TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge, Attitude, and Self-Reported Practice Towards Measures for Prevention of the Spread of COVID-19 Among Australians
T2 - A Nationwide Online Longitudinal Representative Survey
AU - Enticott, Joanne
AU - Slifirski, William
AU - Lavoie, Kim L.
AU - Bacon, Simon L.
AU - Teede, Helena J.
AU - Boyle, Jacqueline A.
AU - for the iCARE Study Team
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge Prof. Susan Michie, Director of UCL Centre for Behaviour Change University College London, for reviewing the paper and providing valuable advice. We would like to acknowledge these people for assistance with data preparation and table formatting: Edward Meehan, Wing (Theo) Leung, and Rhea Navani. Thank you to Jakirath Gill for assistance with creating the online survey. Thank you also to the community collaborators who provided input into the development of the survey design, ensuring that the items are relevant and appropriately worded. A particular thank you to the Australian Monash Partners Consumer and Carer group in Australia, who were paid for their time to assist with designing the survey to be relevant to the Australian population.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Enticott, Slifirski, Lavoie, Bacon, Teede and Boyle.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/6/2
Y1 - 2021/6/2
N2 - Objective: To assess and share learnings on the motivators and behavioural adherence across sex and age to evolving strategies in public policy to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 at the end of a first COVID-19 wave and the beginning of a second COVID-19 wave in Australia. Design and Setting: A national longitudinal survey using a framework based on evidence-based behaviour change models. The survey was administered to a national sample representative across sex, age and location was undertaken at two time points: May 1st to 5th, 2020, and July 1st to 7th, 2020. Results: Overall 2,056 surveys were completed across the first and second rounds, with 63% (1,296/2,056) completing both. Age range was 18–99 years (median 53, IQR: 34–64). Suboptimal physical distancing and self-quarantining if unwell/diagnosed was reported in one in four respondents and not getting a test at onset of symptoms reported in one in three. Those non-adherent to all three behaviours (19%, 60/323), were mainly male, younger, lived in major cities and reported fewer concerns or motivators to change behaviour. Overall, government lockdown measures were considered very important by 81% (835/1,032) and appropriate by 75% (772/1,029). Conclusions: Prior to the suppression of a second COVID-19 wave, a significant minority of Australians reported suboptimal behavioural adherence to vital policy strategies to limit SARS-CoV-2 spread, mostly young adults and men. Successful wave 2 suppression required consistent communication from political and health leaders and supportive public health and economic strategies. Additional lockdown and punitive strategies were needed in Victoria and were generally well-supported and adhered to. To limit subsequent lockdown, this work reinforces the need for a mix of communication around saving lives of the vulnerable, and other strategies targeting high risk groups, facilitation of easy testing and minimisation of financial impacts.
AB - Objective: To assess and share learnings on the motivators and behavioural adherence across sex and age to evolving strategies in public policy to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 at the end of a first COVID-19 wave and the beginning of a second COVID-19 wave in Australia. Design and Setting: A national longitudinal survey using a framework based on evidence-based behaviour change models. The survey was administered to a national sample representative across sex, age and location was undertaken at two time points: May 1st to 5th, 2020, and July 1st to 7th, 2020. Results: Overall 2,056 surveys were completed across the first and second rounds, with 63% (1,296/2,056) completing both. Age range was 18–99 years (median 53, IQR: 34–64). Suboptimal physical distancing and self-quarantining if unwell/diagnosed was reported in one in four respondents and not getting a test at onset of symptoms reported in one in three. Those non-adherent to all three behaviours (19%, 60/323), were mainly male, younger, lived in major cities and reported fewer concerns or motivators to change behaviour. Overall, government lockdown measures were considered very important by 81% (835/1,032) and appropriate by 75% (772/1,029). Conclusions: Prior to the suppression of a second COVID-19 wave, a significant minority of Australians reported suboptimal behavioural adherence to vital policy strategies to limit SARS-CoV-2 spread, mostly young adults and men. Successful wave 2 suppression required consistent communication from political and health leaders and supportive public health and economic strategies. Additional lockdown and punitive strategies were needed in Victoria and were generally well-supported and adhered to. To limit subsequent lockdown, this work reinforces the need for a mix of communication around saving lives of the vulnerable, and other strategies targeting high risk groups, facilitation of easy testing and minimisation of financial impacts.
KW - COVID-19
KW - health policies
KW - public health behaviour
KW - representative survey
KW - representative survey Australia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108180224&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fpubh.2021.630189
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2021.630189
M3 - Article
C2 - 34150696
AN - SCOPUS:85108180224
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
M1 - 630189
ER -
