1
|
Janmaimool P, Chontanawat J, Nunsunanon S, Chudech S. The causal relationship model of factors influencing COVID-19 preventive behaviors during the post-pandemic era and implications for health prevention strategies: a case of Bangkok City, Thailand. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:887. [PMID: 39210295 PMCID: PMC11363689 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09818-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though, many countries are currently in the COVID post-pandemic era, people's health protective behaviours are still essential to protect their health and well-being. This study aims to evaluate people's understanding and perceptions of COVID-19 risk characteristics (i.e. threat occurrence, threat severity, perceived susceptibility and exposure), the health risk perception towards COVID-19, and health protective behaviours. The study also aims to estimate the associations among these factors by the analysis of structural equation modelling (SEM). METHODS From 15 October to 9 November 2022, questionnaire surveys were administrated to 521 people living in Bangkok of Thailand by using the convenience sampling technique. The analyses were carried out in three phases including descriptive statistical analyses, a measurement model assessment using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis. RESULTS The results of descriptive analyses demonstrated that the majority of respondents, 39.9%, had the age between 20 and 30 years old, and 61.4% of them were female. Approximately 52.1% of them had a bachelor's degree. Upon analysing individuals' understanding and perceptions of all risk characteristics, individuals' understanding of COVID-19 severity did not statistically affect health risk perception towards COVID-19, whereas perceived exposure had the strongest effect and in turn influenced health protective behaviours. Perceived susceptibility and understanding of the threat occurrence also significantly affected health risk perception, and indirectly affected health protective behaviours. CONCLUSIONS This study implies that though the potential health impact of COVID-19 is perceived as less severe, people can still construct a perception of its risk particularly based on their perceived exposure and susceptibility. Thus, communicating people about exposure conditions and susceptibility can greatly contribute to people' construction of risk perception towards COVID-19 which subsequently leads to the decision to perform health protective behaviours.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Piyapong Janmaimool
- ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, Salaya, Phuttamonthon 4 Road, 999, 73170, Nakorn Pathom Province, Thailand.
| | - Jaruwan Chontanawat
- The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment (JGSEE), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha-Uthit Rd., Thungkru, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand
| | - Siriphan Nunsunanon
- Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, School of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha-Uthit Rd., Thungkru, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand
| | - Surapong Chudech
- Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, School of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Pracha-Uthit Rd., Thungkru, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sand G, Bristle J. Motivating Protective Behavior against COVID-19: Fear Versus Hope. J Aging Health 2024; 36:350-366. [PMID: 35713288 PMCID: PMC9207583 DOI: 10.1177/08982643221089427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Based on protection motivation theory, we investigate how indicators of threat perception (perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, and fear arousal) and coping appraisal (hope) are associated with older people's motivation to engage in protective behavior after the outbreak of COVID-19. METHODS We use multivariate regression analyses with a sample of 40,282 individuals from 26 countries participating in the SHARE Corona Survey. RESULTS We find that 15% of all respondents stayed home completely-mainly the oldest and vulnerable people with prior health risk conditions. On average, older Europeans responded strongly to the recommended protective behavior measures (6 out of 7 measures adopted). Among the threat perception indicators, fear arousal is the main motivator for protective behavior, whereas the coping appraisal indicator hope shows an equally strong association. DISCUSSION Given the negative health effects of fear, our findings may help evaluate and revise governmental policy responses and communication strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregor Sand
- Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy (MPISOC), Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA), Munich, Germany
| | - Johanna Bristle
- Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy (MPISOC), Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA), Munich, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Martignoni MM, Arino J, Hurford A. Is SARS-CoV-2 elimination or mitigation best? Regional and disease characteristics determine the recommended strategy. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240186. [PMID: 39100176 PMCID: PMC11295893 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic varied across the world. Some countries (e.g. mainland China, New Zealand and Taiwan) implemented elimination strategies involving strict travel measures and periods of rigorous non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the community, aiming to achieve periods with no disease spread; while others (e.g. many European countries and the USA) implemented mitigation strategies involving less strict NPIs for prolonged periods, aiming to limit community spread. Travel measures and community NPIs have high economic and social costs, and there is a need for guidelines that evaluate the appropriateness of an elimination or mitigation strategy in regional contexts. To guide decisions, we identify key criteria and provide indicators and visualizations to help answer each question. Considerations include determining whether disease elimination is: (1) necessary to ensure healthcare provision; (2) feasible from an epidemiological point of view and (3) cost-effective when considering, in particular, the economic costs of travel measures and treating infections. We discuss our recommendations by considering the regional and economic variability of Canadian provinces and territories, and the epidemiological characteristics of different SARS-CoV-2 variants. While elimination may be a preferable strategy for regions with limited healthcare capacity, low travel volumes, and few ports of entry, mitigation may be more feasible in large urban areas with dense infrastructure, strong economies, and with high connectivity to other regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria M. Martignoni
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, A. Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Julien Arino
- Department of Mathematics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Amy Hurford
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada
- Biology Department and Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kim EJ, Byun M. Factors Affecting Adherence to Social Distancing among Adults Aged 19-44 Years: Insights from a Nationwide Survey during COVID-19 Pandemic. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2024; 60:827. [PMID: 38793010 PMCID: PMC11122991 DOI: 10.3390/medicina60050827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Before COVID-19 vaccinations became available, adhering to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), like social distancing (SD), wearing masks, and hand hygiene, were crucial to mitigating viral spread. Many studies reported that younger individuals were more reluctant to follow these measures compared with older ones. We hypothesized that it would be worthwhile to find factors that influenced SD compliance among young people during the pre-vaccination phase of a pandemic. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data of adults aged 19-44 from the 2020 South Korean Community Health Survey and compared socio-demographic, health-related behavioral, and psychological factors between compliant and non-compliant cohorts. Results: A total of 59,943 participants were enrolled and we found that older age groups (30-39 and 40-44) and safety concerns (such as viral infection, virus-related death, economic damage, and transmitting virus to vulnerable people) were significantly associated with adherence to SD. Conversely, participants who were not living with a spouse, were unable to stay at home despite symptoms, smoked, drank, and had a negative attitude toward government policy statistically correlated with non-compliance. Conclusions: In times when NPIs were the primary defense against the pandemic, it is essential to identify factors that positively or negatively affect individual compliance with them, especially among young people. Using a large-scale, well-designed national survey, we could gain insights into the early recognition of risk factors for non-compliance and appropriate follow-up interventions (i.e., education campaigns, clear communication of public guidelines, and implementation of guidelines), which will help people to avoid suffering from other waves of future infectious diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eun Jung Kim
- Department of Nursing, Seoil College, Seoul 02192, Republic of Korea;
| | - Mikyong Byun
- Department of Nursing, Deajeon University, 62, Daehak-ro, Dong-gu, Daejeon 300716, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bumyut A, Thanapop S, Dwipayanti NMU. Safety and health measures compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic for community-based tourism in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand: A cross-sectional descriptive study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300030. [PMID: 38442100 PMCID: PMC10914287 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Community-based tourism (CBT) in Thailand faces challenges in adapting to COVID-19 prevention measures. The purpose of the study was to evaluate levels of knowledge, practice, and compliance regarding safety and health measures of the entrepreneur in managing CBT under the Safety and Health Administration (SHA) standard in the new normal situation. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on twenty-one entrepreneurs from three CBTs in three districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat, in the months of February-May 2021. Levels of knowledge and practice were evaluated by questionnaires and compliance level was evaluated by SHA standard checklist. The level of knowledge and practice were categorized sufficient and insufficient, while compliance level was categorized as high or low if scores met or exceeded 80%, based on Bloom's cut-off point. Information on sociodemographic characteristics was also gathered. Fisher's exact test with a 95% confidence level (α < 0.05) was used for statistical analysis. The findings revealed that 66.7% and 38.1% of the establishments in the study had sufficient knowledge (Mean ± SD: 46.9 ± 7.2, Max: 55.0, Min: 33.0) and sufficient practice (Mean ± SD: 40.4 ± 9.2, Max: 55.0, Min: 29.0), respectively. In addition, the study found that knowledge level was significantly associated with practice level at a p-value of 0.018. However, compliance level was not related to knowledge and practice. In conclusion, the low level of compliance was due to a lack of understanding and motivation to comply with the standard, and the budget of small establishments in CBT for bringing them up to the SHA standard was quite limited. Therefore, the related organizations should use a variety of strategies to encourage entrepreneurs, such as partnership building and resource support.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Apirak Bumyut
- Department of Environmental Health and Technology, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
- Excellent Center for Dengue and Community Public Health, Walailak University, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
| | - Sasithorn Thanapop
- Department of Community Public Health, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
- Research Center of Data Science for Health Science, Walailak University, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
| | - Ni Made Utami Dwipayanti
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Udayana University, Bali, Indonesia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Daniore P, Moser A, Höglinger M, Probst Hensch N, Imboden M, Vermes T, Keidel D, Bochud M, Ortega Herrero N, Baggio S, Chocano-Bedoya P, Rodondi N, Tancredi S, Wagner C, Cullati S, Stringhini S, Gonseth Nusslé S, Veys-Takeuchi C, Zuppinger C, Harju E, Michel G, Frank I, Kahlert CR, Albanese E, Crivelli L, Levati S, Amati R, Kaufmann M, Geigges M, Ballouz T, Frei A, Fehr J, von Wyl V. Interplay of Digital Proximity App Use and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Uptake in Switzerland: Analysis of Two Population-Based Cohort Studies. Int J Public Health 2023; 68:1605812. [PMID: 37799349 PMCID: PMC10549773 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Our study aims to evaluate developments in vaccine uptake and digital proximity tracing app use in a localized context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods: We report findings from two population-based longitudinal cohorts in Switzerland from January to December 2021. Failure time analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression models were conducted to assess vaccine uptake and digital proximity tracing app (SwissCovid) uninstalling outcomes. Results: We observed a dichotomy of individuals who did not use the SwissCovid app and did not get vaccinated, and who used the SwissCovid app and got vaccinated during the study period. Increased vaccine uptake was observed with SwissCovid app use (aHR, 1.51; 95% CI: 1.40-1.62 [CI-DFU]; aHR, 1.79; 95% CI: 1.62-1.99 [CSM]) compared to SwissCovid app non-use. Decreased SwissCovid uninstallation risk was observed for participants who got vaccinated (aHR, 0.55; 95% CI: 0.38-0.81 [CI-DFU]; aHR, 0.45; 95% CI: 0.27-0.78 [CSM]) compared to participants who did not get vaccinated. Conclusion: In evolving epidemic contexts, these findings underscore the need for communication strategies as well as flexible digital proximity tracing app adjustments that accommodate different preventive measures and their anticipated interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Daniore
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - André Moser
- Clinical Trials Unit Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marc Höglinger
- Winterthur Institute of Health Economics, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Probst Hensch
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Medea Imboden
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Vermes
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dirk Keidel
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Murielle Bochud
- Unisanté, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Ortega Herrero
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Stéphanie Baggio
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Patricia Chocano-Bedoya
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Rodondi
- Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Tancredi
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Cornelia Wagner
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Stéphane Cullati
- Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
- Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Semira Gonseth Nusslé
- Unisanté, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Claire Zuppinger
- Unisanté, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Erika Harju
- Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
- Clinical Trial Unit, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland
- School of Health Sciences, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - Gisela Michel
- Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Irène Frank
- Clinical Trial Unit, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Christian R. Kahlert
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Switzerland, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Emiliano Albanese
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Luca Crivelli
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
- Department Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland
| | - Sara Levati
- Department Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland
| | - Rebecca Amati
- Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Marco Kaufmann
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marco Geigges
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tala Ballouz
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anja Frei
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Fehr
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Disease and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Viktor von Wyl
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Disease and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bianchi D, Lonigro A, Pompili S, Di Tata D, Laghi F. Individualism-Collectivism and COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors in Young Adults: The Indirect Effects of Psychological Distress and Pandemic Fears. THE JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 157:496-515. [PMID: 37677127 DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2023.2250057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Stemming on the theoretical framework of individualism-collectivism, this study aims to interpret COVID-19 prevention behaviors in young adults in the light of cultural orientations, hypothesizing the mediating role of two pandemic affects (i.e., fear for COVID-19 consequences and psychological distress during pandemic). Participants were 296 young adults living in Italy (Mage = 23.96, SDage = 3.04; 79.7% women), who completed an online anonymous survey. Data were gathered from December 2020 to May 2021. A path analysis model explored direct and indirect relationships among study variables. Psychological distress significantly reduced the compliance with prevention measures, whereas pandemic fears increased it. The collectivistic orientations (Vertical Collectivism and Horizontal Collectivism) positively predicted prevention behaviors via increasing pandemic fears. The egalitarian dimensions (Horizontal Individualism and Horizontal Collectivism) were positive predictors of compliance via reducing psychological distress during pandemic. Finally, Vertical Individualism was a risk factor that negatively predicted prevention behaviors both directly and indirectly, via increasing psychological distress. The results provide new insights into the emotional mechanisms that link individualism and collectivism orientations to COVID-19 prevention behaviors, with interesting implications for public health policies, prevention, and future research.
Collapse
|
8
|
De Wit JBF, de Ridder DTD, van den Boom W, Kroese FM, van den Putte B, Stok FM, Leurs M, de Bruin M. Understanding public support for COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures over time: Does it wear out? Front Public Health 2023; 11:1079992. [PMID: 36935718 PMCID: PMC10020646 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1079992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background COVID-19 mitigation measures intend to protect public health, but their adverse psychological, social, and economic effects weaken public support. Less favorable trade-offs may especially weaken support for more restrictive measures. Support for mitigation measures may also differ between population subgroups who experience different benefits and costs, and decrease over time, a phenomenon termed "pandemic fatigue." Methods We examined self-reported support for COVID-19 mitigation measures in the Netherlands over 12 consecutives waves of data collection between April 2020 and May 2021 in an open population cohort study. Participants were recruited through community panels of the 25 regional public health services, and through links to the online surveys advertised on social media. The 54,010 unique participants in the cohort study on average participated in 4 waves of data collection. Most participants were female (65%), middle-aged [57% (40-69 years)], highly educated (57%), not living alone (84%), residing in an urban area (60%), and born in the Netherlands (95%). Results COVID-19 mitigation measures implemented in the Netherlands remained generally well-supported over time [all scores >3 on 5-point scale ranging 1 (low)-5 (high)]. During the whole period studied, support was highest for personal hygiene measures, quarantine and wearing face masks, high but somewhat lower for not shaking hands, testing and self-isolation, and restricting social contacts, and lowest for limiting visitors at home, and not traveling abroad. Women and higher educated people were more supportive of some mitigation measures than men and lower educated people. Older people were more supportive of more restrictive measures than younger people, and support for more socially restrictive measures decreased most over time in higher educated people or in younger people. Conclusions This study found no support for pandemic fatigue in terms of a gradual decline in support for all mitigation measures in the first year of the pandemic. Rather, findings suggest that support for mitigation measures reflects a balancing of benefits and cost, which may change over time, and differ between measures and population subgroups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John B. F. De Wit
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Denise T. D. de Ridder
- Department of Social, Health and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Wijnand van den Boom
- Corona Behavioural Unit, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Floor M. Kroese
- Department of Social, Health and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Corona Behavioural Unit, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Bas van den Putte
- Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - F. Marijn Stok
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Corona Behavioural Unit, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Mariken Leurs
- Corona Behavioural Unit, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Marijn de Bruin
- Corona Behavioural Unit, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
- Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Cantarero Prieto D, Lanza-León P, Moreno P, Lera J, Gonzalez F, González Rodríguez I, Blázquez-Fernández C. Coronavirus fear of contagion and compliance with social distancing measures: evidence for a sample of a Spanish university community. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14771. [PMID: 36879912 PMCID: PMC9985414 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Social distancing measures have been one of the core pillars of the strategy against COVID-19 in all the countries. This study aims at understanding what motivates behaviours and compliance with social distancing measures among students and workers from a Spanish public university. Methods We carry out two logistics models considering two different dependent variables: not maintaining social relation with non-cohabiting people and not to leave home except for emergencies (n = 507, sample is formed by students and workers from the University of Cantabria in the North of Spain). Results Being very concerned about getting ill suggests higher risk of not maintaining social relation with non-cohabiting people. Getting older increase the probability of not leaving home except for emergencies as happens with those who are very concerned about getting ill. Young people often living with vulnerable older relatives may affect students' behaviour. Conclusions Our findings suggest that compliance with social distancing measures depends on several factors related to age, the number or kind of cohabiting people and level of concern about getting ill. Policies should address all these factors through a multidisciplinary perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Cantarero Prieto
- Departamento de Economía, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
- Research Group of Health Economics and Health Services Management, Valdecilla Biomedical Institute Research (IDIVAL), Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Paloma Lanza-León
- Departamento de Economía, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
- Research Group of Health Economics and Health Services Management, Valdecilla Biomedical Institute Research (IDIVAL), Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Patricia Moreno
- Departamento de Economía Aplicada y Métodos Cuantitativos, Universidad de La Rioja, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
| | - Javier Lera
- Research Group of Health Economics and Health Services Management, Valdecilla Biomedical Institute Research (IDIVAL), Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - Francisco Gonzalez
- Research Group of Health Economics and Health Services Management, Valdecilla Biomedical Institute Research (IDIVAL), Santander, Cantabria, Spain
- Primary Care, Cantabria Health Service, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | | | - Carla Blázquez-Fernández
- Departamento de Economía, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
- Research Group of Health Economics and Health Services Management, Valdecilla Biomedical Institute Research (IDIVAL), Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhang N, Hu T, Shang S, Zhang S, Jia W, Chen J, Zhang Z, Su B, Wang Z, Cheng R, Li Y. Local travel behaviour under continuing COVID-19 waves- A proxy for pandemic fatigue? TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES 2023; 18:100757. [PMID: 36694823 PMCID: PMC9850857 DOI: 10.1016/j.trip.2023.100757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 continues to threaten the world. Relaxing local travel behaviours on preventing the spread of COVID-19, may increase the infection risk in subsequent waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this study, we analysed changes in the travel behaviour of different population groups (adult, child, student, elderly) during four pandemic waves in Hong Kong before January 2021, by 4-billion second-by-second smartcard records of subway. A significant continuous relaxation in human travel behaviour was observed during the four waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Residents sharply reduced their local travel by 51.9%, 50.1%, 27.6%, and 20.5% from the first to fourth pandemic waves, respectively. The population flow in residential areas, workplaces, schools, shopping areas, amusement areas and border areas, decreased on average by 30.3%, 33.5%, 41.9%, 58.1%, 85.4% and 99.6%, respectively, during the pandemic weeks. We also found that many other cities around the world experienced a similar relaxation trend in local travel behaviour, by comparing traffic congestion data during the pandemic with data from the same period in 2019. The quantitative pandemic fatigue in local travel behaviour could help governments partially predicting personal protective behaviours, and thus to suggest more accurate interventions during subsequent waves, especially for highly infectious virus variants such as Omicron.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Tingrui Hu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Shujia Shang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Shiyao Zhang
- The Sifakis Research Institute for Trustworthy Autonomous Systems, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Wei Jia
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jinhang Chen
- Faculty of Information Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Zixuan Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Built Environment and Energy Efficient Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Boni Su
- China Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- College of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Reynold Cheng
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yuguo Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sundiam TGD, Sy JCA, Berdida DJE, Talampas PYR, Suillan HAA, Sumangil EAV, Sunga AME, Sy Juco SNT, Talastas KC. Adherence to COVID-19 health protocols in an online news context in the Philippines: A manifest content analysis. Public Health Nurs 2023; 40:382-393. [PMID: 36805622 DOI: 10.1111/phn.13179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Globally, adherence to COVID-19 health and safety protocols played a crucial role in preventing the spread of the virus. Thus, this study analyzed online news articles reporting adherence to COVID-19 health and safety protocols in the Philippines. DESIGN Manifest content analysis. SAMPLE News articles (n = 192) from three major online news portals in the Philippines. MEASUREMENT Published online news articles were collected during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to March 2021). Bengtsson's content analysis approach was used to analyze the data. Member-checking and intercoder reliability validated the study's results. RESULTS Three main themes emerged: (a) adherence, (b) non-adherence, and (c) partial adherence. The subthemes were labeled who, what, when, where, and why. The same behavior, social distancing, was the most adhered to and non-adhered COVID-19 health protocol. This protocol has the highest occurrences in political protest, religious-related activities, and self-initiated quarantine. Leisure activities both showed non-adherence and partial adherence. CONCLUSIONS Online news articles depicted Filipinos' adherence to health and safety protocols. Their adherence was primarily determined by one's group or community, social norms, and values. The government and its public health agencies should strengthen current efforts and continuously re-evaluate existing policies to modify ineffective and confusing safety health protocols.
Collapse
|
12
|
Măirean C, Zancu SA, Diaconu-Gherasim LR, Brumariu LE. Mental Health among Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Investigation. THE JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 157:192-211. [PMID: 36808701 DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2023.2169230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to assess changes in COVID-19 related factors (i.e. risk perception, knowledge about the virus, preventive behaviors and perceived efficacy) and mental health (i.e. psychological distress and positive mental health), in a sample of Romanian young adults attending college, assessed immediately after the national COVID-19 lockdown ended (Time 1) and six months after the end of the lockdown (Time 2). We also evaluated the longitudinal relations between COVID-19 related factors and mental health. The sample consisted of 289 undergraduate students (89.3% female, Mage = 20.74, SD = 1.06), who completed questionnaires assessing mental health and COVID-19-related factors via two online surveys, six months apart. The results showed that perceived efficacy and preventive behaviors, as well as positive mental health, but not psychological distress, decreased significantly over the six months period. Risk perception and perceived efficacy of preventive behaviors at Time 1 were positively related with the number of preventive behaviors measured six months later. Risk perception at Time 1 and fear of COVID-19 at Time 2 predicted the mental health indicators at Time 2. Public-health strategies should find the right balance in cultivating proper levels of risk perception that would be most beneficial for prevention of COVID-19 spread and mental health problems due to pandemic.
Collapse
|
13
|
Lee G, Park SH. How health beliefs and sense of control predict adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines among young adults in South Korea. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1025638. [PMID: 36591014 PMCID: PMC9798332 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1025638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This study defined adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines as health behavior and examined whether the two constructs of the health belief model (i.e., perceived susceptibility and perceived severity) and sense of control predict the level of adherence among young adults in South Korea. An online survey (N = 200) conducted in June 2021, showed that perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and sense of control positively predict adherence behavior. Sense of control significantly moderated the relationship between perceived susceptibility and adherence even after controlling for depression and perceived health status. Specifically, individuals with a lower level of perceived susceptibility still adhered to COVID-19 prevention guidelines if they had a higher level of sense of control. The finding demonstrates the key role of sense of control in promoting adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines and the relationship between sense of control and two constructs of the health belief model. Implication for public messaging targeted at young adults during pandemic situations is also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Soo Hyun Park
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Bíró A, Branyiczki R, Elek P. Time patterns of precautionary health behaviours during an easing phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Eur J Ageing 2022; 19:837-848. [PMID: 34248455 PMCID: PMC8253241 DOI: 10.1007/s10433-021-00636-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Using data from the COVID-19 questionnaire of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we investigate the time patterns of precautionary health behaviours of individuals aged 50 years and above during the summer of 2020, an easing phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. We also examine how these health behaviours differ by the presence of chronic conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol level, heart disease, diabetes or chronic bronchitis, which can be considered as risk factors for COVID-19. Our results suggest that while on average, people became less precautious during the analysed time period, this is less so for those who are at higher risk. We also document large regional differences in precautionary health behaviours and show that higher-risk individuals are on average more cautious in all regions. We conclude that people adjusted their health behaviours in line with the generally understood risk of the COVID-19 disease. At the same time, our results also point out divergences in the level of willingness to take different precautionary steps.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anikó Bíró
- Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Péter Elek
- Centre for Economic and Regional Studies and Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Bianchi D, Lonigro A, Norcia AD, Tata DD, Pompili S, Zammuto M, Cannoni E, Longobardi E, Laghi F. A model to understand COVID-19 preventive behaviors in young adults: Health locus of control and pandemic-related fear. J Health Psychol 2022; 27:3148-3163. [PMID: 35410516 PMCID: PMC9720470 DOI: 10.1177/13591053221089722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigated COVID-19 preventive behaviors in young adults, exploring the predictive roles of health locus of control and pandemic fear. A sample of 188 Italian young adults (Mage = 22.76, SDage = 1.95; 85% girls) completed an anonymous online survey assessing preventive behaviors, health locus of control styles (i.e. internal, chance, powerful others), and two dimensions of pandemic fear. Fear for COVID-19 consequences-but not general fear for contagion-significantly predicted prevention behaviors, and it also moderated the relationships between each health locus of control style and preventive behaviors. Our findings have relevant implications for research and social policies.
Collapse
|
16
|
Social distancing as a public-good dilemma for socio-economic cost: an evolutionary game approach. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11497. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
|
17
|
Dafogianni C, Kourti FE, Koutelekos I, Zartaloudi A, Dousis E, Stavropoulou A, Margari N, Toulia G, Pappa D, Mangoulia P, Ferentinou E, Giga A, Gerogianni G. Association of University Students' COVID-19 Vaccination Intention with Behaviors toward Protection and Perceptions Regarding the Pandemic. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2022; 58:1438. [PMID: 36295598 PMCID: PMC9612282 DOI: 10.3390/medicina58101438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health problem. Vaccination is suggested to be one of the most efficacious precautionary measures, in combination with other protective behaviors. The purpose of this study was to explore the association of students’ intention to get vaccinated about COVID-19 with protection behaviors and perceptions about the pandemic. Material and Methods: The study sample included 1920 university students who electronically completed two validated questionnaires anonymously and voluntarily from December 2020 to January 2021. Results: Results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that as the perceived general risk was getting lower, the number of protective behaviors significantly diminished (p < 0.001). Additionally, respondents who believed that they had minor or no personal risk had undertaken significantly fewer preventing behaviors in comparison with participants who thought they had major personal risk (p = 0.006). However, the experience of respondents with people having COVID-19 had statistically significant association with undertaking more preventing behaviors (p = 0.004). Lower general perception of risk had statistically significant association with lower determination to obtain the vaccines of COVID-19 (p < 0.001). Personally knowing someone who had the coronavirus and undertaking more behavioral changes due to the coronavirus situation were significantly related to greater determination to obtain the vaccines of COVID-19 (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The results of this study can provide universities with the appropriate information about the improvement of COVID-19 vaccination strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chrysoula Dafogianni
- Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
- School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, 26335 Patra, Greece
| | | | | | | | - Evangelos Dousis
- Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
| | | | - Nikoletta Margari
- Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
| | - Georgia Toulia
- Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
| | - Despoina Pappa
- Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
| | - Polyxeni Mangoulia
- Department of Nursing Specialties and Education, Evangelismos General Hospital, 10676 Athens, Greece
| | | | - Anna Giga
- Department of Nursing, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
| | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Fontes A, Pereira CR, Menezes S, Soares A, Almeida P, Carvalho G, Arriaga P. Predictors of Health-Protective and Helping Behaviors during the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role of Social Support and Resilience. Psychol Rep 2022:332941221123777. [PMID: 36036086 DOI: 10.1177/00332941221123777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
The COVID -19 pandemic dramatically affected people's lives. In this study, we explored the role of social and personal factors underlying individuals' adaptive responses during the critical onset period of the outbreak. In particular, we tested two models on the mediating role of health-protective behaviors in the relationship between social support, resilience, and helping behavior. A sample of 1085 participants from Portugal and Brazil took part in an online survey during the first wave of the pandemic. First, through an Exploratory Factor Analysis of the health-protective behaviors to prevent contagion by the coronavirus, we identified two distinct dimensions, one aggregating active protective behaviors and the other as avoidant behaviors. Secondly, we found that resilience and active protective behavior sequentially mediated the relationship between social support and willingness to help. In addition, a multigroup analysis showed that this mediational process was similar in both countries. Given the wide range of social and individual factors that may predict prosocial behaviors, we highlight the role of social support on the intention to help through resilience and active protective behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Fontes
- 56061ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, BRU-IUL, Portugal; and 126808Universidade Europeia, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cícero Roberto Pereira
- Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; and Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Brazil
| | - Sofia Menezes
- Military Academy Research Center (CINAMIL); and 56061ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Antonio Soares
- 56061ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, CIS_Iscte, Portugal
| | - Pedro Almeida
- 56061ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, CIS_Iscte, Portugal
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Wismans A, van der Zwan P, Wennberg K, Franken I, Mukerjee J, Baptista R, Marín JB, Burke A, Dejardin M, Janssen F, Letina S, Millán JM, Santarelli E, Torrès O, Thurik R. Face mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic: how risk perception, experience with COVID-19, and attitude towards government interact with country-wide policy stringency. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:1622. [PMID: 36028876 PMCID: PMC9412789 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13632-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, governments imposed numerous regulations to protect public health, particularly the (mandatory) use of face masks. However, the appropriateness and effectiveness of face mask regulations have been widely discussed, as is apparent from the divergent measures taken across and within countries over time, including mandating, recommending, and discouraging their use. In this study, we analyse how country-level policy stringency and individual-level predictors associate with face mask use during the early stages of the global COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD First, we study how (self and other-related) risk perception, (direct and indirect) experience with COVID-19, attitude towards government and policy stringency shape face mask use. Second, we study whether there is an interaction between policy stringency and the individual-level variables. We conduct multilevel analyses exploiting variation in face mask regulations across countries and using data from approximately 7000 students collected in the beginning of the pandemic (weeks 17 through 19, 2020). RESULTS We show that policy stringency is strongly positively associated with face mask use. We find a positive association between self-related risk perception and mask use, but no relationship of mask use with experience with COVID-19 and attitudes towards government. However, in the interaction analyses, we find that government trust and perceived clarity of communication moderate the link between stringency and mask use, with positive government perceptions relating to higher use in countries with regulations and to lower use in countries without regulations. CONCLUSIONS We highlight that those countries that aim for widespread use of face masks should set strict measures, stress self-related risks of COVID-19, and use clear communication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annelot Wismans
- Department of Applied Economics, Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- The Erasmus University Rotterdam Institute for Behavior and Biology (EURIBEB), P.O. Box 1738, 3000DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Peter van der Zwan
- Department of Business Studies, Institute of Tax Law and Economics, Leiden Law School, Leiden University, 2311ES, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Karl Wennberg
- Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University, SE-601 74, Norrköping, Sweden
- Stockholm School of Economics, PO Box 6501, SE-113 83, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ingmar Franken
- The Erasmus University Rotterdam Institute for Behavior and Biology (EURIBEB), P.O. Box 1738, 3000DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jinia Mukerjee
- Montpellier Business School, CEDEX 4, 2300 Avenue des Moulins, 34080, Montpellier, France
| | - Rui Baptista
- CEG-IST, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jorge Barrientos Marín
- Department of Economics, University of Antioquia, PO Box 1228, Calle 70 52-21, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Andrew Burke
- Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, D02 H308, Ireland
| | - Marcus Dejardin
- Université catholique de Louvain, B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Université de Namur, B-5000, Namur, Belgium
| | - Frank Janssen
- Université catholique de Louvain, B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Srebrenka Letina
- Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University, SE-601 74, Norrköping, Sweden
- University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | | | - Enrico Santarelli
- Department of Economics, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Olivier Torrès
- Montpellier Business School, CEDEX 4, 2300 Avenue des Moulins, 34080, Montpellier, France
- University of Montpellier, 34000, Montpellier, France
| | - Roy Thurik
- Department of Applied Economics, Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- The Erasmus University Rotterdam Institute for Behavior and Biology (EURIBEB), P.O. Box 1738, 3000DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Montpellier Business School, CEDEX 4, 2300 Avenue des Moulins, 34080, Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Tung HH, Chang TJ, Lin MJ. Political ideology predicts preventative behaviors and infections amid COVID-19 in democracies. Soc Sci Med 2022; 308:115199. [PMID: 35863153 PMCID: PMC9278997 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Can one's political ideology predict his or her testing positive for COVID-19 and how? The present study leveraged a recent (April–May 2020) survey of 27,260 individuals across 27 democracies to investigate the associations between political ideology and coronavirus infections. Our individual-level data and mediation analyses allow us to tease out different correlational paths according to which one's political ideology affects his or her infection. We found a more right-leaning attitude to be associated with a higher probability of testing positive both directly and indirectly through conspiracy theory beliefs and physical distancing. Moreover, our cross-national investigation also found that becoming more right-leaning in ideology was associated with a higher level of perceived risk of COVID-19 infection, which made one less likely to test positive. Combined, we provide a more nuanced understanding of the role played by political ideology in the current pandemic, on which the design of a more effective risk communication strategy can be based.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hans H Tung
- Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Research in Econometric Theory and Applications, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | | | - Ming-Jen Lin
- Department of Economics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Research in Econometric Theory and Applications, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Ojeda JT, Silvia PJ, Cassidy BS. Mental Representations of Sickness Positively Relate to Adaptive Health Behaviors. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 20:14747049221109452. [PMID: 35790386 PMCID: PMC10355308 DOI: 10.1177/14747049221109452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
An ecological approach to social perception states that impressions of faces have functional value in that they guide adaptive behavior ensuring people's survival. For example, people may avoid others whose faces appear sick to avoid an illness representing a survival threat. We broadened the ecological approach in the current work by examining whether merely thinking about what illnesses on faces look like (i.e., how sickness on faces is represented) holds functional value in guiding behavior to ensure survival. Using an example of a real illness threat as proof of concept, we showed that people self-reported performing more adaptive health behaviors in response to COVID-19 if they had sicker representations of COVID-19 on faces (Experiment 1a). These sicker representations of COVID-19 on faces explained, in part, a positive relation between perceptions of COVID-19 as threatening and people's self-reported adaptive health behaviors. We then replicated these patterns when experimentally manipulating illness threat (Experiment 1b). We found that people expected more adaptive health behaviors and had sicker representations of illness on faces in response to illness threats that were more relative to less threatening. These findings suggest that mentally representing sickness on faces is enough to guide people's behaviors in response to illness threats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul J. Silvia
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
The Association between the Sense of Coherence and the Self-Reported Adherence to Guidelines during the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19138041. [PMID: 35805697 PMCID: PMC9265674 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19138041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
(1) Background: Social distancing became a central strategy employed to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We explore self-reported adherence (SRA) and factors associated with SRA among Israeli adults at the end of the first national lockdown in Israel. (2) Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional consumer panel survey of 820 Israeli adults aged 18 to 70 in May and June 2020. We collected data on the SRA to the social distancing measures, sociodemographic variables, perceptions of pandemic-related danger and of protection provided by the social distancing measures, as well as Sense of Coherence (SoC). (3) Results: 60% of respondents reported complying with 7 measures. Higher SoC was associated with higher SRA (p = 0.04), and was related to income, marital status, age, profession, and education. The SRA was higher among Jews than Arabs (Jews: Mean = 10.5, SD = 4.5; Arabs: Mean = 9.1, SD = 4.1, p < 0.001) and among males (Males: Mean = 10.8, SD = 4.7; Females: Mean = 9, SD = 4.1; p = 0.003). SoC, perception of protection and perception of danger were associated with higher SRA (p = 0.42, p < 0.001 and p = 0.005 respectively). Single people reported higher levels of SRA than people in relationships (Partnered: Mean = 9.7, SD = 4.2, Non-partnered: Mean = 10.9, SD = 4.7, p = 0.033). (4) Conclusions: At the time of exit from the first lockdown, compliance with social distancing measures was high, with Jewish, single and male Israelis more likely to adhere to the guidelines. We identified the populations at risk for non-adherence and associated factors, reporting for the first time the correlation between SoC and SRA. Further research is needed to assess the role of these factors in Jewish and Arab populations.
Collapse
|
23
|
Kim JH, Jang DH, Jang WM. Association Between Self-Rated Political Orientation and Attitude Toward the Cash Transfer Policy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey Conducted in South Korea. Front Public Health 2022; 10:887201. [PMID: 35655455 PMCID: PMC9152266 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.887201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective This study assessed the relationship between self-rated political orientation and attitude toward the cash transfer policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This cross-sectional study conducted in South Korea during the pandemic included a stratified sample of 1,004 respondents (aged 19 years and older). We tested the hypotheses that political orientation shapes attitudes toward social policies and that other socioeconomic factors might have relatively minor importance. Logistic regression was used to identify associations between political orientation and attitude toward the cash transfer policy. Average marginal effects were calculated to determine the effect size of each variable. Results Political orientation, age, and residential area were correlated with attitudes toward the policy. Compared to the conservatives, the non-committed and the moderate showed about 10% more favorable attitudes, and the progressive group showed robust support. People in their 30s and 40s showed similar attitudes to the 18-29 group, while older people showed much lower support. Compared to the Seoul metropolitan area, residents of the Ho-nam area showed favorable attitudes, and those of the Yeong-nam area had relatively unfavorable attitudes. Conclusions This study suggests that attitudes toward the cash transfer policy are mainly associated with political orientation. Although these results illuminate pandemics' social and political dimensions, further efforts are needed to fully understand the determinants and mechanisms of attitudes toward policies outside the traditional health policy scope.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Hwan Kim
- Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Deok Hyun Jang
- Research Analytics and Communications, Gallup Korea, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Won Mo Jang
- Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government – Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kehr HM, Bakaç C, Jais M, Brunner D, Voigt J, Holzemer L. The Role of Death-Anxiety-Induced Fear of COVID-19 in Compliance With and Acceptance of Government-Issued COVID-19 Regulations. Front Psychol 2022; 13:881603. [PMID: 35586230 PMCID: PMC9108415 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.881603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The present research was conducted to empirically examine whether death anxiety is the fundamental fear that feeds people's fear of COVID-19 and leads to increased behavioral compliance with and acceptance of COVID-19 regulations. Results from an online survey of 313 participants from New York City show that death anxiety was, indeed, positively associated with behavioral compliance with, but not acceptance of, COVID-19 regulations via an increased fear of COVID-19. Hence, media campaigns that are designed to increase people's compliance with restrictive COVID-19 measures by stirring up their death anxiety are likely to meet their target, but they do not necessarily lead to increased public acceptance of the measures taken.
Collapse
|
25
|
Borges J, Byrne M. Investigating COVID-19 risk perception and preventive behaviours in third-level students in Ireland. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2022; 224:103535. [PMID: 35176516 PMCID: PMC8841145 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives The novel coronavirus outbreak required the population's compliance with public health measures yet young adults have been identified as having low risk perceptions and relatively low adherence with preventive measures. This study investigated third-level students' COVID-19 risk perception, knowledge and attitudes, and preventive behaviours between February and June 2021 to further understand young adults' beliefs and behavioural response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. Design Cross-sectional quantitative online survey design. Methods Three hundred and sixty-four university students completed an online survey which measured risk perception, preventive behaviours, knowledge of COVID-19, vaccination attitude and source of COVID-19 information. Results University students in Ireland reported high levels of knowledge of COVID-19 and high adherence to preventive behaviours. While risk perception levels were moderately high, students displayed higher concern for others than for themselves. High levels of risk perception significantly predicted preventive behaviours while general knowledge of the virus increased the likelihood of vaccine uptake. Over two-thirds of participants were willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine if available. Conclusions Vaccination hesitancy remains a concern among the young adult population requiring urgent attention from public health officials. The implication for health policymakers is that positive behavioural responses of the young population can be reinforced by targeting risk perceptions and by increasing the public's knowledge and understanding of COVID-19.
Collapse
|
26
|
Do Optimists Like Vaccines? The Effect of Perceived Vaccine Novelty and Beliefs in the World’s Positivity and Orderliness on the Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccinations—The Case of European Young Adults. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10030379. [PMID: 35335011 PMCID: PMC8953489 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10030379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The public debate over COVID-19 vaccinations tends to focus on vaccine-related arguments, such as their effectiveness and safety. However, the characteristics of a person’s worldview, such as beliefs about the world’s positivity and orderliness, may also shape attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations. These relationships were investigated using schema incongruity theory. The degree of the vaccine’s incongruence with the world’s order schema existing in people’s minds was represented by perceived vaccine novelty. Accordingly, the results of an online survey among European young adults (N = 435) indicate that perceived vaccine novelty negatively affects behavioral outcomes (vaccination intent, willingness to pay for vaccinations, and vaccination advocacy). Moreover, there occurred a negative interaction effect of positivity and orderliness beliefs on behavioral outcomes. Specifically, an effect of positivity was more positive when people perceived the world as less ordered. Furthermore, this interaction effect was more negative when perceived vaccine novelty was higher. A mediating role of perceived vaccine effectiveness was demonstrated for the above relationships. The results extend the existing literature on people’s worldviews into the domain of vaccine attitudes, and provide new insights on the role of perceived vaccine novelty. For vaccination policymakers and marketers, the paper suggests how to promote vaccinations with consideration of orderliness/positivity beliefs and vaccine novelty perception.
Collapse
|
27
|
Freidin E, Acera Martini L, Senci CM, Duarte C, Carballo F. Field observations and survey evidence to assess predictors of mask wearing across different outdoor activities in an Argentine city during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2022; 14:81-100. [PMID: 34254447 PMCID: PMC8444898 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We here studied some potential factors underlying variation in compliance with preventive behaviors against COVID-19 by studying mask wearing during outdoor recreational activities in a midsize city of Argentina in 2020. The originality of present research relies on the complementation of observational (N = 15,507) and survey (N = 578) data and in assessing the determinants of and disposition to the same preventive behavior across activities. In Study 1, we did 8 weeks of unobtrusive systematic observation of mask wearing in outdoor recreational sites as a function of activity (walking, running, and cycling). In Study 2, we ran an online survey (concomitant with the last weeks of the observational study) to measure self-reported mask use and relevant beliefs, including self- and other-regarding motives. Behavioral observations showed that mask wearing declined over time for the three activities as predicted from a social dilemma perspective; nonetheless, compliance significantly differed across activities. Self-reported mask use was predicted by the perceived risk of contagion for the self and for others, perceived comfort costs of wearing masks, and social norms, but not by perceived illness severity or mask effectiveness. We discuss some implications and limitations of present findings for the development of preventive strategies to reduce COVID-19 transmission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Freidin
- Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur (IIESS)UNS‐CONICETBahía BlancaArgentina
| | - Luz Acera Martini
- Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur (IIESS)UNS‐CONICETBahía BlancaArgentina
| | - Carlos Maximiliano Senci
- Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur (IIESS)UNS‐CONICETBahía BlancaArgentina
| | - Cristina Duarte
- Instituto de Física (INFISUR)Universidad Nacional del SurBahía BlancaArgentina
| | - Fabricio Carballo
- Departamento de PsicologíaUniversidad Salesiana (UNISAL)Bahía BlancaArgentina
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Franzen A, Wöhner F. Fatigue during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence of social distancing adherence from a panel study of young adults in Switzerland. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261276. [PMID: 34890414 PMCID: PMC8664223 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper we analyze panel data (N = 400) to investigate the change in attitudes towards the Covid-19 measures and the change in compliance behavior between the first and second lockdowns in a sample of young adults from the University of Bern, Switzerland. We find considerable fatigue. While respondents expressed high acceptance of and compliance with the Covid-19 measures during the first lockdown, both acceptance and compliance behavior decreased substantially during the second lockdown. Moreover, we show via a structural equation model that respondents' compliance behavior is largely driven by the perception of how others behave and by the acceptance of the Covid-19 measures. All other effects scrutinized e.g., individual and social risk perception, trust in politics, and pro-social orientations affect compliance behavior via the acceptance of Covid-19 measures. We also conduct two tests of causality of the estimated relation between attitudes towards the measures and social distancing behavior. The first test incorporates the effect of compliance behavior reported during the first lockdown on attitudes during the second lockdown. The second test involves estimating a first difference panel regression model of attitudes on compliance behavior. The results of both tests suggest that the effect of Covid-19 attitudes on social distancing behavior can be interpreted causally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Axel Franzen
- Institute of Sociology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fabienne Wöhner
- Institute of Sociology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
de Ridder D, Aarts H, Benjamins J, Glebbeek M, Leplaa H, Leseman P, Potgieter R, Tummers L, Zondervan‐Zwijnenburg M. “Keep your distance for me”: A field experiment on empathy prompts to promote distancing during the
COVID
‐19 pandemic. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 32:755-766. [PMID: 35463459 PMCID: PMC9015613 DOI: 10.1002/casp.2593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID‐19 has turned out to be a major challenge to societies all over the globe. Curbing the pandemic requires rapid and extensive behavioural change to limit social interaction, including physical distancing. In this study, we tested the notion that inducing empathy for people vulnerable to the virus may result in actual distancing behaviour beyond the mere motivation to do so. In a large field experiment with a sequential case–control design, we found that (a) empathy prompts may increase distancing as assessed by camera recordings and (b) effectiveness of prompts depends on the dynamics of the pandemic and associated public health policies. In sum, the present study demonstrates the potential of empathy‐generating interventions to promote pro‐social behaviour and emphasizes the necessity of field experiments to assess the role of context before advising policy makers to implement measures derived from behavioural science. Please refer to Supplementary Material to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Denise de Ridder
- Department of Social Health & Organizational Psychology Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Henk Aarts
- Department of Social Health & Organizational Psychology Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Benjamins
- Department of Social Health & Organizational Psychology Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
- Department of Experimental Psychology Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | | | - Hidde Leplaa
- Department of Methods & Statistics Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Paul Leseman
- Department of Education Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Renske Potgieter
- Department of Social Health & Organizational Psychology Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Lars Tummers
- Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University Utrecht The Netherlands
| | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Osuagwu UL, Timothy CG, Langsi R, Abu EK, Goson PC, Mashige KP, Ekpenyong B, Ovenseri-Ogbomo GO, Miner CA, Oloruntoba R, Ishaya T, Charwe DD, Envuladu EA, Nwaeze O, Agho KE. Differences in Perceived Risk of Contracting SARS-CoV-2 during and after the Lockdown in Sub-Saharan African Countries. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182111091. [PMID: 34769611 PMCID: PMC8583602 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated risk perception of contracting and dying of SARS-CoV-2 in sub-Sahara Africa during and after the lockdown periods. Two online surveys were conducted one year apart, with participants 18 years and above living in sub-Sahara Africa or the diaspora. Each survey took four weeks. The first survey was taken from 18 April to 16 May 2020, i.e., during the lockdown. The second survey was taken from 14 April to 14 May 2021, i.e., after the lockdown. A cross-sectional study using adopted and modified questionnaires for both surveys were distributed through online platforms. Question about risks perception of contracting and dying of SARS-CoV-2 were asked. The Helsinki declaration was applied, and ethical approvals were obtained. Total responses for both surveys, i.e., both during and after the lockdown, was 4605. The mean age was similar in both surveys (18–28 years). The mean risk perception scores were higher after lockdown by 3.59%. Factors associated with risk perception of COVID-19 were survey period, age group, region of residence, and occupation. Non-health care workers had a lower risk perception of COVID-19. This first comparative study on the level of risk perception of Africans during and after the lockdown shows that one in every three and every four persons in sub-Sahara Africa felt at high risk of contracting COVID-19 and thought they could die from contracting the same, respectively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu
- Translational Health Research Unit (THRI), School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia;
- Westville Campus, African Vision Research Institute, Discipline of Optometry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 3629, South Africa; (K.P.M.); (B.E.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-2-46344570
| | - Chikasirimobi G Timothy
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, School of Public Health, Biomedical Sciences and Technology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega 190-50100, Kenya;
| | - Raymond Langsi
- Health Division, University of Bamenda, Bambili P.O. Box 39, Bamenda 00237, Cameroon;
| | - Emmanuel K Abu
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast 00233, Ghana;
| | - Piwuna Christopher Goson
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Health Sciences, University of Jos, P.M.B. 2084, Jos 930003, Nigeria;
| | - Khathutshelo P Mashige
- Westville Campus, African Vision Research Institute, Discipline of Optometry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 3629, South Africa; (K.P.M.); (B.E.)
| | - Bernadine Ekpenyong
- Westville Campus, African Vision Research Institute, Discipline of Optometry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 3629, South Africa; (K.P.M.); (B.E.)
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar 540271, Cross River State, Nigeria
| | - Godwin O Ovenseri-Ogbomo
- Department of Optometry, Centre for Health Sciences, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness IV2 3JH, UK;
| | - Chundung Asabe Miner
- Department of Community Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Jos, P.M.B. 2084, Jos 930003, Nigeria;
| | - Richard Oloruntoba
- School of Management and Marketing, Curtin Business School, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6151, Australia;
| | - Tanko Ishaya
- Department of Computer Science, University of Jos, P.M.B. 2084, Jos 930003, Nigeria;
| | | | - Esther Awazzi Envuladu
- Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos, P.M.B. 2084, Jos 930003, Nigeria;
| | - Obinna Nwaeze
- County Durham and Darlington, National Health Service (NHS) Foundation, Darlington DL3 0PD, UK;
| | - Kingsley Emwinyore Agho
- Translational Health Research Unit (THRI), School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia;
- Westville Campus, African Vision Research Institute, Discipline of Optometry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 3629, South Africa; (K.P.M.); (B.E.)
- School of Health Science, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Cheng T, Horbay B, Nocos R, Lutes L, Lear SA. The Role of Tailored Public Health Messaging to Young Adults during COVID-19: "There's a lot of ambiguity around what it means to be safe". PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258121. [PMID: 34597332 PMCID: PMC8486094 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 global incidence rate among young adults (age 19-40) drastically increased since summer 2020, and young adults were often portrayed by popular media as the "main spreader" of the pandemic. However, young adults faced unique challenges during the pandemic due to working in high-risk, low-paying essential service occupations, as well as having higher levels of financial insecurity and mental burden. This qualitative study aims to examine the attitudes and perceptions of health orders of young adults to better inform public health messaging to reach this demographic and increase compliance to public health orders. A total of 50 young adults residing in British Columbia, Canada, were recruited to participate in focus group in groups of four to six. Focus group discussions were conducted via teleconferencing. Thematic analysis revealed four major themes: 1) risks of contracting the disease, 2) the perceived impact of COVID-19, 3) responsibility of institutions, 4) and effective public health messaging. Contrary to existing literature, our findings suggest young adults feel highly responsible for protecting themselves and others. They face a higher risk of depression and anxiety compared to other age groups, especially when they take on multiple social roles such as caregivers and parents. Our findings suggest young adults face confusion due to inconsistent messaging and are not reached due to the ineffectiveness of existing strategies. We recommend using evidence-based strategies proven to promote behaviour change to address the barriers identified by young adults through tailoring public health messages, specifically by using positive messaging, messaging that considers the context of the intended audiences, and utilizing digital platforms to facilitate two-way communication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tina Cheng
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Community Health Research Team, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Braxtyn Horbay
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre of Obesity and Well-being Research Excellence, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rochelle Nocos
- Community Health Research Team, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lesley Lutes
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre of Obesity and Well-being Research Excellence, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Scott A. Lear
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Division of Cardiology, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Konstantinou N, Nicolaou SA, Petrou C, Pieri M. Trust in Authorities and Demographic Factors Affect Vaccine Acceptance During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Cyprus. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY OPEN 2021. [DOI: 10.1024/2673-8627/a000006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on all aspects of human life. Accurately measuring vaccine acceptance and understanding the factors that influence vaccine attitudes and behaviors is crucial to designing public-health interventions to reduce the impact of COVID-19 through vaccinations. The current study adapted the vaccine acceptance scale ( Sarathchandra et al., 2018 ) to the Greek language and assessed the relationship between key components of vaccine acceptance to COVID-19 vaccine beliefs and attitudes, personal and family vaccination history and attitudes, and demographic variables (age, sex, education, and having children). The adapted vaccine acceptance instrument was found to have high internal consistency reliability. Further analyses indicated that younger and less-educated individuals are more vaccine-hesitant, and that vaccine acceptance is influenced by trust in authorities. These findings may have implications for understanding vaccine hesitancy and for the design and implementation of vaccine-related public health policies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Konstantinou
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
| | | | - Christos Petrou
- Department of Life & Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Myrtani Pieri
- Department of Life & Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Cyprus
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
COVID-19 Countermeasures and Passengers’ Confidence of Urban Rail Travel in Bangkok. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13169377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Rail transit systems around the world have been suffering from heavily reduced ridership due to reduced capacity for social distancing and passengers’ concern over the risk of COVID-19 infection. Various countermeasures were implemented to reduce the COVID-19 risk so that passengers felt safe to travel on rail. The objectives of this study were to evaluate COVID-19 countermeasures of Bangkok’s urban rail from passengers’ viewpoints and examine its influence on passenger’s confidence. The background of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand and the rail countermeasures implemented in Bangkok were summarized. The data were obtained from an interview survey of 1105 railway passengers conducted at the stations during the second wave of the pandemic. Factor analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted. The results revealed that social distancing was not satisfied by the passengers but adversely caused inconvenience and increased infection risk when the station or rail were congested. On the other hand, the passenger temperature check, face mask enforcement, and hand sanitization countermeasures were found to highly and positively contribute to passengers’ confidence. Contact tracing application was also found to raise awareness and confidence. The findings provided insights for rail authorities and related agencies to effectively implement the countermeasures that would be practically and financially sustainable.
Collapse
|
34
|
Dudás L, Szántó R. Nudging in the time of coronavirus? Comparing public support for soft and hard preventive measures, highlighting the role of risk perception and experience. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256241. [PMID: 34388215 PMCID: PMC8362989 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of researching public support for preventive policies have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a representative sample of the Hungarian population, we investigated the support for commonly used preventive measures (social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing masks) comparing two different policy tools (nudges and regulations). Because of the high risk and unfamiliarity of the pandemic, the respondents' risk perception and experience with the disease was also assessed. All preventive measures were generally supported and, contrary to the findings of previous nudge research, there was no clear pattern whether regulations or nudges are preferred. People with higher level of risk perception supported both types of policies more but slightly favoured the regulations. Those who had contact with the disease (either themselves or a close friend or family member contracting COVID-19) reported a higher level of risk perception. When the person themselves was afflicted, this higher levels of risk perception did not translate to a higher level of support, moreover, it even decreased support for the regulations according to regression analysis. In case of a loved one contracting the disease, there was an increased support for both types of measures, but that is explained by the higher risk perception.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Levente Dudás
- Department of Decision Sciences, Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Richárd Szántó
- Department of Decision Sciences, Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Muhsen K, Na'aminh W, Lapidot Y, Goren S, Amir Y, Perlman S, Green MS, Chodick G, Cohen D. A nationwide analysis of population group differences in the COVID-19 epidemic in Israel, February 2020-February 2021. THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. EUROPE 2021; 7:100130. [PMID: 34109321 PMCID: PMC8177966 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social inequalities affect the COVID-19 burden and vaccine uptake. The aim of this study was to explore inequalities in the incidence and mortality rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine uptake in various sociodemographic and population group strata in Israel. METHODS We analysed nationwide publicly available, aggregated data on PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 deaths between March 2020 and February 2021, as well as the first three months of COVID-19 immunisation according to sociodemographics, including population group and residential socioeconomic status (SES). We computed incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19. Comparisons between towns with predominantly Arab, ultra-Orthodox Jewish (the minorities), general Jewish populations, and according to SES, were conducted using generalised linear models with negative binomial distribution. FINDINGS Overall, 774,030 individuals had SARS-CoV-2 infection (cumulative incidence 84•5 per 1,000 persons) and 5687 COVID-19 patients had died (mortality rate 62•8 per 100,000 persons). The highest mortality rate was found amongst the elderly. Most (>75%) individuals aged 60 years or above have been vaccinated with BNT162b2 vaccine. The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection was higher in towns with predominantly Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish populations than in the general Jewish population, and in low SES communities. COVID-19 mortality rate was highest amongst Arabs. Conversely, vaccine uptake was lower amongst Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish populations and low SES communities. INTERPRETATION Ethnic and religious minorities and low SES communities experience substantial COVID-19 burden, and have lower vaccine uptake, even in a society with universal accessibility to healthcare. Quantifying these inequalities is fundamental towards reducing these gaps, which imposes a designated apportion of resources to adequately control the pandemic. FUNDING No external funding was available for this study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khitam Muhsen
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
| | - Wasef Na'aminh
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
| | - Yelena Lapidot
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
| | - Sophy Goren
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
| | - Yonatan Amir
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
| | - Saritte Perlman
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
| | | | - Gabriel Chodick
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
- Maccabi Institute for Research & Innovation, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Kaufman 4, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dani Cohen
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6139001, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Alam ABMM, Majumder MAA, Haque M, Ashraf F, Khondoker MU, Mashreky SR, Wahab A, Siddiqui MTH, Uddin A, Joarder T, Ahmed SMM, Deeba F, Nessa K, Rahman S, Jahan I, Islam MZ, Adnan N, E-Murshid M, Islam MS, Urmi UL, Yusuf A, Sarkar NC, Mallik TS, Raza AMS, Daud AKM, Razzaque MS. Disproportionate COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate among healthcare professionals on the eve of nationwide vaccine distribution in Bangladesh. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:1167-1175. [PMID: 34224292 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1951248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND : Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine by the target groups would play a crucial role in stemming the pandemic. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are the priority group for vaccination due to them having the highest risk of exposure to infection. This survey aimed to assess their acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in Bangladesh. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional survey using an online questionnaire was conducted between January 3 to 25, 2021, among HCPs (n=834) in Bangladesh. The main outcome measures were vaccine acceptance by HCPs if one was available. RESULTS Less than 50% of HCPs would receive the vaccine against COVID-19 if available and 54% were willing to take the vaccine at some stage in the future. Female participants (OR:1.64;95%CI:1.172-2.297), respondents between 18-34 years old (OR:2.42; 95% CI:1.314-4.463), HCPs in the public sector (OR:2.09; 95% CI:1.521-2.878), and those who did not receive a flu vaccine in the previous year (OR:3.1; 95% CI:1.552-6.001) were more likely to delay vaccination. CONCLUSIONS The study revealed that, if available, less than half of the HCPs would accept a COVID-19 vaccine in Bangladesh. To ensure the broader success of the vaccination drive, tailored strategies and vaccine promotion campaigns targeting HCPs and the general population are needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mainul Haque
- National Defence University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Fatema Ashraf
- Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | | | - Abrar Wahab
- Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | | | | | | | - Farzana Deeba
- Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Sayeeda Rahman
- American University of Integrative Sciences, Bridgetown, Barbados
| | - Iffat Jahan
- Eastern Medical College, Cumilla, Bangladesh
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - A K M Daud
- Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Bacci S, Fabbricatore R, Iannario M. Latent trait models for perceived risk assessment using a Covid-19 data survey. J Appl Stat 2021; 50:2575-2598. [PMID: 37529576 PMCID: PMC10388822 DOI: 10.1080/02664763.2021.1937584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Aim of the contribution is analyzing potential events that may negatively impact individuals, assets, and/or the environment, and making judgments about the perceived personal and social riskiness of Covid-19 compared to other hazards belonging to health (AIDS, cancer, infarction), environmental (climate change), behavioral (serious car accidents), and technological (nuclear weapons) domains. The comparative risk analysis has been performed on a survey data collected during the first Italian Covid-19 lockdown. An item response theory model for polytomously scored items has been implemented for the analysis of the positioning of Covid-19 with respect to the other hazards in terms of perceived risk. Among the attributes determining the hazard's perceived risk, Covid-19 distinguishes for the knowledge of risks from the hazard, media attention, and fear caused by the hazard in the peers. Besides, through a latent regression analysis, the role of some individual characteristics on the perceived risk for Covid-19 has been examined. Our contribution allows us to disentangle among several aspects of hazards and describe the main factors affecting the perceived risk. It also contributes to determine if existing control measures are perceived as adequate and the interest for new media with related impact on a person's reaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S. Bacci
- Department of Statistics, Computer Science, Applications “G. Parenti”, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - R. Fabbricatore
- Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Maria Iannario
- Department of Political Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Pavela Banai I, Banai B, Mikloušić I. Beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, compliance with the preventive measures, and trust in government medical officials. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 41:7448-7458. [PMID: 34075284 PMCID: PMC8153526 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01898-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The COVID -19 pandemic represents a global health crisis, so adherence to government guidelines and public health advice is critical in reducing transmission rates. Despite this, it has been reported that a minority of people do not comply with the governmental guidelines. When considering the reasons why some people do not comply with preventive measures, previous studies have shown that beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories negatively predict responsible pandemic-related behaviour. This, in turn, could seriously undermine success in combating the pandemic. Our aim was, therefore, to further investigate the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and adherence to official COVID-19 medical guidelines by including mediating roles of beliefs in pseudoscientific information and trust in government officials. A total of 1882 adults from Croatia provided sociodemographic information and completed several scales related to COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, beliefs in pseudoscientific information, trust in government officials, and adherence to official COVID-19 guidelines. A multiple mediation analysis revealed a direct negative effect of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs on compliance with the preventive measures. In addition, conspiracy beliefs were indirectly related to compliance via trust in government officials. The present study builds upon emerging research showing that conspiracy beliefs may have significant social consequences and pose a potential risk to public health. Practical implications of these findings are discussed further. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-01898-y.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irena Pavela Banai
- Department of Psychology, University of Zadar, Obala k. Petra Krešimira IV, 2, 23 000 Zadar, Croatia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|