Understanding public emergency preparedness before and during the coronavirus outbreak: implications for effective public health and risk communication.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic loss of human lives globally and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health, the world of work, and our food systems. The social and economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating, putting several millions of people at risk of falling into extreme poverty, with over 500 million people being undernourished. It is evident from the data on COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations that the United States is the worse hit country, which can be attributed to the lack of preparedness at the individual, environmental, and government levels. This study applied the Social Cognitive Theory to understand the factors that influenced the COVID-19 preparedness among United States residents. It tested the mediation effects of the primary constructs of the SCT (i.e., personal cognitive, environmental, and behavioral factors) on the effects of media activities and government policies/laws/mandates on COVID-19 preparedness among United States residents. A non-experimental cross-sectional quantitative research survey design was used to obtain data from 3383 study participants. A hierarchical regression model and a parallel multiple mediation analysis were conducted in SPSS to analyze study data. The study findings suggest that the primary constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory explained approximately 49% of the variance in COVID-19 preparedness among United States residents. Additional findings of the study confirmed that all three primary constructs of the Social Cognitive Theory (i.e., personal cognitive, environmental, and behavioral factors) significantly and positively mediated (influenced) the association between media activities and COVID-19 preparedness as well as laws/policies/mandates on COVID-19 and COVID-19 preparedness among United States residents. The study provides data to assist public health practitioners in designing interventions to ensure COVID-19 preparedness. In addition, it provides guidance for policymakers to develop and execute effective policies & laws to mitigate the severe impacts of future pandemics and other public health emergencies