Perceptions and plans for prevention of Ebola: results from a national survey

BMC Public Health

Research Article

Carla Bann¹  Molly Lynch¹  Linda Squiers²  Heather Hansen³  Bridget Kelly³  Alexander Stine³ 

[1] RTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, 27709, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA;RTI International, 6110 Executive Boulevard, Ste. 902, 20852, Rockville, MD, USA;RTI International, 701 13th Street NW. Ste. 750, 20005, Washington, DC, USA;

关键词: West Nile Virus;    Behavioral Intention;    Media Coverage;    Public Health Official;    News Coverage;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-015-2441-7

 received in 2015-05-20, accepted in 2015-10-21,  发布年份 2015

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLiterature suggests that Americans may have higher levels of perceived threat to Ebola than are warranted.MethodsWe surveyed 1018 U.S. adults from a nationally representative Internet panel about their knowledge, perceived threat, and behavioral intentions during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.ResultsEighty-six percent of respondents knew that Ebola could be transmitted through blood and bodily fluids. However, a large percentage had some inaccurate knowledge and 19 % believed Ebola would spread to the U.S. Respondents favored mandatory quarantine (63 %) and travel bans (55 %). Confidence in the ability of the media and government to accurately report on or prevent a U.S. epidemic was low. Fifty-two percent intended to engage in behaviors such as avoiding public transportation.DiscussionDespite low perceived susceptibility, half intended to engage in behaviors to prevent transmission and large numbers favored policies not currently recommended by health officials. The extreme nature of Ebola virus likely motivated people to engage in behaviors and favor policies that were not necessary given the low risk of transmission in the U.S.ConclusionsHealth officials should ensure the public has accurate information about Ebola and bolster confidence in the government’s ability to control infectious diseases in case of a future outbreak in the U.S.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Kelly et al. 2015