Next pandemic
Definition
Pandemic prevention will require widespread, voluntary, and sustained behavior change at individual and societal levels to prevent pathogen spread, with specific preventive behaviors varying depending on how the relevant pathogen spreads and can be contained. Preparation for the next pandemic should involve articulation and empirical testing of well-researched behavioral science models designed specifically to promote adoption and maintenance of pandemic-preventive behaviors, rather than the ad hoc, reactive, and atheoretical approaches that have characterized public health responses to COVID-19 and earlier pandemics.
Sources: Fisher & Fisher (2023)
Related Terms
Applications
Next Pandemic and Behavior Change
Effective containment of pandemics will depend fundamentally on widespread, voluntary, and sustained behavior change to prevent disease spread, requiring that public health responses be based upon well-validated behavioral science models of health behavior change articulated specifically to pandemic contexts. The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model provides a systematic framework for designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions to promote and maintain the pandemic preventive behaviors necessary across individual, interpersonal, and community levels.
Sources: Fisher & Fisher (2023)
Next Pandemic and Pandemic Preparedness
Preparation for pandemics should involve empirical testing of behavioral science models through applications in current epidemic contexts, localized outbreaks, and pandemic simulation studies. Unless future public health pandemic preparedness includes introduction, testing, adoption, training in, and widespread use of comprehensive, effective pandemic health behavior change models from the outset, an ad hoc and atheoretical approach to pandemic prevention will predominate.
Sources: Fisher & Fisher (2023)
