Bird Flu Outbreak
Assessment 3. Written Research Report
Background: A recent television program entitled: “Bird Flu Outbreak: Public perceptions” noted that there was a lot of anxiety and worry during outbreaks. The efforts by government to
inform the public about actions taken to reduce the risks from bird flu needed to be understood. Tackling public perception that outbreaks can be “over-hyped” may be difficult, but the
government needs to communicate its plans and resources appropriately during such times.
A group of researchers from a Hong Kong university in collaboration with CQUniversity decided to conduct a research project to assess whether perceptions of the bird flu outbreak predicted
changes in behaviour among the public in Hong Kong.
You are the research assistant employed to develop a report on the survey findings. Please use the information provided below to write this research report.
Method: The population for this cross-sectional study was people residing in Hong Kong. Ethical approval to conduct the study was received from the Hong Kong university and also from the
CQUniversity Australia Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). To recruit participants, researchers used a telephone survey using random digit dialling. Trained research assistants then
called the telephone number and invited people to participate. People agreeing to participate answered the survey during the telephone interview. Participants: 997 over the age of 18 years
or more who had heard of bird flu and spoke English. Proportional quota sampling was used. Participants were asked a series of questions about behaviours related to bird flu outbreak.
Results:
Table 1: Behaviour responses to bird flu outbreak
Questions No(%)of positive responses
“Over the past four days, I have…..because of bird flu”
Deliberately cancelled or posted a social event, such as meeting friends, eating out, or going to a sports event* 10/946 (1.1)
Reduced the amount I used public transport* 20/710 (2.8)
Take time off work* 5/732 (0.7)
Reduced the amount I go into shops* 18/961 (1.9)
Kept one or more of my children out of school or child care* 2/486 (0.4)
Kept away from crowded places generally* 35/955 (3.7)
Increased the amount I clean or disinfect things that I might touch, such as door knobs or hard surfaces^ 169/976 (17.3)
Washed my hands with soap and water more often than usual^ 278/989 (28.1)
Because of bird flu, I have discussed with a friend or family member what we would do if one of us catches bird flu^ 149/980 (15.2)
Performed greater than the six avoidance behaviours 49/997 (4.9)
Performed greater than the three recommended behaviours 377/997 (37.8)
“In the past 24 hours, how many times have you washed your hands with soap and water (not including baths, showers, or washing up?”
0 to 4 229/990 (23.0)
5 to 9 352/990 (35.6)
10 to 14 206/990 (20.8)
15 to 19 65/990 (6.6)
Greater than 20 138/990 (13.9)
* Behavioural changes classified as avoidance
^ Behavioural changes classified as recommended
Table 2: Perceived efficacy of various behavioural responses to bird flu. Values are numbers (%) of participants
Question Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree nor disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree
I believe that……reduces your risk of catching bird flu.
Reducing the number of people you meet over a day 162/975
(16.2) 303/975
(31.1) 76/975
(7.8) 264/975
(27.0) 170/975
(17.4)
Avoiding public transport (spacing at start) 143/969
(14.8) 340/969
(35.1) 96/969
(9.9) 231/969
(23.8) 159/969
(16.4)
Cleaning or disinfecting things you might touch 454/973
(46.7) 343.973
(35.3) 49/973
(5.0) 92/973
(9.5) 35/973
(3.6)
Washing your hands regularly with soap and water 563/990
(56.9) 306/990
(30.9) 31/990
(3.1) 64/990
(6.5) 26/990
(2.6)
Wearing a face mask when out in public 70/965
(7.3) 164.965
(17.0) 66/965
(6.8) 306/965
(31.7) 359/965
(37.2)
Avoiding hospitals or general practices 161/968
(16.6) 253/968
(26.1) 81/968
(8.4) 273/968
(28.2) 200/958
(20.7)
Table 3: Perception scales used in the analyses, with examples of items
Trust in the authorities (five items)
In general, I think the authorities are acting in the public’s best interest in dealing with the bird flu outbreak (Cronbach’s 0.81)
Likelihood of infection (five items)
I believe there is currently a high risk of catching bird flu in the shops I go to (Cronbach’s alpha 0.80)
Severity of illness (five items)
I think that if I catch bird flu it will have major consequences for my life (Cronbach’s alpha 0.70)
Exaggeration of the risk (four items)
I think that the media have over-exaggerated the risks of catching bird flu (Cronbach’s alpha 0.62)
Timeline for the outbreak (three items)
In my opinion, the latest bird flu outbreak is going to continue for a long time (Cronbach’s alpha 0.74)
Good information (three items)
Overall, the information I have heard about bird flu has been clear (Cronbach’s alpha 0.75)
Using all the information from the above combined, develop a report on the study.
Title page
Introduction – Your discussion should include Bird Flu and what it is and what populations has it affected across the world; why bird flu is dangerous as a public health issue. Why are perceptions
important? What is the Research Aim.
Research design -Describe the research design, the study participants and describe how the data was collected
Research results – Perception and what are the patterns in the data. Discuss the data. Literature is not used in this section. What are the key findings in the data?
Discussion – What does the outcomes of the data say and what does it suggest? Explore the notion of behaviour, perception and anxiety in the data. Use the literature to support or refute what
you have found or not found.
Future research and recommendations – From the data outcomes what would you recommend as future research or recommendations?
Conclusion
Reference List
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