COVID-19: Preventive behaviours between HK and UK

Prior to the availability of effective treatment and vaccines, control strategies of the pandemic mainly require public participation such as wearing face masks and complying with social distancing policies. This study compared the initial community responses in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom during the early phase of the pandemic. It found that the adoption of preventive measures was higher in Hong Kong. In the United Kingdom, people who perceived their symptom severity as “high” were more likely to adopt preventive behaviours. The result of the study suggested that health officials should identify baseline levels of risk perception and knowledge in developing mitigation strategies. (J Med Internet Res. 2021 Mar 8;23(3):e23231. doi: 10.2196/23231.)

Anyone interested in future collaboration in this field of research, you are welcome to contact our key investigator Prof Samuel WONG of The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, CUHK. Prof Wong’s research focuses on mental health and primary care interventions, mindfulness related interventions, multimorbidity, health services research and men’s health.