63.3%) were male with a median age of 24 (range: 18-66) years. Social media was a source of information for 665 (75.8%) participants. Usage was similar among MS and HCPs (565/741 (76.2%) vs. 100/136 (73.5%), p=0.5). Among the MS, commonly used social media were: WhatsApp (n=705, 95.1%) Facebook (n=405, 54.8%), Twitter (n=290, 39.1%), Instagram (n=178, 24.0) and Telegram (n=80, 10.8%). Except for WhatsApp, male MS we more likely to use the other social media platforms (p= <0.001 − 0.01). Mass media (television and radio) and social media were preferred the most useful tools for dissemination of COVID-19 related information.ConclusionMore than two-thirds of MS and HCPs are routinely using social media in Uganda. Social media platforms may be used for dissemination of information as well as a research tool among MS and HCPs. Social media alongside other media platforms can also be used as sources of reliable information on COVID-19 as well as for dissemination of research findings and guidelines.Strengths and limitationsThis is the first study in sub Saharan Africa on the use of social media for research during the COVID-19 pandemic.The study also explores perceived usefulness of different media for COVID-19 public health campaigns.Diversity of the participants consisting both healthcare professionals and medical students.A relatively large sample size was enrolled in the survey despite a low response rate.

scholarly journals Smoking Cessation after a Cancer Diagnosis: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the Setting of a Developing Country

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-519
Author(s):  
Marin Golčić ◽  
Ilijan Tomaš ◽  
Aleksandra Stevanović ◽  
Goran Golčić ◽  
Renata Dobrila-Dintinjana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Smoking Prevalence ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Public Health Campaigns ◽  
After Cancer

Since smoking accounts for around 30% of all cancer deaths, public health campaigns often focus on smoking cessation as a means of primary prevention. However, smoking after cancer diagnosis is also associated with a higher symptom burden and lower survival rate. As data regarding smoking cessation vary dramatically between different populations, we aimed to analyze smoking prevalence in cancer patients, smoking cessation after ancer diagnosis, and the factors associated with smoking cessation in the setting of a developing country. We performed a cross-sectional survey on 695 patients in two clinical hospital centers. After cancer diagnosis, 15.6% of cancer patients stopped smoking. Male gender, younger age, and smoking-related cancer were the main factors associated with greater smoking cessation (p < 0.05). A total of 96% of breast cancer pa-tients continued to smoke after cancer diagnosis and, compared to lung and colorectal cancer pa-tients, exhibited a lower reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked (p = 0.023). An alarming rate of smoking prevalence was recorded in younger patients (45.6% at the time of cancer diagno-sis) suggesting a future rise in smoking-related cancers and complications. These results should guide anti-smoking public health campaigns in transitional countries with a critical focus on younger and breast cancer patients.

scholarly journals Persuasive Messaging to Encourage COVID-19 Risk Reduction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Bokemper ◽  
Gregory Huber ◽  
Erin James ◽  
Alan Gerber ◽  
Saad Omer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Randomized Experiments ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
Public Health Message ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Public Health Campaigns ◽  
Effective Public Health

Abstract What types of public health messages are effective at changing people’s beliefs and intentions to practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19? We conducted two randomized experiments that assigned respondents to read a public health message and then measured their beliefs and behavioral intentions across a wide variety of outcomes. Using both a convenience sample and a nationally representative sample of Americans, we find that a message that reframes bravery as recklessness and a message that highlights the need for everyone to take action to protect others are the most effective at increasing beliefs and intentions related to social distancing. These results provide an evidentiary basis for building effective public health campaigns to increase social distancing during flu pandemics.

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