Stay
at home and watch TV
BioMed Central, Science Daily
Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) include actions
individuals can take to reduce disease spread, such as hand washing and
minimizing contacts with sick people.
These can play a key role in reducing the
spread of infectious diseases such as influenza, according to research
published in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases.
Social distancing, staying indoors and avoiding social activity,
is an important NPI in the event of an epidemic, especially when a vaccine is
unavailable or limited.
Whether privately initiated or policy directed, NPIs
calling for the closure of schools and entertainment venues, and cancelling
public events are becoming more relevant in control strategies.
Following confirmation of a novel strain of A/H1N1 influenza
virus (swine flu), on Friday 24th April 2009 the Mexican federal government
closed public schools in Mexico City and 'social distancing' measures were put
in place. Researchers from University of California, Arizona State University, Georgia
State University, and Yale University used home television viewing in Central
Mexico as an indicator of behavioral response during the pandemic.
Television ratings data are consistently and widely available
and "highly correlated with time spent in the home," says Springborn.
These data provide a good indicator for the level of social interaction,
because time spent watching television generally increases with time spent at
home. When people are home, they are limiting the number of contacts they make.
"We found that the behavioral response to the outbreak was
initially strong but waned sooner than expected," says Springborn. This
dynamic is interpreted as a "rebound effect." At the onset of a flu
outbreak, the public responds strongly to the directed control policies. After
a prolonged period of staying indoors people began to spend less time in the
confines of their homes.
Springborn explains "This suggests that efforts to utilize
social distancing to mitigate disease spread may have a limited window of
efficacy, i.e. before pent up-demand for activities outside the home takes
precedence." There is historical evidence for this behavior. Observations
from the 1918 influenza pandemic in Australia showed that when the perceived
risk decreased the public reverted back to normal behavior.
"Our study reinforces the view that capturing behavioural
changes that amplify or blunt the transmission rate is key to improve our
ability to make predictions about the impact of epidemics," says co-author
Gerardo Chowell, who is a newly appointed faculty member in the School of
Public Health at Georgia State University.
Certain age groups and socio-economic groups responded more
strongly than others. The researchers found that the increase in TV watching
for children and wealthier groups was more pronounced.
The authors speculate
that those from poorer backgrounds may face greater difficulty in taking
self-protective actions like social distancing, e.g. due to less flexibility
with working hours.
These differences between demographic groups could have
public health policy implications for directing outbreak response assistance to
those with lower financial means or increasing access to paid sick-leave for
low-wage workers.
Behavioral responses clearly affect the course of the disease.
"This affects public health authorities tasked with planning for
epidemics," says Springborn. This has implications for management advice,
including the allocation of resources between pharmaceutical and
non-pharmaceutical interventions.
Within the set of NPIs, the findings provide insight for
selection of the duration and strength of major interventions (closing of
businesses and cancelling public events) versus other forms of assistance, such
as distributing masks.
Social distancing policies may be effective against pandemic
influenza. However, people don't need to wait. It is important to remember that
other behaviors, such as washing hands and wearing facemasks, could contribute
and should be routine in order to reduce transmission.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by BioMed Central. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
Michael Springborn, Gerardo Chowell, Matthew MacLachlan, Eli P
Fenichel.Accounting for behavioral responses during a flu epidemic using home
television viewing. BMC Infectious Diseases, 2015; 15 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s12879-014-0691-0
Cite This Page:
BioMed
Central. "What to do in a flu epidemic? Stay at home and watch TV." Science Daily,
23 January 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150123081939.htm>