Protective Health Behaviors Research Articles

Wearing masks as a protective measure for children against traffic-related air pollution: A comparison of perceptions between school children and their caregivers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) problems are unlikely to be solved in the short term, making it imperative to educate children on protective measures to mitigate the negative impact on their health. Children and their caregivers may hold differing views on wearing a face mask as a safeguard against air pollution. While many studies have focused on predicting children's health-protective behaviours against air pollution, few have explored the differences in perceptions between children and their caregivers. To examine this, we conducted a study that compared the health beliefs of two generations and evaluated the factors that influence the use of masks by children to reduce air pollution exposure. The study was conducted in 24 secondary schools and involved 8420 children aged 13-14 and their caregivers. We used a Health Belief Model (HBM)-based instrument containing 17-item self-administered health beliefs questionnaires to gather data. The results were analysed using hierarchical logistic regression to determine the probability of children frequently wearing masks to protect against TRAP. Our study showed both children and caregivers recognised that several factors could influence mask-wearing among children: discomfort or difficulty breathing while wearing a mask and forgetting to bring a mask when going outside; perceived threats of the poor quality of air and children's respiratory health problems; and cues to mask use (i.e., seeing most of their friends wearing facemasks and ease of finding masks in local stores). However, only children were significantly concerned with public perception of their appearance while wearing a mask. Females were more likely to wear masks, and caregivers with higher levels of education were more likely to encourage their children to wear masks. Children who commuted to schools by walking, biking, or motorbiking were also more accepting of mask-wearing than those who travelled by car or bus. Children and their caregivers hold different perceptions of wearing masks to protect against air pollution. Children are more susceptible to social judgements regarding their appearance when wearing a mask.

Loneliness, Purpose in Life, and Protective Behaviors: Examining Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Relationships in Older Adults Before and During COVID-19.

Existing literature on the effects of psychological resources on health-protective behaviors in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other contexts has focused heavily on cross-sectional relationships. Informed by self-determination theory, the current study aims to overcome this limitation by investigating the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships among loneliness, purpose in life, and protective behaviors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. older adults. This study uses data from the 2016 and 2020 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal panel study of older adults in the United States. The working sample size was 2,649. A path model and a cross-lagged panel model were applied for the analyses. Purpose in life fully mediated the negative impact of loneliness on protective behaviors when measured cross-sectionally. Moreover, prepandemic loneliness was associated with a decrease in purpose in life over time. On the other hand, prepandemic purpose in life was associated with a decrease in loneliness and an increase in protective behaviors over time. Our cross-sectional finding on the mediating role of purpose in life reveals a psychological mechanism useful for future interventions. Furthermore, the longitudinal influence of prepandemic loneliness on purpose in life deserves both scholarly and clinical attention. Most importantly, the longitudinal effects of purpose in life on loneliness and protective behaviors provide guidance for preparing older adults during normal times to cope with loneliness and to comply more with recommended measures during future health crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).

Pandemics past: Collective memories for a global community?

Collective memories support collective identities and provide lessons for group members to manage present challenges. Three surveys (total N = 1,137) tested whether U.S. nationals who strongly identify with all humanity (IWAH) were more interested in learning about pandemics in history as events that affected the whole world (Study 1) and more knowledgeable about past pandemics (Studies 2a and 2b). Stronger IWAH predicted greater interest in learning about past pandemics, but not greater knowledge of these events. Further, while IWAH was a consistent predictor of support for global cooperation for pandemic preparedness and, to a lesser extent, of compliance with COVID-19 health-protective behaviors, knowledge of past pandemics contributed modestly to these outcomes. These findings suggest that while past pandemics have the potential to become global memories, they are not yet actual global memories that inform a sense of global human identity and offer courses of action for the present.

Assessment of Risk Perception of COVID-19 Post Vaccination amongst the General Population of Riyadh Region.

To measure the risk perception of COVID-19 following vaccination and factors that have an effect on risk perception; to identify the health protective behaviours of the vaccinated individuals. This is a quantitative analytical cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. The target population includes individuals aged 18 and above who live in the Riyadh region and have been vaccinated, during the period of June 2021 to December 2021. The perception of 30.2% of participants did not change after vaccination, with many participants continuing to "always" take precautions even after vaccination. Numerous factors, such as age, gender, marital status, occupational status, employment status, and total household income, have shown significant effects towards risk perception. Many vaccinated individuals have continued to take precautionary steps and their risk perception has not changed.

Relationship between household member vaccine acceptance and individual vaccine acceptance among women in rural Liberia

Background Despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, vaccination uptake remains low in Liberia. Social norms, and in particular an individual’s family preferences can have a strong normative influence on health behavior. However, few studies across the globe have explored how behavioral intent about COVID-19 vaccination among household members affects individual vaccination acceptance, particularly in rural, resource-limited settings. We respond to this gap in knowledge by analyzing data from a household survey of women in rural Liberia with the goal of understanding how household COVID-19 beliefs and vaccine behavioral intent correlated with those of individual household members. Methods Data was analyzed from a household survey of 2,620 women aged 15-49 in 2,201 households in rural Grand Bassa County, Liberia, from March to April 2021. The survey included a COVID-19 module on protective health behaviors and intention to accept a COVID-19 vaccine when available. Each household was defined as being concordantly vaccine-hesitant, concordantly vaccine-accepting, or discordant. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify correlates of concordant acceptance, adjusting for potential confounders. Results The survey found that only approximately one in three households in rural Liberia were fully COVID-19 vaccine accepting. About 42% of households had discordant views on the vaccine, while 33% had concordantly accepting views, and 25% had concordantly hesitant views. The demographic characteristics of households with different vaccine beliefs were similar. Having a household member who accepted the COVID-19 vaccine was associated with an 18.1 percentage point greater likelihood of an individual accepting the vaccine (95% confidence interval, CI=7.3-28.9%, P=0.001). Conclusions Social norms around vaccine acceptance within households are strongly associated with individual acceptance. Interventions that target hesitant households and individuals could have a significant impact on vaccine acceptance rates.

Air Pollution Health Literacy among Active Commuters in Hamilton, Ontario.

The promotion of active transportation (AT), which has been broadly defined as a physical effort performed by the traveller to produce motion, has been a popular strategy to reduce vehicular emissions, improve air quality, and promote physical activity. However, individuals who engage in AT may incur increased exposure to air pollutants and thus potential health impacts. This research sought to determine how active commuters understand the health risks associated with air pollution during their commutes, and whether they engage in any behaviours to limit exposure. An online survey was adapted from the Environmental Health Literacy framework to assess air pollution health literacy among active commuters in Hamilton, ON, and generated a sample size of 192 AT users. Analyses involved the use of frequency tables and cross-tabulations for the quantitative data, and the Health Belief Model and thematic analysis to interpret the qualitative data. Results revealed that most AT users do not adopt behaviours that would limit air pollution exposure on commutes and exhibited low self-rated knowledge of the health impacts of air pollution exposure. Issues of perceived susceptibility and severity, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy all further impacted the likelihood of adopting health protective behaviours. Conclusively, air pollution is an often-neglected consideration among active commuters, with air pollution knowledge predicting the likelihood of behavioural modification.

Public health messages during a global emergency through an online community: a discourse and sentiment analysis.

The growing popularity of social media and its ubiquitous presence in our lives brings associated risks such as the spread of mis- and disinformation, particularly when these may be unregulated in times of global crises. Online communities are able to provide support by enabling connection with others and also provide great potential for dynamic interaction and timely dissemination of information compared with more traditional methods. This study evaluates interactions within the Essex Coronavirus Action/Support Facebook private group, which set out to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection by informing Essex residents of guidance and helping vulnerable individuals. At the outset, 18 community administrators oversaw the group, which attracted approximately 37,900 members. Longitudinal Facebook group interactions across five periods spanning the UK lockdowns 2020-2021 were analysed using psychological discourse analysis and supplementary computed-mediated analysis to further explore sentiment and linguistic features. The findings endorsed that the group provided a protected space for residents to express their feelings in times of crises and an opportunity to address confusion and concern. The effective communication of public health messages was facilitated by promoting desired interaction and the construction of group identities. Administrators worked with group members to achieve a shared understanding of others' perspectives and the COVID-19 evidence base, which led to a mobilisation of the provision of support in the community. This was accomplished through the application of rhetorical and interactional devices. This study demonstrates how online groups can employ discursive strategies to engage audiences, build cohesion, provide support, and encourage health protective behaviours. This has implications for public health teams in terms of designing, implementing, or evaluating such interventions.

COVID-19 Compliance and Media Consumption: A Longitudinal Study of Finland and the US During the First Year of COVID-19

ABSTRACT The article examines media consumption and compliance with health-protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two-wave, longitudinal surveys were conducted in Finland and the United States in April 2020 and October 2020, with a total of 1,380 participants (N = 1,380). The variables analyzed included daily consumption of different media channels (broadcast, print, and social media), health-protective behavior, and COVID-19 self-efficacy. The results indicated that individuals who consumed more than one media channel on a daily basis exhibited increased health-protective behavior and COVID-19 self-efficacy in both countries. One-sided and social media-based media consumption showed a negative association with health-protective behavior and COVID-19 self-efficacy in both countries. Finally, COVID-19 self-efficacy was found to mediate the relationship between media consumption and health-protective behavior in both countries, with a stronger effect observed in the United States.

Classroom voices: youth perspectives to direct school-based sexual health education

ABSTRACT Sexual health education is a well-known, evidence-based intervention that can improve adolescent health outcomes, increase protective health behaviours, and decrease risky health behaviours. Providing sexual health education in schools offers opportunities to discuss critical health topics and can improve the school environment. However, not all sexual health education is taught equitably. As part of a mixed-methods study to describe school-based sexual health education, we conducted focus groups and interviews with recent high school graduates in a geographically and ethnically diverse state in the US Southwest. Thirty-one young people shared their experiences, explored the content they had been taught, and offered recommendations to improve sexual health education. Three key themes emerged: young people wanted and needed sexual health education taught in school; current sexual health education is not helpful and sometimes harmful; and the individuals who teach sexual health education are critically important. These findings can help address barriers to school-based sexual health education delivery, particularly for schools within communities with limited resources. The results support including youth as stakeholders in the planning and evaluation of school-based sexual health education, and the development of sexual health education teacher training with the goal of improving youth health outcomes.

Idiosyncratic media exposures during a pandemic and their link to well-being, cognition, and behavior over time

Over the past two decades of research, increased media consumption in the context of collective traumas has been cross-sectionally and longitudinally linked to negative psychological outcomes. However, little is known about the specific information channels that may drive these patterns of response. The current longitudinal investigation uses a probability-based sample of 5,661 Americans measured at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to identify a) distinct patterns of information-channel use (i.e., dimensions) for COVID-related information, b) demographic correlates of these patterns, and c) prospective associations of these information channel dimensions with distress (i.e., worry, global distress, and emotional exhaustion), cognition (e.g., beliefs about the seriousness of COVID-19, response efficacy, and dismissive attitudes), and behavior (e.g., engaging in health-protective behaviors and risk-taking behaviors) 6 mo later. Four distinct information-channel dimensions emerged: journalistic complexity; ideologically focused news; domestically focused news; and nonnews. Results indicate that journalistic complexity was prospectively associated with more emotional exhaustion, belief in the seriousness of the coronavirus, response efficacy, engaging in health-protective behaviors, and less dismissiveness of the pandemic. A reliance on conservative-leaning media was prospectively associated with less psychological distress, taking the pandemic less seriously, and engaging in more risk-taking behaviors. We discuss the implications of this work for the public, policy makers, and future research.

“I don’t know what I’m feeling for”: young women’s beliefs about breast cancer risk and experiences of breast awareness

BackgroundYounger women are often diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Beliefs about risk are instrumental in motivating many health protective behaviours, but there may be confusion around which behaviour is appropriate to detect breast cancer earlier. Breast awareness, defined as an understanding of how the breasts look and feel so changes can be identified early, is widely recommended. In contrast, breast self-examination involves palpation using a specified method. We aimed to investigate young women’s beliefs about their risk and experiences of breast awareness.MethodsThirty-seven women aged 30–39 years residing in a North West region of England with no family or personal history of breast cancer participated in seven focus groups (n = 29) and eight individual interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsThree themes were generated. “Future me’s problem” describes why women perceive breast cancer as an older woman’s disease. Uncertainty regarding checking behaviours highlights how confusion about self-checking behaviour advice has resulted in women infrequently performing breast checks. Campaigns as a missed opportunity highlights the potential negative effects of current breast cancer fundraising campaigns and the perceived absence of educational campaigning about breast cancer for this demographic.ConclusionsYoung women expressed low perceived susceptibility to developing breast cancer in the near future. Women did not know what breast self-checking behaviours they should be performing and expressed a lack of confidence in how to perform a breast check appropriately due to limited knowledge about what to look and feel for. Consequently, women reported disengagement with breast awareness. Defining and clearly communicating the best strategy for breast awareness and establishing whether it is beneficial or not are essential next steps.

Modifiable dementia risk factors are associated with greater subjective cognitive concerns but not perceived susceptibility to dementia in late middle‐aged adults: Baseline characteristics of the BetterBrains Trial

AbstractBackgroundA range of lifestyle factors in midlife can increase risk for developing dementia in late‐life.1 However, it remains unclear whether the presence of such risk factors (RFs) is associated with individuals’ insight into their risk of developing dementia. In a group of middle‐aged adults with a family history of dementia enrolled in a lifestyle prevention trial, we measured associations between modifiable RF prevalence, subjective cognitive concerns, and perceived susceptibility to dementia.MethodParticipants (n = 456) enrolled in BetterBrains (betterbrains.org.au)2 completed a comprehensive self‐report RF assessment at baseline. Modifiable dementia risk was determined across four domains (vascular health, social/cognitive engagement, mood, sleep) and trial eligibility required risk in at least one domain. Participants were grouped according to the number of domains in which they reported high‐risk (ranging from 1‐4). Participants completed the Cognitive Function Instrument, and a brief questionnaire to assess perceived susceptibility to dementia (Motivation to Change Lifestyle/Health Behaviours for Dementia Risk Reduction scale). Linear regressions examined associations between modifiable RF prevalence, subjective cognition, and perceived susceptibility to dementia, adjusting for age, sex, education, negative beliefs about ageing, and beliefs about protective health behaviours on dementia risk.ResultParticipants were mostly female (80%), with an average age of 59.4 years and 15.2 years of education. Of the sample, 29.6% reported risk in all domains (29.6%) and 16.9% in three domains. Risk in a higher number of RF domains was significantly associated with greater subjective cognitive concerns (β(SE) = 0.18(0.06), p = <.001), but not with greater perceived susceptibility to developing dementia (β(SE) = 0.62(0.35), p = .08). Increasingly negative beliefs about ageing and weaker beliefs in the protective effect of health behaviours were the only significant predictors of perceived susceptibility to dementia (both p’s <.05).ConclusionIn middle‐aged adults, dementia RFs are associated with greater subjective cognitive concerns, but not with an increased perception of susceptibility to dementia. Incongruence between participants’ self‐report of subjective cognitive concerns and susceptibility to dementia may be due in part to poor knowledge on modifiable dementia RFs.3 Perceptions of personal susceptibility to dementia may also be tied more closely to negative ageing stereotypes typically associated with older age and family history of disease.

KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF HEALTH PROTECTIVE MEASURES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNERS IN BENIN CITY, NIGERIA

A healthy lifestyle is desired by everybody, and this involves health-promoting and health-protecting behaviours that are complementary. Health protective behaviours must be learned early in life and particularly in preparation to face pandemics. Children must learn them as part of the socialization process in school and at home to prevent the transmission of diseases. This study explored the knowledge and practices of health-protective behaviours by early childhood learners. The population for this study was learners in early childhood schools in Benin City, Nigeria. A sample of 200 early childhood learners whose parents consented was selected purposively from early childhood schools. An interview schedule that was validated with a reliability of .83 was used in collecting data by the researchers. The data collected was analysed using frequencies, percentages and Pearson product-moment correlation. More than 60% of the learners had knowledge of washing hands regularly, using of hand sanitizers, covering their mouth with elbow when coughing among others as health protective measures which are part of non-pharmaceutical initiatives. Furthermore, more than 50% of the learners practice protective measures. Overall, the level of knowledge and practice of the measures was encouraging. Schools should continue to teach learners non-pharmaceutical initiatives in preparation for any outbreak of pandemics; the practice of such initiatives should also be enforced.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0005/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Bridges-Round 2: A study protocol to examine the longitudinal HIV risk prevention and care continuum outcomes among orphaned youth transitioning to young adulthood.

Youth orphaned by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa experience immense hardships including social disadvantage, adverse childhood events and limited economic prospects. These adversities disrupt the normative developmental milestones and can gravely compromise their health and emotional wellbeing. The Bridges to the Future study (2012-2018) prospectively followed 1,383 adolescents, between 10-16 years, to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a family-based economic empowerment intervention comprising of child development accounts, financial literacy training, family income generating activities and peer mentorship. Study findings show efficacy of this contextually-driven intervention significantly improving mental health, school retention and performance and sexual health. However, critical questions, such as those related to the longitudinal impact of economic empowerment on HIV prevention and engagement in care remain. This paper presents a protocol for the follow-up phase titled, Bridges Round 2. The Original Bridges study participants will be tracked for an additional four years (2022-2026) to examine the longitudinal developmental and behavioral health outcomes and potential mechanisms of the effect of protective health behaviors of the Bridges cohort. The study will include a new qualitative component to examine participants' experiences with the intervention, the use of biomedical data to provide the most precise results of the highly relevant, but currently unknown sexual health outcomes among study participants, as well as a cost-benefit analysis to inform policy and scale-up. Study findings may contribute to the scientific knowledge for low-resource communities on the potential value of providing modest economic resources to vulnerable boys and girls during childhood and early adolescence and how these resources may offer long-term protection against known HIV risks, poor mental health functioning and improve treatment among the HIV treatment care continuum.

Behavioral Immune System, Psychological Immune System, and General Psychophysical Health during COVID-19 Pandemic

With innate biological immunity proving inept and an acute lack of effective SARS-CoV-2 medication/immunization, strict restrictive, preventive, and protective measures were introduced worldwide. Despite flattening the pandemic-growth curve, these were met with resistance and heightened psychopathology among the masses. Acknowledging individuals’ distinct adaptations towards supporting and protecting their health before/when any disease-state emerges in their body or the population surrounding them holds implications for population health and the public health programs. Humans have evolved a concomitant behavioral immune system (BIS), a coordinated suite of psychological mechanisms (affective-cognitive-behavioral) that motivate prophylactic avoidance of infectious-disease vectors. They also possess Psychological Immune System (PIS) comprising personal resilience resources and adaptive capacities that can promote psychological health-protective behaviors. The present phenomenological study explores the dynamics of general populations’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, to understand their behavioral immune, psychological immune, and general psychophysical health functioning and the association between them. An attempt has been made to validate the BIS model (Schaller & Park, 2011) and the PIS (Olah, 1996) within the pandemic context. Semi-structured and in-depth telephonic interviews were conducted with thirty-five participants. Data was analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis. Participants had deteriorated psychophysical health and an activated BIS. Heightened BIS consequated negative attitudes and outcomes. PIS resources helped maintain functionality, positivity, and stress-resistance, and those with lower behavioral immune activation and psychological immunity had more health-related complaints. The study demonstrates that BIS and PIS are important factors for health behavior and well-being and suggests a more integrative approach to health research.

Compliance of the Public with Governmental Regulations and Recommended Protective Health Behavior During COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Varied Waves of the Pandemic in Israel

Introduction:Managing pandemics is dependent on the adherence of civil societies to directives and recommendations issued by governmental and public health authorities. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, hurdles were encountered by authorities regarding public compliance to orders and recommendations of protective health behavior. The objective is to investigate the factors that most powerfully enhance or impede compliance to varied measures–both regulations (i.e. lockdown, mask wearing, social distancing) and recommendations (i.e. vaccination etc.) in Israel.Method:A longitudinal study, based on structured questionnaires was conducted to investigate factors that enhance or impede the uptake of protective health behavior throughout two years of COVID-19.Results:Various factors throughout different phases of the pandemic have been identified as playing a significant role in compliance. During the initial phases of the pandemic, the most salient factors for enhanced compliance to non-pharmaceutical interventions (lockdown) were concern for family or self-health, while deterrence played little role. During the fourth wave, findings indicated that pandemic fatigue had begun to have cascading effects on vaccination efforts. Particularly at this stage, trust in authorities and even threat perception components were incapable of predicting uptake, while perceived importance of the vaccine and its effectiveness positively and significantly predicted uptake. Throughout the pandemic, a negative correlation between levels of resilience and distress symptoms and a positive correlation between resilience and enhanced compliance were identified.Conclusion:Utilizing tools for empowering the population rather than instilling fear or other deterrence measures are more effective approaches to increase compliance with governmental directives. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of adapting and adjusting risk communication efforts to accommodate specific concerns and hesitations demonstrated by distinct groups during an evolving pandemic. Public health officials and authorities need to engage the public in resilience building activities to promote compliance.

A Stranger or a Friend?

Abstract: A growing volume of work suggests a positive impact of descriptive norms on health-protective behavior in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, past work has often been correlational and has rarely compared the effect of different group norms. In the present paper, we present the results of a longitudinal study ( N = 1,051) that addresses these gaps by testing the cross-sectional and cross-lagged effects of norms and directly compared three different norms (close circle, neighborhood, and country) on compliance with COVID-19 regulations. The results revealed a positive effect of the close-circle norm (associated with more compliant behavior both cross-sectionally and longitudinally), no effect of the neighborhood norm, and a negative effect of the national norm (associated with less compliant behavior). Compliant behavior also led to a greater close-circle norm longitudinally, suggesting that both feed into each other. We discuss not only the challenges but also the chances this research highlights for norm-based interventions.

Why should I vaccinate? The role of mindfulness and health-protective behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveHealth maintenance of the general public through vaccination is a significant component of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine the perception of Nigerians toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: Informed by the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), 793 Nigerian participants completed a cross-sectional self-administered online survey to assess: (1) their perception of COVID-19 based on fear-mongering information on social media (2) the potential relationship between threat perception, efficacy, and fear associated with the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine hesitancy, and attitudes toward the decision to uptake the vaccine using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, and (3) we further employed the use of the hierarchical regression analysis to test the moderating effect of mindful critical thinking between vaccine hesitancy and attitudes toward vaccines. ResultsMost participants (65.7%) intend to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine. However, many people did not fear the disease (19.2%). Threat perception and efficacy were associated with a decision to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine via the mediation of attitudes toward vaccines. Previous vaccine hesitancy has no relationship with uptake decisions. The hierarchical regression analysis showed that participants exhibiting high critical thinking mindfulness were more interested in taking the vaccine. ConclusionsThe findings of this study demonstrate that EPPM constructs are effective predictors of the public's decision to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine. This research highlights the theoretical and practical implications.

Using User-Centered Design to Facilitate Adherence to Annual Lung Cancer Screening: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study for Intervention Development.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, with the majority of lung cancer occurrence diagnosed after the disease has already metastasized. Lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography can diagnose early-stage disease, especially when eligible individuals participate in screening on a yearly basis. Unfortunately, annual adherence has emerged as a challenge for academic and community screening programs, endangering the individual and population health benefits of LCS. Reminder messages have effectively increased adherence rates in breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer screenings but have not been tested with LCS participants who experience unique barriers to screening associated with the stigma of smoking and social determinants of health. This research aims to use a theory-informed, multiphase, and mixed methods approach with LCS experts and participants to develop a set of clear and engaging reminder messages to support LCS annual adherence. In aim 1, survey data informed by the Cognitive-Social Health Information Processing model will be collected to assess how LCS participants process health information aimed at health protective behavior to develop content for reminder messages and pinpoint options for message targeting and tailoring. Aim 2 focuses on identifying themes for message imagery through a modified photovoice activity that asks participants to identify 3 images that represent LCS and then participate in an interview about the selection, likes, and dislikes of each photo. A pool of candidate messages for multiple delivery platforms will be developed in aim 3, using results from aim 1 for message content and aim 2 for imagery selection. The refinement of message content and imagery combinations will be completed through iterative feedback from LCS experts and participants. Data collection began in July 2022 and will be completed by May 2023. The final reminder message candidates are expected to be completed by June 2023. This project proposes a novel approach to facilitate adherence to annual LCS through the development of reminder messages that embrace content and imagery representative of the target population directly in the design process. Developing effective strategies to increase LCS adherence is instrumental in achieving optimal LCS outcomes at individual and population health levels. DERR1-10.2196/46657.

Understanding Australian Government Risk Communication Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Sociodemographics, Risk Attitudes and Media Consumption

Effective risk communication is essential for government and health authorities to effectively manage public health during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Understanding the factors that influence people’s perceptions of crisis-related risk messages is critical to identify gaps and inequalities in population risk communication. Using a longitudinal survey of a representative adult sample, we examined risk communication about COVID-19 during April-June 2020 in Australia across sociodemographic groups especially the at-risk groups, accounting for and exploring the effects of risk attitudes and media engagement. Our findings showed that individuals who were younger, more left-wing, more risk-tolerant, and had a current or a history of mental disorders perceived risk communication of the Australian Government to be lower quality. On the other hand, greater consumption of information from televisions was found to be associated with more positive attitudes toward government risk communication. Our results also revealed the importance of effective and high-quality risk communication in gaining the public endorsement of various public health directions. We discuss the implications of results in terms of the development of effective public communications that lead to health-protective behaviors and effectively scaffold public understanding of risk.