Awareness, attitudes, and practices related to the swine influenza pandemic among the Saudi public

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Abstract

Background

During an infectious disease outbreak, it is critical to learn as much as possible about the concerns, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of the public. Such information can be crucial to the improvement of communication efforts by public health officials and clinicians. The aim of this study was to identify awareness, attitudes, and practices related to influenza A (H1N1) among the Saudi public.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 1,548 adult subjects recruited from various shopping malls in Riyadh and Jeddah was conducted. All of the subjects were interviewed using a questionnaire that tested their knowledge, attitudes, and use of precautionary measures in relation to the H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Results

More than half (54.3%, 840/1548) of the participants showed high concern, 43.7%(677/1548) showed a low level of knowledge, and 60.8%(941/1548) had taken minimal or no precautionary measures. After adjusting for other variables, education level was the only significant predictor of the level of concern (p < 0.001), while greater precautionary measures were taken by participants who were male (p < 0.001), older (p = 0.047), better educated (p = 0.04), and more knowledgeable (p < 0.001). More than one-third (38.3%) of participants were not convinced that the MOH reports about the disease were true, and only 16.1% of the participants reported receiving information from health providers.

Conclusions

High concern did not translate into a higher compliance with precautionary recommendations, possibly due to the low level of knowledge about the disease among the public. Frequent communication between physicians and the public is recommended to help dispel myths about the disease and to spread better information about the role that the public can play in limiting the spread of the disease.

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Non-pharmaceutical public health interventions for pandemic influenza: an evaluation of the evidence base

Julia Aledort, Nicole Lurie, Jeffrey Wasserman … (2007)

Background In an influenza pandemic, the benefit of vaccines and antiviral medications will be constrained by limitations on supplies and effectiveness. Non-pharmaceutical public health interventions will therefore be vital in curtailing disease spread. However, the most comprehensive assessments of the literature to date recognize the generally poor quality of evidence on which to base non-pharmaceutical pandemic planning decisions. In light of the need to prepare for a possible pandemic despite concerns about the poor quality of the literature, combining available evidence with expert opinion about the relative merits of non-pharmaceutical interventions for pandemic influenza may lead to a more informed and widely accepted set of recommendations. We evaluated the evidence base for non-pharmaceutical public health interventions. Then, based on the collective evidence, we identified a set of recommendations for and against interventions that are specific to both the setting in which an intervention may be used and the pandemic phase, and which can be used by policymakers to prepare for a pandemic until scientific evidence can definitively respond to planners' needs. Methods Building on reviews of past pandemics and recent historical inquiries, we evaluated the relative merits of non-pharmaceutical interventions by combining available evidence from the literature with qualitative and quantitative expert opinion. Specifically, we reviewed the recent scientific literature regarding the prevention of human-to-human transmission of pandemic influenza, convened a meeting of experts from multiple disciplines, and elicited expert recommendation about the use of non-pharmaceutical public health interventions in a variety of settings (healthcare facilities; community-based institutions; private households) and pandemic phases (no pandemic; no US pandemic; early localized US pandemic; advanced US pandemic). Results The literature contained a dearth of evidence on the efficacy or effectiveness of most non-pharmaceutical interventions for influenza. In an effort to inform decision-making in the absence of strong scientific evidence, the experts ultimately endorsed hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, surveillance and case reporting, and rapid viral diagnosis in all settings and during all pandemic phases. They also encouraged patient and provider use of masks and other personal protective equipment as well as voluntary self-isolation of patients during all pandemic phases. Other non-pharmaceutical interventions including mask-use and other personal protective equipment for the general public, school and workplace closures early in an epidemic, and mandatory travel restrictions were rejected as likely to be ineffective, infeasible, or unacceptable to the public. Conclusion The demand for scientific evidence on non-pharmaceutical public health interventions for influenza is pervasive, and present policy recommendations must rely heavily on expert judgment. In the absence of a definitive science base, our assessment of the evidence identified areas for further investigation as well as non-pharmaceutical public health interventions that experts believe are likely to be beneficial, feasible and widely acceptable in an influenza pandemic.

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Factors influencing the wearing of facemasks to prevent the severe acute respiratory syndrome among adult Chinese in Hong Kong

Catherine Tang, Chi-yan Wong (2004)

Background. The global outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 has been an international public health threat. Quick diagnostic tests and specific treatments for SARS are not yet available; thus, prevention is of paramount importance to contain its global spread. This study aimed to determine factors associating with individuals' practice of the target SARS preventive behavior (facemask wearing). Methods. A total of 1329 adult Chinese residing in Hong Kong were surveyed. The survey instrument included demographic data, measures on the five components of the Health Belief Model, and the practice of the target SARS preventive behavior. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine rates and predictors of facemask wearing. Results. Overall, 61.2% of the respondents reported consistent use of facemasks to prevent SARS. Women, the 50–59 age group, and married respondents were more likely to wear facemasks. Three of the five components of the Health Belief Model, namely, perceived susceptibility, cues to action, and perceived benefits, were significant predictors of facemask-wearing even after considering effects of demographic characteristics. Conclusions. The Health Belief Model is useful in identifying determinants of facemask wearing. Findings have significant implications in enhancing the effectiveness of SARS prevention programs.

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Pandemic influenza in Australia: Using telephone surveys to measure perceptions of threat and willingness to comply

Margo Linn Barr, Beverley Raphael, Melanie Taylor … (2008)

Background Baseline data is necessary for monitoring how a population perceives the threat of pandemic influenza, and perceives how it would behave in the event of pandemic influenza. Our aim was to develop a module of questions for use in telephone health surveys on perceptions of threat of pandemic influenza, and on preparedness to comply with specific public health behaviours in the event of pandemic influenza. Methods A module of questions was developed and field tested on 192 adults using the New South Wales Department of Health's in-house Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) facility. The questions were then modified and re field tested on 202 adults. The module was then incorporated into the New South Wales Population Health Survey in the first quarter of 2007. A representative sample of 2,081 adults completed the module. Their responses were weighted against the state population. Results The reliability of the questions was acceptable with kappa ranging between 0.25 and 0.51. Overall 14.9% of the state population thought pandemic influenza was very or extremely likely to occur; 45.5% were very or extremely concerned that they or their family would be affected by pandemic influenza if it occurred; and 23.8% had made some level of change to the way they live their life because of the possibility of pandemic influenza. In the event of pandemic influenza, the majority of the population were willing to: be vaccinated (75.4%), be isolated (70.2%), and wear a face mask (59.9%). People with higher levels of threat perception are significantly more likely to be willing to comply with specific public health behaviours. Conclusion While only 14.9% of the state population thought pandemic influenza was very or extremely likely to occur, a significantly higher proportion were concerned for self and family should a pandemic actually occur. The baseline data collected in this survey will be useful for monitoring changes over time in the population's perceptions of threat, and preparedness to comply with specific public health behaviours.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): BMC Infect Dis

Title: BMC Infectious Diseases

Publisher: BioMed Central

ISSN (Electronic): 1471-2334

Publication date Collection: 2010

Publication date (Electronic): 28 February 2010

Volume: 10

Page: 42

Affiliations

[1 ]King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Article

Publisher ID: 1471-2334-10-42

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-42

PMC ID: 2844401

PubMed ID: 20187976

SO-VID: 1c71eca7-9a35-41fd-bb4c-be716ad58f69

License:

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Awareness, attitudes, and practices related to the swine influenza pandemic among the Saudi public

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Abstract

Background

Methods

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Conclusions

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PLOS: COVID-19 pandemic

Most cited references 9

Non-pharmaceutical public health interventions for pandemic influenza: an evaluation of the evidence base

Factors influencing the wearing of facemasks to prevent the severe acute respiratory syndrome among adult Chinese in Hong Kong

Pandemic influenza in Australia: Using telephone surveys to measure perceptions of threat and willingness to comply

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