Adoption of Preventive Measures and Attitudes Toward the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic in Schools

Exploring teachers' risk perception, self-efficacy and disease prevention measures during the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) is one of the most serious health risks facing the global population. Teachers' responses are important in the management of the outbreak in schools. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' risk perception, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and approach to disease prevention during the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan.

METHODS

A descriptive, cross-sectional online survey was completed by 344 teachers across four levels of education. Pearson correlations between major variables were calculated. General linear model with a posthoc test was used to estimate the least squares means for each level of the independent variables and test the mean differences between the response scores.

RESULTS

The teachers with a higher risk perception showed a stronger adoption of disease prevention measures, but they also showed lower self-efficacy. In addition, teachers with higher self-efficacy had higher response efficiency. Female teachers had relatively stronger adoption of disease prevention measures than their male colleagues, and age was associated with a 0.040 point increase in adoption scores. Elementary school teachers were significantly stronger in this regard than teachers at junior high schools, high schools and universities in terms of behavior scores.

CONCLUSIONS

High implementation rate of Taiwanese teachers' disease prevention measures came from their higher risk perceptions. Among them, older female teachers, especially those who teach at elementary schools, are key to implementing disease prevention measures.

Factors Associated with Caregiver Preferences for Children's Return to School during the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to understand caregiver preferences for their children's instructional format for the start of the 2020 to 2021 academic year. The purpose of the current study was to assess caregiver preferences for on-campus versus virtual learning at home during the fall and factors associated with these preferences.

METHODS

Participants were caregivers of 4436 children and adolescents who were enrolled in pre-kindergarten through high school at a large, public school district in Texas. Caregivers were asked to complete an anonymous, online survey about their initial preferences for their student's back to the school learning environment.

RESULTS

Caregivers of high- and middle-school students were more likely to endorse a preference for an on-campus/virtual hybrid instructional format and less likely to endorse a preference for a traditional, face-to-face instructional format compared to caregivers of elementary school students. Regardless of the school level, concerns about child health and safety were the factor most strongly associated with caregiver preferences for on-campus versus virtual learning at home during the fall.

CONCLUSIONS

These data highlight the importance of school re-opening plans offering virtual options and addressing caregiver concerns about children's health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.