Risk communication during COVID-19: A descriptive study on familiarity with, adherence to and trust in the WHO preventive measures

Abstract

Background Risk communication is a key component of public health interventions during an outbreak. As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in late 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was at the forefront in the development of risk communication strategies. The WHO introduced a range of activities with the purpose of enabling the public to avail verified and timely information on COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Given the various WHO activities to protect the public health during COVID-19, it is important to investigate the extent of familiarity and uptake of the WHO recommendations among the public during the first wave of the pandemic. Methods To do this, we conducted a large-scale Pan-European survey covering around 7500 individuals that are representative of populations from seven European countries, collected online during April 2-April 15, 2020. We use descriptive statistics including proportions and correlations and graphical representations such as bar charts to analyze and display the data. Results Our findings suggest that information from the WHO in the context of COVID-19 is well trusted and acted upon by the public. Overall familiarity and adherence were quite high in most countries. Adherence was higher for social distancing recommendations compared to hygiene measures. Familiarity and adherence were higher among older, female, and highly educated respondents. However, country level heterogeneities were observed in the level of trust in information from the WHO, with countries severely affected by the pandemic reporting lower levels of trust. Conclusion Our findings call for efforts from health authorities to get regular feedback from the public on their familiarity and compliance with recommendations for preventive measures at all stages of the pandemic, to further develop and adapt risk communication as the pandemic evolves.

Compliance with the main preventive measures of COVID‐19 in Spain: The role of knowledge, attitudes, practices, and risk perception

“…There is a complex interplay of changes in epidemiology data, media attention, pandemic control measures, risk perception, and public health behaviour (Reintjes et al., 2016). An effective risk communication in a pandemic such as COVID‐19 must include information not just about the threat itself but also about how people perceive and respond to that threat (Abrams & Greenhawt, 2020; Varghese et al., 2021). Data gathered in our study could support effective interaction among authorities, health workers, journalists, and the public to design effective risk communication that encourages appropriate behavioural change, helps manage the crisis, and protects the most important asset in a crisis: public trust (Betsch et al., 2020).…”

Risk communication and community engagement during COVID-19

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Factors associated with non-pharmaceutical interventions compliance during COVID-19 pandemic: a Portuguese cross-sectional survey

“…Our results of NPI compliance levels were quite in line with those reported in Portugal in April 2020, regarding compliance with hand washing, respiratory hygiene and physical distancing, Portugal being the country with the highest level of adherence within the seven European countries included in the previous study. 19 Nevertheless, in March and April 2020, high levels of compliance with hand washing, respiratory hygiene and physical/social distancing have been reported internationally, with quite lower levels for facemask use. 6 , 12 , 35–39 However, other studies showed considerably lower levels of compliance to NPI measures such as social distancing (North London, May 2020) 7 or physical/social distancing and hand washing (UK, April 2020).…”

“…Moreover, we highlighted that NPI associated factors can be context-specific both in time and place. 9 , 11 , 12 , 17 , 19 , 29 Several reasons might impact NPI compliance through time, such as lockdown rules 7 or relapsing behaviours, 49 but also factors associated with its compliance. 9 Thus, close and continuous monitoring of health behaviors should be done by the public health authorities.…”

“…Moreover, only a few were conducted in Southern Europe and only one in Portugal, with this latter not including a full model of NPI associated factors. 17 , 19–24 , 27 , 28 Thus, this study is paramount as it has become clearer that NPI associated factors can be context-specific both in time and place. 9 , 17 , 19 Studying citizens’ behaviors is an essential step in order to have effective and potentially tailored communication plans or measures, with no single ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.…”