Personal Protective Behaviors Research Articles

Local travel behaviour under continuing COVID-19 waves– A proxy for pandemic fatigue?

COVID-19 continues to threaten the world. Relaxing local travel behaviours on preventing the spread of COVID-19, may increase the infection risk in subsequent waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this study, we analysed changes in the travel behaviour of different population groups (adult, child, student, elderly) during four pandemic waves in Hong Kong before January 2021, by 4-billion second-by-second smartcard records of subway. A significant continuous relaxation in human travel behaviour was observed during the four waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Residents sharply reduced their local travel by 51.9%, 50.1%, 27.6%, and 20.5% from the first to fourth pandemic waves, respectively. The population flow in residential areas, workplaces, schools, shopping areas, amusement areas and border areas, decreased on average by 30.3%, 33.5%, 41.9%, 58.1%, 85.4% and 99.6%, respectively, during the pandemic weeks. We also found that many other cities around the world experienced a similar relaxation trend in local travel behaviour, by comparing traffic congestion data during the pandemic with data from the same period in 2019. The quantitative pandemic fatigue in local travel behaviour could help governments partially predicting personal protective behaviours, and thus to suggest more accurate interventions during subsequent waves, especially for highly infectious virus variants such as Omicron.

Protective behavior during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark

A fundamental aim during the COVID-19 pandemic has been to motivate comprehensive behavioral change in the population in order to protect them against infection with the corona virus. Here, we study how psychological factors relate to such behavior change during the second wave of the pandemic. Using survey data representative of the adult Danish population, we demonstrate that people who (1) perceive the coronavirus as a personal threat, (2) perceive that behavior change makes a difference (“response efficacy”), (3) perceive that behavior change does not come with high costs (“response costs”), and (4) have high institutional trust are more willing to comply with health-protective behavioral advice. Furthermore, we show that the factors (2)-(4) mute the association between personal threat and protective behavior. Thus, we identify a psychological path without fear to foster behavior change during a pandemic.

Changes in preventive behaviour after COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundProtective behaviours (e.g., mask-wearing, handwashing, avoiding social gatherings) and mass vaccination are effective ways to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Previous studies found that people who get vaccinated may change their protective behaviours. The Thai government has endorsed several mix-and-match vaccine regimens to eliminate the insufficiency of each vaccine brand. This study aimed to determine levels of protective behavioural changes after COVID-19 vaccination and its relationship with various vaccine regimens in Thailand.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between September 13, 2021, and January 14, 2022. Data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed via social media platforms and posters in public places in Thailand. The questionnaire comprised six items for demographic characteristics, seven items for COVID-19 vaccine regimens, and four items for protective behaviours. The vaccinated Thai population aged ≥ 18 years were surveyed. Statistical analyses included a Chi-squared test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and multivariate logistic regressions.ResultsOf the 469 participants, more than half were females (67.4%), single (57.4%), and lived in an urban area (67.2%). Significant differences were observed with regard to median scores in handwashing (5.0 vs. 5.0, p-value < 0.001), physical distancing (4.0 vs. 5.0, p-value = 0.019), and avoiding social activity (4.0 vs. 5.0, p-value = 0.010) in pre- and post-vaccination situations. Approximately 70–90% of the participants did not report changes in protective behaviours after vaccination. Overall, 17.4%, 13.9%, and 12.7% of participants showed improvements in avoiding social activity, physical distancing, and handwashing respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that improvements in protective behaviours were significantly associated with the age group (between 18 and 24 years), non-healthcare worker status, and those who lived in urban areas. No significant evidence of vaccine regimens was found relative to improved protective behaviours.ConclusionThis evidence revealed that Thai people maintain their protective behaviours after vaccination but rather improved them. Moreover, demographic data were significantly associated with improved protective behaviours, but various vaccine regimens were not. These findings might be useful for implementing policies to maintain personal protective behaviours after vaccination against COVID-19.

The Relationship Between Personal Protection Behaviors and Fear Levels of Healthcare Professionals Who Had Covid-19 Vaccine

Background. It is known that the use of personal protective equipment is effective in preventing the spread of covid19. The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationship between personal protection behaviors and fear levels of healthcare professionals who get Covid-19 vaccine.&#x0D; Material and methods. This descriptive and relationship-seeker study was carried out between February and April 2021 using an online questionnaire method with 155 healthcare professionals who were actively involved in the Covid-19 pandemic process in a hospital in Istanbul. The data were obtained using the "Participant Information Form" consisting of 19 items and the "Covid-19 Fear Scale". &#x0D; Results. The average score obtained from the Covid-19 Fear Scale was medium (X̄ = 2.54 ± 0.89). A positive significant relationship was found between the fear of Covid-19 and the use of gloves, masks, and disposable gowns before vaccination by the healthcare professionals participating in the study. After vaccination, there is a positive and significant relationship between the use of gloves and surgical masks and the fear of Covid-19. &#x0D; Conclusions. According to the results of the study, female participants and participants who express their economic situation as moderate have a higher level of fear about Covid-19, and that vaccination affects the use of masks and disposable gowns by reducing the fear of Covid-19. Failure of healthcare workers to pay attention to the use of personal protective behivors after vaccination may increase the spread of variants such as omicron.

Consumer Responses to COVID Policy Across the World: The Role of Community Resilience

The authors examine the role of community resilience in consumer mental, behavioral, and attitudinal responses to policy interventions implemented in response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Three adaptive capacities (economic development, communication and information, and transformative potential) are used to capture community resilience in various geographies. Using a difference-in-difference approach in a large sample of consumers from multiple countries that introduced such interventions in March and April 2020, the authors assess the moderating effect of these capacities on the strength of the impact of interventions on mental health, personal protective behavior, and the perception of such policies. The measure of COVID policy intervention reflects mandatory closure of workplaces, transportation, and schools. Significant findings include robust empirical evidence that adaptive capacities mitigate the negative impact of COVID policy intervention on mental health. Furthermore, the policy's impact on personal protective behaviors was more substantial in countries with higher levels of economic equality, communication spending, social engagement, and human development. Economic development and communication and information capacities strengthened the positive impact of the intervention on the perception of such policies. This research offers actionable insights on individual responses during COVID for managers, marketers, and policy makers.

A systematic review of observational methods used to quantify personal protective behaviours among members of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the concordance between observational and self-report measures in infectious disease health protection

ObjectivesTo assess the quantity and quality of studies using an observational measure of behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to narratively describe the association between self-report and observational data for behaviours relevant to controlling an infectious disease outbreak.DesignSystematic review and narrative synthesis of observational studies.Data sourcesWe searched Medline, Embase, PsychInfo, Publons, Scopus and the UK Health Security Agency behavioural science LitRep database from inception to 17th September 2021 for relevant studies.Study selectionWe included studies which collected observational data of at least one of three health protective behaviours (hand hygiene, face covering use and maintaining physical distance from others (‘social distancing’) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies where observational data were compared to self-report data in relation to any infectious disease were also included.Data extraction and synthesisWe evaluated the quality of studies using the NIH quality assessment scale for observational studies, extracted data on sample size, setting and adherence to health protective behaviours, and synthesized results narratively.ResultsOf 27,279 published papers on COVID-19 relevant health protective behaviours that included one or more terms relating to hand hygiene, face covering and social distancing, we identified 48 studies that included an objective observational measure. Of these, 35 assessed face covering use, 17 assessed hand hygiene behaviour and seven assessed physical distancing. The general quality of these studies was good. When expanding the search to all infectious diseases, we included 21 studies that compared observational versus self-report data. These almost exclusively studied hand hygiene. The difference in outcomes was striking, with self-report over-estimating observed adherence by up to a factor of five in some settings. In only four papers did self-report match observational data in any domains.ConclusionsDespite their importance in controlling the pandemic, we found remarkably few studies assessing protective behaviours by observation, rather than self-report, though these studies tended to be of reasonably good quality. Observed adherence tends to be substantially lower than estimates obtained via self-report. Accurate assessment of levels of personal protective behaviour, and evaluation of interventions to increase this, would benefit from the use of observational methods.

Living with hazards: Prediction uncertainty and personal protective behavior at frequently and infrequently erupting Volcanoes—Tungurahua and Cotopaxi, Ecuador

This paper compares citizen knowledge of volcanic hazards, attitudes about officials who study volcano eruptions, and the personal protective behavior of residents in two Ecuadorean communities with varying degrees of active volcano exposure and experience. The central research question is how knowledge of, and confidence in, volcano monitoring organizations and officials and individual beliefs in natural warning signs, are related to citizen knowledge of protective actions (e.g., hazard awareness, evacuation strategies, and mitigation actions). Tungurahua volcano (Baños, Ecuador) entered an eruptive phase in 1999. As activity continued, scientists increased their educational outreach and engaged the local community in the monitoring process. We examine whether this evolving relationship between scientists and the community increased public safety and resulted in a stronger community understanding of volcanic processes and prediction science. In contrast, a phase of limited eruptive activity of Cotopaxi (Latacunga, Ecuador) volcano started in late summer 2015. Prior to this, standard monitoring capabilities and communication were in place in the nearby communities of San Francisco and Rumipamba and attention by the government and nonprofit organizations had begun to increase. We use survey data collected in 2016 (in Baños and in Latacunga) to compare citizen hazard knowledge, prediction awareness, and protective actions around Tungurahua and Cotopaxi. Our results show that there are significant differences in volcano knowledge and confidence in local volcano officials between the two communities. We also find that confidence in local volcano officials is positively related to personal protective actions, and that increased confidence in natural warning signs of volcano eruption may be inversely related to support for local volcano officials.

Differences in Motivating Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination and Perceptions of Infection Risk among Healthcare and EMS Personnel in South Carolina.

Although medical workers were prioritized to receive the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, many have declined. Even though studies have investigated differences in COVID-19-related attitudes and vaccination for workers in hospitals and long-term care facilities, none have included emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. We investigated the association between type of medical worker (EMS vs healthcare worker [HCW]) and COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine beliefs, vaccine motivators, personal protection behaviors, and risk perceptions. The data for self-identified HCWs came from surveys distributed to randomly selected residents of South Carolina and EMS personnel recruited at a targeted surveillance testing event during the South Carolina EMS Symposium. Pearson χ2 and Fisher exact tests analyzed differences in the distribution of demographic characteristics and self-reported COVID-19 vaccination attitudes by medical workers. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between COVID-19 vaccination and type of medical worker, adjusting for age, sex, race, and frontline status, and assessed the associations among vaccine beliefs, vaccine motivators, personal protection behaviors, and risk perceptions by type of medical worker, adjusting for age, sex, race, frontline status, and vaccination status. Of the 126 respondents 57.9% were EMS, 42.1% were HCWs, and 73.6% of the cohort were self-reported frontline medical workers. Approximately two-thirds of respondents received a vaccine for COVID-19, with no significant differences between EMS and HCWs; however, EMS workers were significantly less likely to receive the vaccination out of concern about exposures at work/school (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08-0.57), concern about exposures within the community (aOR 0.18, 95% CI 0.07-0.48), or to do their part to control the pandemic (aOR 0.20, 95% CI 0.06-0.69). EMS workers also were significantly less likely to wear a mask all/most of the time when outside the home (aOR 0.04, 95% CI 0.0-0.21) and less concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in their community as compared with HCWs (aOR 0.19, 95% CI 0.06-0.56). EMS personnel were significantly less concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in their community and significantly less likely to wear a mask all/most of the time while outside the home as compared with HCWs. Differences in the COVID-19-related attitudes and personal protection behaviors of EMS personnel should be used to develop targeted interventions to increase vaccine motivation and adherence to personal protection protocols.

Factors Associated with Surgical Smoke Self-Protection Behavior of Operating Room Nurses.

Surgical smoke has been proven to be harmful and carcinogenic to humans as well as increasing the risk of acquiring infectious diseases. The operating room nurses’ willingness to use protective equipment against surgical smoke was low. The factors associated with personal protective behavior in the operating room against surgical smoke were sparsely explored. The purpose of this study is to determine factors associated with surgical smoke self-protection behavior of the operating room nurses. This was a descriptive correlational study using a convenience sample from a medical center in northern Taiwan. The self-designed questionnaires included personal characteristics and perceived attributes. The data were analyzed by descriptive and linear regression. Attendance at in-service education with regard to surgical smoke, the attitude to surgical smoke, and surgical smoke self-protection barriers were significant factors found in multivariate linear regression after controlling the covariates. The overall model was significant and accounted for 14.2% of variances. In summary, attending in-service education, attitude and barriers in executing self-protective behaviors were significant factors. It is important to promote operating room nurses’ health through providing correct surgical smoke knowledge, self-protection strategies to improve attitudes toward surgical smoke, improving the hospital’s environment by adding surgical smoke evacuation equipment, and standardizing the operating procedures.

Real-World Effectiveness of the mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Japan: A Case-Control Study.

The real-world effectiveness of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in Japan remains unclear. This case–control study evaluated the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of two doses of mRNA vaccine, BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273, against the delta (B.1.617.2) variant in the Japanese general population in the period June–September 2021. Individuals in close contact with COVID-19 patients were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A self-administered questionnaire evaluated vaccination status, demographic data, underlying medical conditions, lifestyle, personal protective health behaviors, and living environment. Two vaccine doses were reported by 11.6% of cases (n = 389) and 35.2% of controls (n = 179). Compared with controls, cases were younger and had a lower proportion who always performed handwashing for ≥20 s, a higher proportion of alcohol consumers, and a lower proportion of individuals living in single-family homes or with commuting family members. After adjusting for these confounding factors and day of PCR testing by multivariate logistic regression analysis, the VE in the period June–July (delta variant proportion 45%) was 92% and 79% in the period August–September (delta variant proportion 89%). The adjusted VE for homestay, hotel-based isolation and quarantine, and hospitalization was 78%, 77%, and 97%, respectively. Despite declining slightly, VE against hospitalization remained robust for ~3 months after the second dose. Vaccination policymaking will require longer-term monitoring of VE against new variants.

Ibadan Urban Dwellers’ Perception on the Use of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions for COVID-19

SARS coronavirus cases have been reported all across the world in the previous two years. The rate of transmission has been steadily increasing over time. This study examines residents’ knowledge, attitudes, and preventive activities for SARS-CoV-2 prevention in five local government areas in Ibadan’s urban zone (total population: 1,886,800 inhabitants, census 2016).During the months of November and December, 2021, a cross-sectional survey based on the health belief model was conducted with a simple random sample of 355 respondents from densely populated regions of urban Ibadan. SARS-CoV-2 was known by a total of 262 people. Only 33.5% of the total respondents were concerned about SARS coronavirus. A small percentage (4.5%) had previously been diagnosed with SARS coronavirus, 66.7% considered a SARS-CoV-2 infection to be serious, yet only 33.5% were concerned about SARS coronavirus. The results are inconsistent in reporting preventive practices, either community-level interventions (e.g., quarantining/self-isolating after returning from travel, 23.9%; actively maintaining a certain distance between myself and people outside, 31.8%) or personal preventive behaviours (e.g., use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, 53.2%). Participants who reported willingness to accept a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were more likely to perceive the risk of contracting it as higher (aOR = 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01–1.04), as well as knowing if a friend had previously been diagnosed with SARS coronavirus (aOR = 2.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.62–5.55), according to a multivariate analysis using stepwise binary logistic regression which had a 77.27% predictive accuracy, using a test-train, confusion matrix split. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that future interventions promoting SARS-CoV-2 prevention among inhabitants of urban Ibadan should focus on individuals’ views of SARS coronavirus vulnerability, highlighting the benefits of personal protective behaviors.

Black patient perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine, treatment, and testing.

Context: The Presence for Racial Justice project leverages the Stanford Presence 5 framework to present anti-racism communication practices that promote clinician trust-building for Black patients in primary care. With the racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection rates, an assessment of Black patients' perspectives around COVID-19 care is required to promote health equity in current and future health crises. Objective: To compile clinician communication strategies for promotion of patient understanding and agency concerning Black patients' perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine, treatment and testing. Study design: Qualitative study employing inductive and deductive thematic analysis. Setting: Four primary care clinics primarily serving Black patients in Oakland, CA; Rochester, NY; Leeds, AL; and Memphis, TN. Population Studied: 37 Black patients, recruited through convenience sampling by their primary care clinician for 45-minute semi-structured audio-recorded interviews. Outcome Measures: Emergent themes around Black patient perceptions and motivations for seeking/delaying COVID-19 vaccine, treatment, and testing, and their ideal medical guidance on COVID-19 care. Results: Due to historic mistreatment of Black patients within the healthcare system, medicine, and research, there is a high prevalence of mistrust amongst the Black patient interviewees towards the safety, efficacy, and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine compared to existing vaccines. Patients feared racial discriminatory treatment and intended to wait for the general population, authority figures, and White patients to receive the vaccine first. Many patients believed personal protective behaviors (e.g., mask wearing, staying home, taking supplements) would be more effective than receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. They expressed a preference for receiving COVID-19 medical care in the comfort of their homes due to high costs and risks of maltreatment, death, and loneliness. Conclusion: Black patients hinged their vaccination decisions on having enough time to observe vaccine rollout and discussion with their clinicians. Relating new medical interventions (ie., COVID-19 vaccine) to accept medical approaches (ie., Flu vaccine) and being aware of historical distrust in medicine can inform clinician efforts to empower and provide excellent care for Black patients moving forward.

Interventions Targeting Health and Wellbeing among Nail Salon Workers: A Scoping Review.

To identify existing interventions targeting the health and wellbeing of nail salon workers. Arksey and O'Malley's framework on reviews guided this project. The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) chart was used to capture the inclusion protocol. Four interventions were identified, of which one was a randomized controlled trial. Across the four interventions, there were about 424 participants that were recruited through cosmetology schools and 34 from nail salons. Interventions varied from pamphlet distribution and inspections to full-day training sessions. Intervention effectiveness was determined via pre- and post-tests and infractions frequency. Maximum follow-up time was 8 months. Outcomes included increased knowledge on exposures, fewer infractions, increased adherence to infection control practices and use of personal protective equipment, and behavior and attitude changes. There is a need for further research on interventions targeting vulnerable workers in nail salons who face numerous hazards on the job. Two of the four interventions targeted nail technician trainees and their instructors, indicating the potential of early interventions before the workers officially enter the workforce.

COVID-19-induced negative emotions and the impacts on personal values and travel behaviors: A threat appraisal perspective

Based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), this paper aims to examine the role of negative emotions and their impacts on personal value orientations and protective travel behaviors during COVID-19. Data were collected among Chinese Generation Z who have shared the cataclysmic experience of COVID-19 in their formative years. A multimethod approach was adopted with focus group discussions to explore prominent changes in personal values during COVID-19, followed by a quantitative study. The serial mediation analysis supported the sequential internalization of negative emotions and personal values induced from COVID-19 threat appraisals, which in combination, imposed indirect effects on travel avoidance behavior. An extended model suggested that fear is positively related to the values of altruism and hedonism, while mild negative emotions are associated with target orientation. Altruism was found to enhance travel avoidance propensity while target orientation attenuated such propensity. The findings shed light for both academia and the industry.

Engagement with protective behaviours in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: a series of cross-sectional surveys (the COVID-19 rapid survey of adherence to interventions and responses [CORSAIR] study)

BackgroundBehaviour is key to suppressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining behaviour change can be difficult. We investigated engagement with hand cleaning, reducing the number of outings, and wearing a face covering over the course of the pandemic.MethodsWe used a series of 64 cross-sectional surveys between 10 February 2020 and 20 January 2022 (n ≈ 2000 per wave). Surveys investigated uptake of hand cleaning behaviours, out of home activity (England only, n ≈ 1700 per wave) and wearing a face covering (England only, restricted to those who reported going out shopping in the last week, n ≈ 1400 per wave).ResultsReported hand cleaning has been high throughout the pandemic period (85 to 90% of participants consistently reporting washing their hands thoroughly and regularly with soap and water frequently or very frequently). Out of home activity has mirrored the easing and re-introduction of restrictive measures. Total number of outings were higher in the second national lockdown than in the first and third lockdowns. Wearing a face covering increased steadily between April to August 2020, plateauing until the end of measurement in May 2021, with approximately 80% of those who had been out shopping in the previous week reporting wearing a face covering frequently or very frequently.ConclusionsEngagement with protective behaviours increased at the start of the pandemic and has remained high since. The greatest variations in behaviour reflected changes to Government rules. Despite the duration of restrictions, people have continued to adopt personal protective behaviours that were intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Protective Behaviors Associated With Gender During the 2018-2020 Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

In 2018 to 2020, the Democratic Republic of the Congo experienced the world's second largest Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, killing 2290 individuals; women were disproportionately infected (57% of all cases) despite no evidence of differential biological EVD risk. Understanding how gender norms may influence exposure to EVD, intensity, and prognosis as well as personal protective behaviors against the virus is important to disease risk reduction and control interventions. To assess whether men and women differ in personal protective behaviors (vaccine acceptance, health-seeking behaviors, physical distancing) and the mediating role of EVD information and knowledge, perceived disease risk, and social relations. This cross-sectional, multistage cluster survey study of 1395 randomly selected adults was conducted in the Ebola-affected regions of North Kivu from April 20, 2019, to May 10, 2019. Path analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling to examine associations among study variables. Statistical analysis was conducted from August 2019 to May 2020. The main behavioral outcomes of interest were (1) vaccine acceptance, (2) formal health care seeking, and (3) self-protective behaviors. The primary factor of interest was self-reported gender identity. We also assessed sociodemographic factors. Among the study's 1395 participants, 1286 (93%) had Nande ethnicity and 698 (50%) were women; the mean (SD) age was 34.5 (13.1) years. Compared with female participants, male participants reported significantly higher levels of education, wealth, and mobile phone access. There were associations found between gender and all EVD preventive behavioral outcomes, with evidence for mediation through EVD knowledge and belief in rumors. Men reported greater EVD knowledge accuracy compared with women (mean [SE] score for men: 12.06 [0.13] vs women: 11.08 [0.16]; P < .001), and greater knowledge accuracy was associated with increases in vaccine acceptance (β = 0.37; P < .001), formal care seeking (β = 0.39; P < .001), and self-protective behaviors (β = 0.35; P < .001). Lower belief in rumors was associated with greater vaccine acceptance (β = -0.30; P < .001), and greater EVD information awareness was associated with increased adoption of self-protective behaviors (β = 0.23; P < .001). This survey study found gender differences in adopting preventive protective behaviors against EVD. These findings suggest that it is critical to design gender-sensitive communication and vaccination strategies, while engaging women and their community as a whole in any response to infectious disease outbreaks. Research on the potential link between gender and sociodemographics factors associated with disease risk and outcomes is needed.

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy: A Health Care Student-Based Online Survey in Northwest China.

Background: With the spread of COVID-19 around the world, herd immunity through vaccination became a key measure to control the pandemic, but high uptake of vaccine is not guaranteed. Moreover, the actual acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination and associated factors remain uncertain among health care students in Northwest China.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a sample of 631 health care students was performed using a questionnaire developed through Wen Juan Xing survey platform to collect information regarding their attitudes, beliefs, and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the association between vaccination willingness and demographics, attitudes, and beliefs to determine the factors that actually effect acceptance and hesitancy of COVID-19 vaccine among health care students.Results: Overall, 491 (77.81%) students actually received the COVID-19 vaccine, and of the 140 unvaccinated, 69 were hesitant and 71 rejected. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the actually vaccinated individuals were those who mostly believed in the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 2.94, 95%CI: 1.37, 6.29), those who mostly felt it is their responsibility to receive the vaccine to protect others from infection (OR = 2.75, 95%CI: 1.45, 5.23), with less previous experience about other vaccines (OR = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.06, 2.72), students who mostly thought COVID-19 to be very severe (OR = 1.77, 95%CI: 1.07, 2.93), and students who mostly thought the COVID-19 vaccine was one of the best protection measures (OR = 1.68, 95%CI: 1.03, 2.76). Concerns about side effects of vaccines (OR = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.18, 0.51) and the use of personal protective behavior as an alternative to the COVID-19 vaccination (OR = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.06, 0.39) hindered the vaccine acceptance.Conclusions: Our study showed higher COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare students. However, the individuals with vaccine hesitancy and rejection were still worrying. Vaccine safety and effectiveness issues continue to be a major factor affecting students' acceptance. To expand vaccine coverage in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, appropriate vaccination strategies and immunization programs are essential, especially for those with negative attitudes and beliefs.

Living with Hazards: Prediction Uncertainty and Personal Protective Behavior at Frequently and Infrequently Erupting Volcanoes—Tungurahua and Cotopaxi, Ecuador

Living with Hazards: Prediction Uncertainty and Personal Protective Behavior at Frequently and Infrequently Erupting Volcanoes—Tungurahua and Cotopaxi, Ecuador

Perception, Barriers and Acceptance of COVID 19 Vaccination in Surgical Patients: A Single Centre Study

Background: The COVID-19 vaccination programme has been one of the most important measures to reduce spread and severity of COVID-19 infection. However, acceptance of the vaccine has met with challenges due to the speed of its development and concerns about side-effects. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge of the vaccination as well as barriers to acceptance and the overall impact of the vaccination on personal protective behaviors of surgical patients. Method: In this cross-sectional study, a self-completed questionnaire was given to inpatients on all general surgery wards at a district general hospital between April and May 2021. Participation was voluntary. The questionnaire was designed to assess participant knowledge of and adherence to the COVID-19 vaccination programme as well as to understand participants views on other protective measures to prevent and reduce COVID-19 infection. Approximately 200-300 patients are admitted to our department monthly. Results: A total of 202 respondents participated in the study, males comprised 29.2% of the individuals surveyed. The majority of the patients were over 40 years old (68.3%). All the participants were aware of the vaccine, and the government sensitization material was the most common source of information (37.9%). The majority of individuals surveyed (79.7%) had received at least one dose of the vaccine. In the unvaccinated patients, 33 participants reported not being offered the vaccine while 4 patients stated that they do not believe in the vaccine. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the majority of the patients surveyed were quite familiar with the vaccines and were willing to participate in the vaccination program. However, the knowledge of the vaccine and its adverse effects would best be described as inadequate. Also, participants were largely aware of the measures put in place to curb the spread of the virus and did show a good level of compliance guidance.

Ending the Pandemic: How Behavioural Science Can Help Optimize Global COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake.

Governments, public health officials and pharmaceutical companies have all mobilized resources to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns, social distancing, and personal protective behaviours have been helpful but have shut down economies and disrupted normal activities. Vaccinations protect populations from COVID-19 and allow a return to pre-pandemic ways of living. However, vaccine development, distribution and promotion have not been sufficient to ensure maximum vaccine uptake. Vaccination is an individual choice and requires acceptance of the need to be vaccinated in light of any risks. This paper presents a behavioural sciences framework to promote vaccine acceptance by addressing the complex and ever evolving landscape of COVID-19. Effective promotion of vaccine uptake requires understanding the context-specific barriers to acceptance. We present the AACTT framework (Action, Actor, Context, Target, Time) to identify the action needed to be taken, the person needed to act, the context for the action, as well as the target of the action within a timeframe. Once identified a model for identifying and overcoming barriers, called COM-B (Capability, Opportunity and Motivation lead to Behaviour), is presented. This analysis identifies issues associated with capability, opportunity and motivation to act. These frameworks can be used to facilitate action that is fluid and involves policy makers, organisational leaders as well as citizens and families.