Addressing vulnerabilities in communities facing infectious disease threats: A need for social science-driven assessments

Osborne, J. Grayson; Paget, John; Napier, David; Giles‐Vernick, Tamara; Kutalek, Ruth; Rodyna, Roman; Ahmed, Syed Masud; Dückers, Michel

doi:10.7189/jogh.11.03003

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In particular, some researchers insist on the importance of resisting notions of ‘intrinsic Black vulnerability’ [ 71 ] (p. 1), and instead argue that ‘The conditions of labor and daily life produce ill-health, and social exclusion and discriminatory attitudes discourage access and undermine health care’ [ 72 ] (p. 673) beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an urgent need for social science research that engages vulnerable communities at the same time as critically evaluating the changing meanings and implications of vulnerability in infectious diseases responses [ 70 , 73 ]. Rather than viewing vulnerable groups as compliant or non-compliant in terms of testing behaviors, further research is needed to understand the specific barriers people in these situations may face—taking their concerns seriously rather than merely seeking to establish behavior change.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of survey-based studies targeted national populations. However, in selecting participants from groups who have access to the internet and a level of digital literacy, their recruitment and data collection methods selected more privileged groups and systematically excluded certain other populations (e.g., the elderly, homeless, or economically disadvantaged) who were also most at risk from COVID-19) [ 73 ]. Despite the early emphasis on care homes and nursing homes as crucial sites of COVID-19 transmission, we found very little research carried out in these settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Related to COVID-19 Testing: A Rapid Scoping Review

2021

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Testing programs for COVID-19 depend on the voluntary actions of members of the public for their success. Understanding people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to COVID-19 testing is, therefore, key to the design of effective testing programs worldwide. This paper reports on the findings of a rapid scoping review to map the extent, characteristics, and scope of social science research on COVID-19 testing and identifies key themes from the literature. Main findings include the discoveries that people are largely accepting of testing technologies and guidelines and that a sense of social solidarity is a key motivator of testing uptake. The main barriers to accessing and undertaking testing include uncertainty about eligibility and how to access tests, difficulty interpreting symptoms, logistical issues including transport to and from test sites and the discomfort of sample extraction, and concerns about the consequences of a positive result. The review found that existing research was limited in depth and scope. More research employing longitudinal and qualitative methods based in under-resourced settings and examining intersections between testing and experiences of social, political, and economic vulnerability is needed. Last, the findings of this review suggest that testing should be understood as a social process that is inseparable from processes of contact tracing and isolation and is embedded in people’s everyday routines, livelihoods and relationships.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Related to COVID-19 Testing: A Rapid Scoping Review

2021

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“…This study suggests that efforts to maintain mental health services, community and religious support groups remotely; ensuring availability of PPE; and offering financial compensation for lost income are critical ingredients to support better coping across countries. Furthermore, identifying socially vulnerable groups in each context and accounting for particular socio-cultural needs, through community engagement and social science research, will be essential for policy makers to promote positive coping strategies and reduce the negative and unequal impacts of NPIs [19].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions on the lived experiences of people living in Thailand, Malaysia, Italy and the United Kingdom: a cross-country qualitative study

Schneiders

Naemiratch

Cheah

et al. 2021

Preprint

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This qualitative study explores the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on lived experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's lives in Thailand, Malaysia, Italy and the United Kingdom. A total of 86 interviews were conducted with members of the public, including healthcare workers. Participants across countries held strong views on NPIs, with many feeling measures lacked clarity. Most participants reported primarily negative impacts of NPIs on their lives, including through separation, isolation and grief over missed milestones; work-related challenges and income loss; and poor mental health and wellbeing. Nonetheless, many also experienced inadvertent positive consequences, including more time at home to focus on what they most valued in life; a greater sense of connectedness; and benefits to working life. Commonly employed coping strategies focused on financial coping; psycho-emotional coping; social coping and connectedness; reducing and mitigating risks; and limiting exposure to the news. Importantly, the extent to which participants' lived experiences were positive or negative, and their ability to cope was underpinned by individual, social and economic factors. In order to mitigate negative and unequal impacts of NPIs, COVID-19 policies will benefit from paying closer attention to the social, cultural and psychological, not just biological vulnerabilities to, and consequences of public health measures.

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“…Community engagement has been shown to play a central role in controlling outbreaks and other public health emergencies [19,20], and to promote support for future interventions [21]. In this way, methods from the social sciences can be used to identify vulnerabilities within communities during a pandemic [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptualizing Vulnerability for Health Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Associated Measures in Utrecht and Zeist: A Concept Map

Ven

Duinhof

Dückers

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated measures have impacted the health of many. Not all population groups are equally vulnerable to such health effects, possibly increasing health inequalities. We performed a group concept mapping procedure to define a common, context-specific understanding of what makes people vulnerable to health effects of the pandemic and the measures. We organized a two-step, blended brainstorming session with locally involved community members, using the brainstorm focus prompt ‘What I think makes people vulnerable for the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures is…’. We asked participants to generate as many statements as possible. Participants then individually structured (sorted and ranked) these statements. The structuring data was analysed using the groupwisdomTM software and then interpreted by the researchers to generate the concept map. Ninety-eight statements were generated by 19 participants. Sixteen participants completed both structuring tasks. The final concept map consisted of 12 clusters of vulnerability factors, indicating a broad conceptualization of vulnerability during the pandemic. It is being used as a basis for future research and local supportive interventions. Concept mapping is an effective method to arrive at a vulnerability assessment in a community in a short time and, moreover, a method that promotes community engagement.

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Addressing vulnerabilities in communities facing infectious disease threats: A need for social science-driven assessments

Cited by 15 publications

References 7 publications

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Related to COVID-19 Testing: A Rapid Scoping Review

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Related to COVID-19 Testing: A Rapid Scoping Review

The impact of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions on the lived experiences of people living in Thailand, Malaysia, Italy and the United Kingdom: a cross-country qualitative study

Conceptualizing Vulnerability for Health Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Associated Measures in Utrecht and Zeist: A Concept Map

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