The Relation between Perceived and Actual Understanding and Adherence: Results from a National Survey on COVID-19 Measures in Belgium

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 among the population, Belgium has implemented various infection prevention and control measures over time. This study investigated the extent to which understanding of the COVID-19 measures contributed to adherence, and which personal characteristics were considered risk factors for lower adherence. It consisted of a large online survey among a sample of the population (n = 2008), representative of citizens of Belgium in terms of gender, age, province and socio-economic status. The survey was conducted in September 2020, and included questions on perceived and actual understanding of COVID-19 protective measures in place during that time, as well as past and future adherence to those measures. The results showed that both perceived and actual understanding contributed significantly to past as well as future adherence. Risk factors for perceived understanding included being male and belonging to a younger age group, while risk factors for actual understanding were speaking French (versus Dutch) and belonging to a lower socio-economic level. Communication about COVID-19 measures should put more focus on trying to improve the understanding of the measures, instead of only making them known, particularly for those who are less health literate and as such at risk of poor understanding

Heat plan compilation, SCORCH project

Extreme temperatures, including heat and cold waves, are climatological hazards. Both in the EU as well as in EU-Neighbourhood countries, research has shown that heatwaves cause a rise in morbidity and mortality. Since heatwaves are not restricted to country borders, a cross-border approach is required to ensure collective preparedness and response to mitigate the impacts on communities and limit the financial and health costs. The overall objective of SCORCH is to reduce the impact of heatwaves on vulnerable, urban populations through improved risk communication strategies based on existing EU plans and guidelines. In addition, we will measure risk perception and behaviour in communities in EU-neighbourhood countries through surveys and foster a cross-country culture of prevention and cooperation. To make maximum use of existing knowledge and strategies on heatwaves, the project starts out by collecting existing heatwave plans of EU countries. Based on these plans we aim to identify the necessary building blocks that make up a heatwave plan. Through this overview and a literature review on studies that evaluated existing heatwave plans (deliverable 2.2.), we aim to help find a standard for developing a heatwave plan and apply this to the development of the risk communication strategies in WP4. This report outlines the methodology used for collecting and subsequently analysing existing heatwave plans; and describes the results of this effort

Literature review, SCORCH project

Extreme temperatures, including heat and cold waves, are climatological hazards. Both in the EU as in EU-Neighbourhood countries, research has shown that heatwaves cause a rise in morbidity and mortality. Since heatwaves are not restricted to country borders, a cross-border approach is required to ensure collective preparedness and response to mitigate the impacts on communities and limit the financial and health costs. The overall objective of SCORCH is to reduce the impact of heatwaves on vulnerable, urban populations through improved risk communication strategies based on existing EU plans and guidelines. In addition, we will measure risk perception and behaviour in communities in EU-neighbourhood countries through surveys and foster a cross-country culture of prevention and cooperation. To make maximum use of existing knowledge and strategies on heatwaves, the project started out by collecting existing heatwave plans of EU countries (D2.1). In this report, we go one step further and review literature that analyses heatwave plans of EU countries, Switzerland, Norway or EU candidate countries. The review is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the heatwave plans, based on a desk study, and addresses two research questions: 1. How effective are the processes described in the national heatwave plans with regard to their implementation and risk management? 2. How effective are the national heatwave plans in changing behaviour and perceptions of the public and in particular vulnerable populations regarding heatwaves? The first research question focuses on the professionals involved in the national plan and the extent to which they succeed in effective implementation. The second research question focuses on the perspective of the populations targeted by the plan, i.e. the general public and vulnerable populations, and the extent to which the plan succeeds in sensitising and mobilising populations and involved stakeholders. The report outlines the methodology used for the systematic literature review, and describes the results of this effort

Key informant interviews, SCORCH project

Extreme temperatures, including heat and cold waves, are climatological hazards. Both in the EU as in EU-Neighbourhood countries, research has shown that heatwaves cause a rise in morbidity and mortality. Since heatwaves are not restricted to country borders, a cross-border approach is required to ensure collective preparedness and response to mitigate the impacts on communities and limit the financial and health costs. The overall objective of SCORCH is to reduce the impact of heatwaves on vulnerable, urban populations through improved risk communication strategies based on existing EU plans and guidelines. In addition, we will measure risk perception and behaviour in communities in EU-neighbourhood countries through surveys and foster a cross-country culture of prevention and cooperation. The SCORCH project aims to make use of existing knowledge and strategies for preparing and responding to heatwaves. Therefore, we started out by collecting and analysing existing heatwave plans and strategies (D2.1) and with a scientific literature review on articles related to the effectiveness of these plans (D2.2). In this report, we continued on this effort by conducting and analysing key informant interviews with stakeholders involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of national heatwave plans. Through these interviews, we aim to gain insights into the functioning of the national heatwave plans from those involved. The interviews were conducted in nine European countries. The analysis in this report is descriptive, and only based on the results from the interviews

Critical Analysis of Heat Plans and Interviews, SCORCH project

Extreme temperatures, including heat and cold waves, are climatological hazards. Both in the EU as in EU-Neighbourhood countries, research has shown that heatwaves cause a rise in morbidity and mortality. Since heatwaves are not restricted to country borders, a cross-border approach is required to ensure collective preparedness and response to mitigate the impacts on communities and limit the financial and health costs. The overall objective of SCORCH is to reduce the impact of heatwaves on vulnerable, urban populations through improved risk communication strategies based on existing EU plans and guidelines. In addition, we will measure risk perception and behaviour in communities in EU-neighbourhood countries through surveys and foster a cross-country culture of prevention and cooperation. The SCORCH project aims to make use of existing knowledge and strategies for preparing and responding to heatwaves. Therefore, over the past year, we analysed existing heatwave plans and strategies (D2.1), reviewed scientific literature on the effectiveness of these plans (D2.2) and conducted key stakeholder interviews to capture their experiences and insights (D2.3). In this report, we synthesise our findings from these previous analyses and provide recommendations on key components of a heatwave plan. As such, we aim to provide support for developing new or evaluating existing heatwave plans

The Relation between Perceived and Actual Understanding and Adherence: Results from a National Survey on COVID-19 Measures in Belgium

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 among the population, Belgium has implemented various infection prevention and control measures over time. This study investigated the extent to which understanding of the COVID-19 measures contributed to adherence, and which personal characteristics were considered risk factors for lower adherence. It consisted of a large online survey among a sample of the population (n = 2008), representative of citizens of Belgium in terms of gender, age, province and socio-economic status. The survey was conducted in September 2020, and included questions on perceived and actual understanding of COVID-19 protective measures in place during that time, as well as past and future adherence to those measures. The results showed that both perceived and actual understanding contributed significantly to past as well as future adherence. Risk factors for perceived understanding included being male and belonging to a younger age group, while risk factors for actual understanding were speaking French (versus Dutch) and belonging to a lower socio-economic level. Communication about COVID-19 measures should put more focus on trying to improve the understanding of the measures, instead of only making them known, particularly for those who are less health literate and as such at risk of poor understandin