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Effectiveness of communications in enhancing adherence to public health behavioural interventions: a COVID-19 evidence review

Simon Williams Orcid Logo, Kim Dienes Orcid Logo, Jemma Jaheed Chowdhury, Jamie K. Wardman, Judith Petts

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Volume: 381, Issue: 2257

Swansea University Authors: Simon Williams Orcid Logo, Kim Dienes Orcid Logo, Jemma Jaheed Chowdhury

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DOI (Published version): 10.1098/rsta.2023.0129

Abstract

Health communication has relevance for virtually every aspect of health and well-being, including disease prevention. This review explored the effectiveness of communications in enhancing the adoption of or adherence to behavioural interventions (non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs)) related to C...

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Published in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
ISSN: 1364-503X 1471-2962
Published: The Royal Society 2023
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64992
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Abstract: Health communication has relevance for virtually every aspect of health and well-being, including disease prevention. This review explored the effectiveness of communications in enhancing the adoption of or adherence to behavioural interventions (non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs)) related to COVID-19. The review takes the UK as a case study and focuses on self-reported behaviours (e.g. social distancing). It also reviews the psychosocial determinants of adherence. Searches were conducted using PubMed, Scopus, CINAL, ASSIA and iCite databases. Eleven thousand five hundred records were identified and 13 were included in the final sample. Included studies suggest that NPI adoption or adherence was generally high, and communication had significant impacts, with key themes including clarity and consistency, trust and control. Based on the evidence in this review, features of effective communication in the context of NPI adoption or adherence are (i) information should be conveyed clearly and conflicting (mixed) messages should be avoided; (ii) information should be conveyed by trusted sources (e.g. health authorities) and (iii) communication should strike a balance between being authoritative but avoiding language seen as controlling (e.g. ‘you must’). Future research should prioritize quantitative, experimental and longitudinal study designs, that focus specifically on communication as an intervention, and which measure behaviour.
Keywords: COVID-19, health communication, non-pharmaceutical interventions, behavioural interventions, adherence
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Funders: This research was funded by the Royal Society as part of its commissioned evidence reviews on the effectiveness of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).
Issue: 2257