Covid-19: What we have learnt from behavioural science during the pandemic so far that can help prepare us for the future

Williams, Simon; Drury, John; Michie, Susan; Stokoe, Elizabeth

doi:10.1136/bmj.n3028

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Thus findings here serve to reinforce a large body of risk communication literature across public health (and from environmental health) which also emphasizes that clarity, consistency using trusted information sources and avoiding controlling language are key features of effective communication, designed to encourage adherence or behaviour change (e.g. [ 1 , 7 , 40 – 46 ]). Although these are not novel findings, it is a strength of this review, that existing findings usable from non-COVID research is borne out, since it helps to draw out generalizable principles usable for future public health crises.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Effectiveness of communications in enhancing adherence to public health behavioural interventions: a COVID-19 evidence review

Williams,

Dienes,

Jaheed

et al. 2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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Health communication has relevance for virtually every aspect of health and well-being, including disease prevention. This review explored the effectiveness of communications in enhancing the adoption of or adherence to behavioural interventions (non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs)) related to COVID-19. The review takes the UK as a case study and focuses on self-reported behaviours (e.g. social distancing). It also reviews the psychosocial determinants of adherence. Searches were conducted using PubMed, Scopus, CINAL, ASSIA and iCite databases. Eleven thousand five hundred records were identified and 13 were included in the final sample. Included studies suggest that NPI adoption or adherence was generally high, and communication had significant impacts, with key themes including clarity and consistency, trust and control. Based on the evidence in this review, features of effective communication in the context of NPI adoption or adherence are (i) information should be conveyed clearly and conflicting (mixed) messages should be avoided; (ii) information should be conveyed by trusted sources (e.g. health authorities) and (iii) communication should strike a balance between being authoritative but avoiding language seen as controlling (e.g. ‘you must’). Future research should prioritize quantitative, experimental and longitudinal study designs, that focus specifically on communication as an intervention, and which measure behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'The effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the COVID-19 pandemic: the evidence'.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Effectiveness of communications in enhancing adherence to public health behavioural interventions: a COVID-19 evidence review

Williams,

Dienes,

Jaheed

et al. 2023

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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“…Despite a growing share of vaccinated individuals, compliance with NPIs remains a key issue for epidemic control under all conditions where herd immunity is not being achieved, for example because vaccination campaigns are insufficient, are proceeding slowly, are facing anti-vaccination movements, or are facing immune escape by new virus variants [ 67 ]. Our study showed that younger individuals, men and individuals who received a positive serologic test previously should be targeted by measures to improve compliance with regulations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic and risk-related drivers of compliance with measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection: evidence from the Munich-based KoCo19 study

Pedron

Laxy

Radon³

et al. 2023

BMC Public Health

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Objectives Although a growing share of the population in many countries has been vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus to different degrees, social distancing and hygienic non-pharmaceutical interventions still play a substantial role in containing the pandemic. The goal of this study was to investigate which factors are correlated with a higher compliance with these regulations in the context of a cohort study in the city of Munich, southern Germany, during the summer of 2020, i.e. after the first lockdown phase. Methods Using self-reported compliance with six regulations and personal hygiene rules (washing hands, avoiding touching face, wearing a mask, keeping distance, avoiding social gatherings, avoiding public spaces) we extracted two compliance factor scores, namely compliance with personal hygiene measures and compliance with social distancing regulations. Using linear and logistic regressions, we estimated the correlation of several socio-demographic and risk perception variables with both compliance scores. Results Risk aversion proved to be a consistent and significant driver of compliance across all compliance behaviors. Furthermore, being female, being retired and having a migration background were positively associated with compliance with personal hygiene regulations, whereas older age was related with a higher compliance with social distancing regulations. Generally, socioeconomic characteristics were not related with compliance, except for education, which was negatively related with compliance with personal hygiene measures. Conclusions Our results suggest that for a targeted approach to improve compliance with measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, special attention should be given to younger, male and risk-prone individuals.

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“…In addition, there are opinions [18] from the behavioral science perspective on what we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic for future use in the same or similar pandemics: (1) trust in the state (government) is one of the strongest predictors of adherence to prescribed measures and vaccination; (2) adherence to measures is not only a consequence of human motivation but also of possibilities and abilities, which especially refers to socially and economically vulnerable groups, such as ethnic minorities; (3) clarity and consistency of vaccination policy and messages are very important because people must understand the rules of conduct, which means that they should be clearly formulated and "communicated"; (4) pandemic preparedness should focus on protection, not restrictions, which especially refers to financial and other measures aimed at supporting work from home. Finally, it is worth mentioning a special edition of a book dedicated to COVID-19 from the behavioral science perspective [19].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Approach to the COVID-19 Vaccination Policy: An Empirical Study in Serbia

et al. 2022

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The article presents the results of empirical research on the general population’s attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccination policy in the Republic of Serbia. The research aims to examine if and to what extent the respondents were vaccinated against COVID-19, their attitudes towards the vaccination policy, and, especially, why they did not get vaccinated or were hesitant. The research was conducted on a sample of the general population (n = 501) by distributing a specially designed questionnaire comprising twelve open and closed questions. The starting hypothesis was that there was significant resistance to vaccination and that respondents were reluctant to get vaccinated due to distrust not only of the COVID-19 vaccines but also of the Serbian health authorities and the public vaccination policy. The findings confirm this hypothesis and reveal specific reasons for resistance and hesitancy, including concerns about the vaccine’s safety, side effects, and insufficiently tested vaccines. A large number of respondents disclosed distrust in the health authorities and noted that they were not prone to changing their minds. The authors explain these reasons by numerous cognitive biases. The conclusion provides an overview of specific behavioral measures for improving the effectiveness of the vaccination policy in Serbia.

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Covid-19: What we have learnt from behavioural science during the pandemic so far that can help prepare us for the future

Cited by 9 publications

References 11 publications

Effectiveness of communications in enhancing adherence to public health behavioural interventions: a COVID-19 evidence review

Effectiveness of communications in enhancing adherence to public health behavioural interventions: a COVID-19 evidence review

Socioeconomic and risk-related drivers of compliance with measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection: evidence from the Munich-based KoCo19 study

Behavioral Approach to the COVID-19 Vaccination Policy: An Empirical Study in Serbia

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