Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, 425 Werombi Road, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia.
Prev Vet Med. 2011 Feb 1;98(2-3):165-75. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2010.11.006. Epub 2010 Dec 13.
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the height of the pandemic influenza H1N1/09 outbreak in Australia in 2009. The objectives of the study were to evaluate public perceptions about transmission and prevention of the disease, to understand their concerns and preparedness to cope with the disease, and to investigate drivers influencing their behaviour. A questionnaire was designed and administered to 510 customers visiting 15 butcher shops in the Greater Sydney region between 26th June and 2nd August 2009. Data were analysed to estimate the proportion of people with certain perceptions and to evaluate the influence of these perceptions on two binary outcome variables: (1) whether or not people believed that avoiding pork would protect them from contracting H1N1/09, and (2) whether or not they actually made some changes to pork consumption after the outbreak. A majority of the respondents had perceptions based on fact about transmission and prevention of H1N1/09. As many as 96.8% of the respondents believed that washing their hands frequently was likely to protect them from contracting H1N1/09. Similarly, most believed that they could contract H1N1/09 by travelling on public transport with a sick person present (94.1%), by shaking hands with a sick person (89.2%), or by attending a community gathering (73.7%). Women were more likely than men to have factual perceptions about protective behaviours. Misconceptions regarding transmission of the disease were evident, with 21.7% believing that avoiding eating pork could protect them against H1N1/09, 11.1% believing that they could contract H1N1/09 by drinking tap water, 22.8% by handling uncooked pork meat and 15.6% by eating cooked pork. Approximately one third of respondents believed that working in a pig farm or an abattoir increased their likelihood of contracting H1N1/09 (36.9% and 32.3%, respectively). Younger people (<35 years old) were more likely to have these misconceptions than older people. Reduction in consumption of pork, ham or bacon was significantly associated with misconceptions regarding the risk of contracting H1N1/09 from eating pig meat products. It is recommended that in the event of a future disease emergency, communication activities providing factual information and targeting younger people should be used.
2009 年大流感 H1N1/09 爆发期间，澳大利亚进行了一项横断面研究。本研究的目的是评估公众对疾病传播和预防的认知，了解他们对疾病的关注和应对准备情况，并探讨影响其行为的因素。我们设计并向 2009 年 6 月 26 日至 8 月 2 日期间，在大悉尼地区的 15 家肉铺光顾的 510 名顾客发放了问卷。对数据进行分析以估算具有特定认知的人群比例，并评估这些认知对两个二项结果变量的影响：（1）人们是否相信避免食用猪肉可以预防感染 H1N1/09；（2）他们是否在疫情爆发后实际改变了对猪肉的消费。大多数受访者对 H1N1/09 的传播和预防有基于事实的认知。多达 96.8%的受访者认为经常洗手可能会保护他们免受 H1N1/09 的感染。同样，大多数人认为他们可能会通过与患病者一起乘坐公共交通工具（94.1%）、与患病者握手（89.2%）或参加社区聚会（73.7%）而感染 H1N1/09。女性比男性更有可能对保护行为有正确的认知。对疾病传播的误解很明显，有 21.7%的人认为避免食用猪肉可以预防感染 H1N1/09，11.1%的人认为饮用自来水、22.8%的人认为接触生猪肉和 15.6%的人认为食用熟猪肉可能会感染 H1N1/09。约三分之一的受访者认为在养猪场或屠宰场工作会增加感染 H1N1/09 的可能性（分别为 36.9%和 32.3%）。年轻人（<35 岁）比老年人更容易有这些误解。减少对猪肉、火腿或培根的消费与对食用猪肉产品感染 H1N1/09 的风险的误解显著相关。建议在未来发生疾病紧急情况时，应开展提供事实信息并针对年轻人的宣传活动。
