Kentuckians are being asked to participate in a survey designed to evaluate attitudes about the current coronavirus pandemic. The effort, undertaken in the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health, could have ramifications on how to deal with the disease in the future.
It’s called the COVID-19 Prevention Project. UK Health, Behavior, and Society Chair Marc Kiviniemi says the surveying aims to better understand what people are doing to prevent the disease. Kiviniemi admitted sometimes the benefits of strategies like social distancing are not obvious over time. “It’s tricky because the better job we do of engaging in social distancing measures, the less obvious it’s going to be why we need them,” said Kiviniemi.
Kiviniemi said health behaviors often focus on individual benefits whereas with an infectious disease it affects both the individual and others who might become sick. The public health professor noted the economic and social impacts, beyond spending more time at home, are not always realized during this type of health care crisis.
Kiviniemi said the project involves surveying to see how the disease is affecting people’s lives. The UK public health professor added the research seeks to learn what steps people are taking beyond social distancing measures. “And moreover, what do they think about those kinds of behaviors? Do they think that they are effective for preventing COVID 19? Are they primarily doing them because they are thinking about themselves and their own risks or are they primarily doing them for the good of the community,” explained Kiviniemi.
Kiviniemi says for most all people this can be a difficult time because as he puts it, “we are social beings.” Also, he says a change in routine is a challenge for creatures of habit.
Here's the link to participate in the COVID-19 Prevention Project survey:
https://redcap.uky.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=PXEJXAHM7E&ctp=42
Here's an extended interview with Marc Kiviniemi:
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