Stemming the flow: how much can the Australian smartphone app help to control COVID-19?

Currie, Danielle; Peng, Cindy Q; Lyle, David; Jameson, Brydie A; Frommer, Michael

doi:10.17061/phrp3022009

Cited by 37 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Timely and effective contact tracing is an essential public health measure for curbing the transmission of COVID-19. Contact tracing apps are controversial in their design and level of effectiveness [ 3 , 5 , 6 ], but they might have the potential to prevent widespread community transmission and optimize the resources of overstretched public health organizations [ 9 ]. An important driver for their efficiency is widespread public adoption [ 9 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contact tracing apps are controversial in their design and level of effectiveness [ 3 , 5 , 6 ], but they might have the potential to prevent widespread community transmission and optimize the resources of overstretched public health organizations [ 9 ]. An important driver for their efficiency is widespread public adoption [ 9 ]. Our study aimed to examine Australian participants’ understanding of the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe app and explore the reasons why some Australians chose not to download the app.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Thomas¹,

Michaleff²,

Greenwood³

et al. 2020

JMIR Public Health Surveill

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Background Timely and effective contact tracing is an essential public health measure for curbing the transmission of COVID-19. App-based contact tracing has the potential to optimize the resources of overstretched public health departments. However, its efficiency is dependent on widespread adoption. Objective This study aimed to investigate the uptake of the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe app among Australians and examine the reasons why some Australians have not downloaded the app. Methods An online national survey, with representative quotas for age and gender, was conducted between May 8 and May 11, 2020. Participants were excluded if they were a health care professional or had been tested for COVID-19. Results Of the 1802 potential participants contacted, 289 (16.0%) were excluded prior to completing the survey, 13 (0.7%) declined, and 1500 (83.2%) participated in the survey. Of the 1500 survey participants, 37.3% (n=560) had downloaded the COVIDSafe app, 18.7% (n=280) intended to do so, 27.7% (n=416) refused to do so, and 16.3% (n=244) were undecided. Equally proportioned reasons for not downloading the app included privacy (165/660, 25.0%) and technical concerns (159/660, 24.1%). Other reasons included the belief that social distancing was sufficient and the app was unnecessary (111/660, 16.8%), distrust in the government (73/660, 11.1%), and other miscellaneous responses (eg, apathy and following the decisions of others) (73/660, 11.1%). In addition, knowledge about COVIDSafe varied among participants, as some were confused about its purpose and capabilities. Conclusions For the COVIDSafe app to be accepted by the public and used correctly, public health messages need to address the concerns of citizens, specifically privacy, data storage, and technical capabilities. Understanding the specific barriers preventing the uptake of contact tracing apps provides the opportunity to design targeted communication strategies aimed at strengthening public health initiatives, such as downloading and correctly using contact tracing apps.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Thomas¹,

Michaleff²,

Greenwood³

et al. 2020

JMIR Public Health Surveill

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A number of countries have integrated this kind of tracing app into their deconfinement plans or are presently discussing this option [ 2 , 3 ]. Research has concentrated on contact tracing and symptom tracking systems [ 1 , 4 - 6 ] as well as the association between app usage and the epidemiological spread of the virus [ 7 ]. Some studies have focused on the differences between apps implemented in several countries [ 3 ], while others have analyzed the legal or ethical aspects (eg, data protection) [ 2 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of a Contact Tracing App for Containing COVID-19: A Health Belief Model Approach

Walrave¹,

Waeterloos²,

Ponnet³

2020

JMIR Public Health Surveill

258

245

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Background To track and reduce the spread of COVID-19, apps have been developed to identify contact with individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 and warn those who are at risk of having contracted the virus. However, the effectiveness of these apps depends highly on their uptake by the general population. Objective The present study investigated factors influencing app use intention, based on the health belief model. In addition, associations with respondents’ level of news consumption and their health condition were investigated. Methods A survey was administered in Flanders, Belgium, to 1500 respondents, aged 18 to 64 years. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate relationships across the model’s constructs. Results In total, 48.70% (n=730) of respondents indicated that they intend to use a COVID-19 tracing app. The most important predictor was the perceived benefits of the app, followed by self-efficacy and perceived barriers. Perceived severity and perceived susceptibility were not related to app uptake intention. Moreover, cues to action (ie, individuals’ exposure to [digital] media content) were positively associated with app use intention. As the respondents’ age increased, their perceived benefits and self-efficacy for app usage decreased. Conclusions Initiatives to stimulate the uptake of contact tracing apps should enhance perceived benefits and self-efficacy. A perceived barrier for some potential users is privacy concerns. Therefore, when developing and launching an app, clarification on how individuals’ privacy will be protected is needed. To sustain perceived benefits in the long run, supplementary options could be integrated to inform and assist users.

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“…In his parsing of the app’s effectiveness, Australian Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nick Coatsworth, suggested that because of movement restriction, people had not been circulating, so the ‘app hasn’t identified those cases’, and that as ‘numbers go up then the app can come into its own’ ( Coatsworth, 2020 ). With the groundswell for mask use in mind, Coatsworth (2020) cleverly sought to link the two, suggesting ‘if you are a supporter of mask use, you must also be based on the modelling, a supporter of downloading and activating the app’ (here he refers to the study by Sax Institute, see Currie et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 apps in Singapore and Australia: reimagining healthy nations with digital technology

Goggin

2020

Media International Australia

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Widely and intensively used digital technologies have been an important feature of international responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. One especially interesting class of such technologies are dedicated contact and tracing apps collecting proximity data via the Bluetooth technology. In this article, I consider the development, deployment and imagined uses of apps in two countries: Singapore, a pioneer in the field, with its TraceTogether app, and Australia, a country that adapted Singapore’s app, devising its own COVIDSafe, as key to its national public health strategy early in the crisis. What is especially interesting about these cases is the privacy concerns the apps raised, and how these are dealt with in each country, also the ways in which each nation reimagines its immediate social future and health approach via such an app.

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Stemming the flow: how much can the Australian smartphone app help to control COVID-19?

Cited by 37 publications

References 10 publications

Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Adoption of a Contact Tracing App for Containing COVID-19: A Health Belief Model Approach

COVID-19 apps in Singapore and Australia: reimagining healthy nations with digital technology

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