Even as government mandates eased, a new study shows that Australians, especially those with preexisting conditions, are steadfast in their support for COVID-19 precautions, revealing a cautious and health-conscious public. Study. Attitudes and Behaviours Regarding COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies in Australians With an Underlying Health Condition: A Cross-Sectional Study .
Image Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal Health Expectations , researchers used a large nationwide cross-sectional study design to investigate the impacts of participants’ preexisting medical conditions on their behaviors and perceptions towards nationally implemented anti-COVID-19 mitigation measures. The survey-based study included 2,867 participants and revealed that almost three-quarters of participants (74%) believed current mitigation measures were too lenient and expressed a desire to return to public mask mandates. Similarly, large proportions would prefer five days per week isolation measures (66%).
Notably, for those with psychiatric conditions, most individuals with preexisting health concerns were more cautious and stricter in complying with COVID-19 mitigation measures than their healthy counterparts. Background The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) remains one of the worst disease outbreaks in human history, infecting more than 770 million individuals and claiming more than 7 million lives since its discovery in late 2019. While the developme.