School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Health Sciences, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
BMC Public Health. 2024 May 23;24(1):1393. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18866-3.
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, was one of the greatest modern public health crises that the world has faced. Countries undertook sweeping public health and social measures (PHSM); including environmental actions such as disinfection and ventilation; surveillance and response, such as contact tracing and quarantine; physical, such as crowd control; and restrictions on travel. This study focuses on the public perceptions of PHSM in two countries, Japan and the United Kingdom (UK) as examples of high-income countries that adopted different measures over the course of the pandemic.
This study was conducted between November 2021 and February 2022, a period in which the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 was predominant. Fourteen online focus group discussions were conducted in each country. Overall, 106 total participants (50 from the UK and 56 from Japan) participated in 23 focus groups (11 in the UK and 12 in Japan) with an average of three to six participants per group. Both countries were compared using a thematic analysis method.
Both countries' participants agreed that vaccination was an effective measure. However, they did not favor mandatory vaccination policies. Working from home was well accepted by both sides, but they reported that schools should have continued to be opened as before COVID-19. Both sides of participants expressed that temperature testing alone in indoor facilities was ineffective as a COVID-19 control measure. There were contrasting views on face covering rules in public spaces, international and domestic movement restrictions. High acceptance of mask-wearing was reflective of Japanese customs, while it was accepted as a strong recommendation for participants in the UK. Japanese participants favored quarantine for international travel, while the UK participants supported banning non-essential travel.
Similar and contrasting views on PHSM against COVID-19 between Japan and the UK demonstrated how policies in controlling an epidemic should be tailored by country with respect to its norms, cultures, economic and disease burden. Our findings may guide how policy makers can engage with the public through effective health communication and consider regulations that are aligned with the public's views and capacities in changing their behavior for future pandemic preparedness.
由 SARS-CoV-2 引起的 COVID-19 大流行是世界面临的最大的现代公共卫生危机之一。各国采取了广泛的公共卫生和社会措施（PHSM），包括消毒和通风等环境措施；接触者追踪和隔离等监测和应对措施；人群控制等物理措施；以及旅行限制。本研究以日本和英国（英国）为例，研究了这两个高收入国家在大流行期间采取不同措施时公众对 PHSM 的看法。
本研究于 2021 年 11 月至 2022 年 2 月进行，在此期间，SARS-CoV-2 的奥密克戎变体占主导地位。在每个国家进行了 14 次在线焦点小组讨论。共有 106 名参与者（英国 50 名，日本 56 名）参加了 23 次焦点小组（英国 11 次，日本 12 次），每组平均有 3 至 6 名参与者。两国均采用主题分析方法进行比较。
两国的参与者都认为疫苗接种是一项有效的措施。然而，他们不赞成强制接种疫苗政策。居家办公在双方都得到了很好的认可，但他们报告说，学校应该像 COVID-19 之前一样继续开放。双方的参与者都表示，在室内场所仅进行体温检测作为 COVID-19 控制措施是无效的。在公共场所的口罩规定、国际和国内旅行限制方面存在相反的观点。对佩戴口罩的高度接受反映了日本的习俗，而在英国，参与者则将其视为强烈建议。日本参与者赞成对国际旅行进行隔离，而英国参与者则支持禁止非必要的旅行。
日本和英国在 COVID-19 公共卫生措施方面的相似和不同观点表明，在控制疫情方面，政策应根据国家的规范、文化、经济和疾病负担进行调整。我们的研究结果可能为政策制定者通过有效的健康沟通与公众接触提供指导，并考虑与公众观点和能力相一致的法规，以改变他们的行为，为未来的大流行做好准备。
