The public's preventive strategies in response to the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 in France: Distribution and determinants

• Published in: Preventive medicine 2011-02, Vol.52 (2), p.178-181
• Main Authors: Setbon, Michel, Le Pape, Marie-Clémence, Létroublon, Claire, Caille-Brillet, Anne-Laure, Raude, Jocelyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drug industry; Female; France; France - epidemiology; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Incidence; Influenza; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - isolation & purification; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Influenza, Human - transmission; Internal Medicine; Life Sciences; Logistic Models; Male; Membership; Middle Aged; Non-pharmaceutical measures; Pandemic influenza A/H1N1; Pandemics; Pandemics - prevention & control; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Patient Preference; Pharmaceutical measures; Preventive strategies; Primary Prevention - organization & administration; Risk Assessment; Risk perception; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Sex Distribution; Sociology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0091-7435; 1096-0260
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.11.010

Abstract Objectives Since the emergence of the pandemic influenza A/H1N1, people were encouraged to adopt a large range of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical measures in order to counter the risk of infection. The aim of this article is to identify and to explain the different types of preventive strategies adopted by the French population. Methods The data are based on a phone survey conducted with a representative sample of the French population (N = 1003) in December 2009 (cooperation rate = 45.9%). Logistic regressions were used in order to characterize the different preventive behavioral patterns towards the A/H1N1 influenza. Results Four types of behavioral strategies have been identified: 31.5% of the respondents combined vaccination (intention or action, regardless of the nature of the vaccine) with non-pharmaceutical measures, 8.8% wanted to get exclusively vaccinated, 42.0% took non-pharmaceutical steps only and 17.7% didn't protect themselves at all. Significant social and cognitive variables were found to predict membership of each group. Conclusions These results indicate that a large majority of that is mainly population adopted a selective strategy rather than a cumulative one as it was recommended, a choice mostly explained by the level of risk perception.