The effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection-control behaviour in the general public: Evidence from a low-COVID prevalence jurisdiction

<h4>Background</h4> Public health policies designed to influence individuals’ infection-control behaviour are a tool for governments to help prevent the spread of disease. Findings on the impacts of policies are mixed and there is limited information on the effects of removing restrictio...

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Main Authors: Kent Ross, Daniel J. Dutton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2023-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10468032/?tool=EBI
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author Kent Ross
Daniel J. Dutton
author_facet Kent Ross
Daniel J. Dutton
author_sort Kent Ross
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4> Public health policies designed to influence individuals’ infection-control behaviour are a tool for governments to help prevent the spread of disease. Findings on the impacts of policies are mixed and there is limited information on the effects of removing restrictions and how policies impact behavioural trends. <h4>Methods</h4> We use low-acuity emergency department visits from 12 hospitals in New Brunswick, Canada, (January 2017 –October 2021) as a proxy for infection-control behaviour and provide insight into the effects of the COVID-19 virus on a population with a low prevalence of cases. Quasi-experimental techniques (event studies) are applied to estimate the magnitude and persistence of effects of specific events (e.g., policy changes), to control for COVID-19 cases and vaccines, and to explore how the effectiveness of policy changes during the pandemic as more policies are introduced. <h4>Results</h4> Initial tightening of restrictions on March 11, 2020 reduced low-acuity emergency department visits by around 60% and reached a minimum after 30 days. Relaxing policies on social gatherings and personal services gradually increased low-acuity emergency department visits by approximately 50% after 44 days. No effects were found from policies lifting all restrictions, and reinstating a state of emergency on July 31, 2021, and September 24, 2021. <h4>Conclusion</h4> These results suggest that policy interventions are less likely to be effective at influencing infection control behaviour with time and more policies introduced, and that tracking and publicly reporting case numbers can influence infection control behaviour.
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spelling doaj.art-b57bca712c894cb195582f68aedc82df2023-09-05T05:31:46ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01188The effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection-control behaviour in the general public: Evidence from a low-COVID prevalence jurisdictionKent RossDaniel J. Dutton<h4>Background</h4> Public health policies designed to influence individuals’ infection-control behaviour are a tool for governments to help prevent the spread of disease. Findings on the impacts of policies are mixed and there is limited information on the effects of removing restrictions and how policies impact behavioural trends. <h4>Methods</h4> We use low-acuity emergency department visits from 12 hospitals in New Brunswick, Canada, (January 2017 –October 2021) as a proxy for infection-control behaviour and provide insight into the effects of the COVID-19 virus on a population with a low prevalence of cases. Quasi-experimental techniques (event studies) are applied to estimate the magnitude and persistence of effects of specific events (e.g., policy changes), to control for COVID-19 cases and vaccines, and to explore how the effectiveness of policy changes during the pandemic as more policies are introduced. <h4>Results</h4> Initial tightening of restrictions on March 11, 2020 reduced low-acuity emergency department visits by around 60% and reached a minimum after 30 days. Relaxing policies on social gatherings and personal services gradually increased low-acuity emergency department visits by approximately 50% after 44 days. No effects were found from policies lifting all restrictions, and reinstating a state of emergency on July 31, 2021, and September 24, 2021. <h4>Conclusion</h4> These results suggest that policy interventions are less likely to be effective at influencing infection control behaviour with time and more policies introduced, and that tracking and publicly reporting case numbers can influence infection control behaviour.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10468032/?tool=EBI
spellingShingle Kent Ross
Daniel J. Dutton
The effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection-control behaviour in the general public: Evidence from a low-COVID prevalence jurisdiction
PLoS ONE
title The effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection-control behaviour in the general public: Evidence from a low-COVID prevalence jurisdiction
title_full The effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection-control behaviour in the general public: Evidence from a low-COVID prevalence jurisdiction
title_fullStr The effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection-control behaviour in the general public: Evidence from a low-COVID prevalence jurisdiction
title_full_unstemmed The effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection-control behaviour in the general public: Evidence from a low-COVID prevalence jurisdiction
title_short The effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection-control behaviour in the general public: Evidence from a low-COVID prevalence jurisdiction
title_sort effectiveness and decay of public health policy actions on infection control behaviour in the general public evidence from a low covid prevalence jurisdiction
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10468032/?tool=EBI
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