Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T05:25:14.886Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Public Perceptions and Knowledge of the Ebola Virus, Willingness to Vaccinate, and Likely Behavioral Responses to an Outbreak

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 June 2016

Keith J Petrie Open the ORCID record for Keith J Petrie [Opens in a new window] ,
Kate Faasse  and
Mark G Thomas
Keith J Petrie*
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Kate Faasse
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Mark G Thomas
Affiliation:
Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Professor Keith Petrie, Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Park Rd, Grafton, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142 New Zealand (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

We examined public perceptions of the risk of an Ebola outbreak, knowledge about transmission, and the factors associated with planned protective behavior, including willingness to vaccinate.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey using random digit dialing of 750 members of the New Zealand public between February 12 and 19, 2015.

Results

Most of the sample (72%) reported that they had been following news of the outbreak closely and 28% were concerned that there would be a large outbreak in New Zealand. High rates of planned protective behavior, in terms of avoiding contact with other people, were reported, with 23% reporting they would avoid going to work, 49% reporting they would avoid using public transport, 42% reporting they would avoid sending children to school, and 52% reporting they would avoid public events. A younger age, a higher concern, and lower confidence in the ability of hospitals to contain the outbreak were significantly associated with both a greater willingness to vaccinate and a larger number of protective behaviors.

Conclusions

An Ebola outbreak would have large social and economic consequences owing to the large proportion of the population who intended to avoid social contact in order to protect their health. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:674–680)

Keywords

Ebola outbreakperceived riskprotective behaviorvaccination
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , August 2016 , pp. 674 - 680
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Mira, JJ, Lorenzo, S, Gea, MT, et al. Ebola’s media outbreak: lessons for the future. Eur J Public Health. 2015;25(2):188-189. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku237.Google Scholar
2. Weinstein, ND. The precaution adoption process. Health Psychol. 1988;7(4):355-386. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.7.4.355.Google Scholar
3. Rubin, GJ, Amlot, R, Page, L, et al. Public perceptions, anxiety, and behaviour change in relation to the swine flu outbreak: cross sectional telephone survey. BMJ. 2009;339:b2651. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b2651.Google Scholar
4. Leung, GM, Ho, LM, Chan, SK, et al. Longitudinal assessment of community psychobehavioral responses during and after the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. Clin Infect Dis. 2005;40(12):1713-1720. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/429923.Google Scholar
5. Lau, JTF, Kim, JH, Tsui, HY, et al. Anticipated and current preventive behaviors in response to an anticipated human-to-human H5N1 epidemic in the Hong Kong Chinese general population. BMC Infect Dis. 2007;7:18. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-7-18.Google Scholar
6. Tang, CS, Wong, CY. An outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome: predictors of health behaviors and effect of community prevention measures in Hong Kong, China. Am J Public Health. 2003;93(11):1887-1888. http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.93.11.1887.Google Scholar
7. World Health Organization. Ebola vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics. WHO website. http://www.who.int/medicines/emp_ebola_q_as/en/. Updated October 6, 2015. Accessed May 17, 2016.Google Scholar
8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ebola (Ebola virus disease). CDC website. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html. Updated 2015. Accessed May 17, 2016.Google Scholar
9. Liao, Q, Cowling, BJ, Lam, WW, et al. Anxiety, worry and cognitive risk estimate in relation to protective behaviors during the 2009 influenza A/H1N1 pandemic in Hong Kong: ten cross-sectional surveys. BMC Infect Dis. 2014;14(1):169. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-14-169.Google Scholar
10. Timpka, T, Spreco, A, Gursky, E, et al. Intentions to perform non-pharmaceutical protective behaviors during influenza outbreaks in Sweden: a cross-sectional study following a mass vaccination campaign. PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e91060. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0091060.Google Scholar
11. Gesser-Edelsburg, A, Shir-Raz, Y, Hayek, S, et al. What does the public know about Ebola? The public’s risk perceptions regarding the current Ebola outbreak in an as-yet unaffected country. Am J Infect Control. 2015;43(7):669-675. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2015.03.005.Google Scholar
12. Rolison, JJ, Hanoch, Y. Knowledge and risk perceptions of the Ebola virus in the United States. Prev Med Rep. 2015;2:262-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.04.005.Google Scholar
13. Rübsamen, N, Castell, S, Horn, J, et al. Ebola risk perception in Germany, 2014. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015;21(6):1012-1018. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2106.150013.Google Scholar
14. Kelly, B, Squiers, L, Bann, C, et al. Perceptions and plans for prevention of Ebola: results from a national survey. BMC Public Health. 2015;15(1):1136. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2441-7.Google Scholar
15. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Assessing the representativeness of public opinion surveys. http://www.people-press.org/2012/05/15/assessing-the-representativeness-of-public-opinion-surveys/. Pew Research Center website. Published May 15, 2012. Accessed May 17, 2016.Google Scholar