Public communication about pandemic influenza : a critical public health ethics analysis / by Laena Maunula.

The purpose of this research was two-fold: two-fold: firstly, to critically analyze, using a critical public health ethics perspective, public communication directed toward the population of Ontario regarding a future influenza pandemic and compare this communication with information needs and interests of a sample of this population, and secondly, to examine public preferences for engagement in pandemic planning. First, public communication/education materials developed by Public Health Agency of Canada, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (Ontario) and Health Canada concerning pandemic influenza were analysed using a four step coding process. Next, survey data was collected regarding general pandemic knowledge, informational needs, desires and expectations, including opinions regarding public engagement from a First Nations and a university sample. Results from the document analysis and survey were compared and analysed using a critical public health ethics lens. Results indicated that; (a) Considerable overlap exists between the most important topics as identified by respondents and the topics most covered in documents, although several areas in which information desired by respondents was not included in documents, (b) Respondents underestimated the projected scale and impact of influenza pandemic, (c) Respondents were largely unaware of government pandemic plans including Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan, although expressed great interest in pandemic plans, (d) Respondents were in favour of having involvement in pandemic decision making at some level, and indicated their preferred methods of participation, (e) Communication documents largely portrayed pandemic influenza as a biomedical issue, and pandemic planning as within the Jurisdiction of experts. Prevention, particularly self-protection behaviours on the part of the individual, was also a dominant theme. The author posits practical suggestions for improving future public communications. Study sampling from 2 populations in Northwestern Ontario : students, faculty, staff at Lakehead University (Thunder Bay) and the Lac des Milles Lacs First Nations band (Aboriginal or Native peoples)

Priority setting of ICU resources in an influenza pandemic: a qualitative study of the Canadian public's perspectives

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pandemic influenza may exacerbate existing scarcity of life-saving medical resources. As a result, decision-makers may be faced with making tough choices about who will receive care and who will have to wait or go without. Although previous studies have explored ethical issues in priority setting from the perspective of clinicians and policymakers, there has been little investigation into how the public views priority setting during a pandemic influenza, in particular related to intensive care resources.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To bridge this gap, we conducted three public town hall meetings across Canada to explore Canadian's perspectives on this ethical challenge. Town hall discussions group discussions were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six interrelated themes emerged from the town hall discussions related to: ethical and empirical starting points for deliberation; criteria for setting priorities; pre-crisis planning; in-crisis decision-making; the need for public deliberation and input; and participants' deliberative struggle with the ethical issues.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings underscore the importance of public consultation in pandemic planning for sustaining public trust in a public health emergency. Participants appreciated the empirical and ethical uncertainty of decision-making in an influenza pandemic and demonstrated nuanced ethical reasoning about priority setting of intensive care resources in an influenza pandemic. Policymakers may benefit from a better understanding the public's empirical and ethical 'starting points' in developing effective pandemic plans.</p

Citizenship in a Post-Pandemic World: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of H1N1 in the Canadian Print News Media

The 2009/2010 outbreak of H1N1 thrust pandemic influenza into the media spotlight. Not only did the outbreak dominate media coverage during that time, but news coverage also played an integral part in the official public health response for public communication across Canada. As influenza pandemics are notoriously fraught with scientific uncertainty, much of that news coverage centred on risk (e.g. infection, vaccination). Over the past several decades, risk has emerged as a central organizing principle and a prevailing characteristic of modernity, and recent studies on the discursive constitution of risk claim that risk discourses operate as a technology of governance within neoliberal societies. To date, very little work has been done to explore the discursive constitution of H1N1, or H1N1 risk, within the news media. To address this gap, I analyzed print news coverage of the H1N1 outbreak within two major English-language, Canadian daily newspapers, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star. Applying a governmentality and risk perspective as an analytic lens, and informed by the theoretical concepts of biopower and biopedagogy, I explored how media discourses on risk made possible particular ways of acting, seeing, and talking about ourselves, both as individuals and in social groups. The results indicate that three distinct strands of risk discourse were operating in the media during the H1N1 pandemic: ‘causal tales’ which serve as explanations of risk; ‘cautionary tales’ which warn of expanded H1N1 risk; and, ‘precautionary tales’ which offer instructions for managing H1N1 risk. I argue that these results suggest a shifting discursive terrain surrounding H1N1 risk and its management, in which each new ‘tale’ recalibrates the conditions of possibility for H1N1, and hails the audience into a new H1N1 storyline and a heightened awareness of H1N1 risk. Further, I argue that this expansion of ‘risk space’ makes possible a particular kind of ‘pandemic subject’ which operates as a neo-liberal bio-citizen. Lastly, I posit that there is a heretofore untheorized risk rationality, operating in the context of pandemic influenza, that pertains to the case-by-case assessment of risks located within the social interactions of daily life, which I term ‘social-interactive risk’.Ph.D

“I just got tired of their healthy tips”: health promotion during public health crises

This qualitative study highlights parents’ perspectives on pandemic-related changes to health promotion programming. We conducted 60-minute, semi-structured telephone interviews with 15 parents (all mothers) of children in Grades 4 to 6 between December 2020 and February 2021 in two western Canadian provinces. Transcripts were analyzed through thematic analysis. While some parents found the health promotion materials helpful, most were overwhelmed and did not access the materials, finding them intrusive, being preoccupied with other things and facing their own personal stressors. This study highlights key factors to be addressed and further investigated to ensure the successful delivery of health promotion programming during future crises

« J’ai fini par en avoir assez de leurs conseils santé » : la promotion de la santé en période de crise de santé publique

Cette étude qualitative met en lumière les points de vue de parents concernant les changements liés à la pandémie dans les programmes de promotion de la santé. Nous avons réalisé des entrevues téléphoniques semi‑structurées de 60 minutes avec 15 parents (des mères) d’enfants de la 4e à la 6e année entre décembre 2020 et février 2021 dans deux provinces de l’ouest du Canada. Les transcriptions ont été analysées au moyen d’une analyse thématique. Bien que certaines mères aient jugé que les documents de promotion de la santé avaient été utiles, la plupart étaient débordées et n’ont pas consulté les documents parce qu’elles les trouvaient intrusifs, avaient d’autres préoccupations ou devaient faire face à leurs propres sources de stress. Cette étude établit les principaux facteurs à aborder et à approfondir pour assurer l’efficacité des programmes de promotion de la santé lors des crises à venir

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s Very Stressful for Children&rdquo;: Elementary School-Aged Children&rsquo;s Psychological Wellbeing during COVID-19 in Canada

Emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures, including lockdowns and school closures, have been negatively affecting school-aged children&rsquo;s psychological wellbeing. To identify supports required to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we gathered in-depth information on school-aged children&rsquo;s and parents&rsquo; lived experiences of COVID-19 and perceptions of its impact on psychological wellbeing in grade 4&ndash;6 students in Canada. In this qualitative study, we conducted telephone-based semi-structured interviews with parents (n = 15) and their children (n = 16) from six schools in small and mid-sized northern prairie communities in Canada. Interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes have emerged. First, the start of COVID-19 brought sudden and stressful changes to children&rsquo;s lives. Second, disruptions to daily life led to feelings of boredom and lack of purpose. Third, limited opportunities for social interaction led to loneliness and an increase in screen time to seek social connection with peers. Results underscore the need for resilience building and the promotion of positive coping strategies to help school-aged children thrive in the event of future health crises or natural disasters