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

ABSTRACT:

Background

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.

Methods

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 c

SUBMITTER: Ross K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10468032 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature