Lau J T F, Kim J H, Tsui H Y, Griffiths S
Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 5/F, School of Public Health, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong.
Infection. 2008 Oct;36(5):434-43. doi: 10.1007/s15010-008-7277-y. Epub 2008 Sep 15.
H5N1 avian influenza may become pandemic in humans in the near future. According to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) experience, anticipation of the pandemic may have impact on behaviors related to influenza vaccination (IV) and relevant public health behaviors such as wearing a face mask when having influenza-like-illnesses (ILI), which would play an important role in the control of human avian influenza outbreaks. This paper investigated the prevalence and factors related to IV uptake and use of face mask in public venues when having ILI symptoms.
An anonymous cross-sectional population-based random telephone survey of 302 Hong Kong Chinese adults aged 18-60, using a structured questionnaire, was conducted in November 2005.
In the last 3 months, 17.9% of the respondents received IV; 36.6% of those presenting ILI symptoms often used face mask in public venues. Anticipation of a bird-to-human H5N1 outbreak, perceptions that such an outbreak would be worse than SARS, that IV was efficacious in preventing bird-to-human avian influenza transmission were associated with the studied IV behavior (OR=2.64-3.97, p < 0.05). Exposure to live birds, perceived similar symptoms between influenza and bird-to-human H5N1 avian influenza, that bird-to-human avian influenza was more lethal than SARS were predictive use of face mask when having ILI symptoms (OR = 4.25-8.34, p < 0.05).
The prevalence of IV and use of face mask in the study population may be increasing, which may be related to concerns of avian influenza. Perceptions related to human avian influenza were associated with IV and mask use behaviors. This can potentially be turned into opportunities of promoting desirable public health behaviors.
H5N1禽流感可能在不久的将来在人类中引发大流行。根据严重急性呼吸综合征（SARS）的经验，对大流行的预期可能会影响与流感疫苗接种（IV）相关的行为以及诸如在患流感样疾病（ILI）时佩戴口罩等相关公共卫生行为，这将在控制人感染禽流感疫情中发挥重要作用。本文调查了流感疫苗接种率以及出现ILI症状时在公共场所佩戴口罩的相关因素。
2005年11月，采用结构化问卷对302名年龄在18至60岁的香港成年华人进行了基于人群的匿名横断面随机电话调查。
在过去3个月中，17.9%的受访者接种了流感疫苗；出现ILI症状的受访者中，36.6%的人在公共场所经常佩戴口罩。对H5N1禽流感从禽类传播给人类的爆发预期、认为这种爆发比SARS更严重、认为流感疫苗接种在预防禽流感从禽类传播给人类方面有效的观念与所研究的流感疫苗接种行为相关（比值比=2.64 - 3.97，p < 0.05）。接触活禽、认为流感与禽流感从禽类传播给人类的症状相似、认为禽流感从禽类传播给人类比SARS更致命是出现ILI症状时佩戴口罩的预测因素（比值比 = 4.25 - 8.34，p < 0.05）。
研究人群中流感疫苗接种率和佩戴口罩的使用率可能在上升，这可能与对禽流感的担忧有关。与人类禽流感相关的观念与流感疫苗接种和口罩使用行为有关。这有可能转化为促进理想公共卫生行为的机会。
