prevention
Definition
Prevention refers to the adoption and maintenance of voluntary, sustained behavior change designed to reduce the spread of infectious disease and avert catastrophic pandemic outcomes at individual, interpersonal, and community levels. Pandemic prevention is determined by three core components: accurate information about pathogen transmission and prevention strategies, personal and social motivation to engage in preventive action, and the necessary behavioral skills to perform preventive actions effectively. Prevention behaviors may include social distancing, face mask utilization, testing, vaccination and booster vaccination acceptance, self-isolation, and securing and utilizing antiviral treatment when infected and at risk for complications. Effective pandemic prevention requires comprehensive, theory-based approaches grounded in well-validated behavioral science models rather than ad hoc, reactive, or atheoretical public health strategies.
Sources: Fisher & Fisher (2023)
Related Terms
Applications
Prevention and Behavior Change
Pandemic prevention is fundamentally dependent upon widespread, voluntary, and sustained behavior change to contain the spread of infectious disease. The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model provides a systematic, evidence-based framework for understanding the determinants of preventive behavior and for designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions to promote and maintain such behavior change across diverse pandemic scenarios and populations.
Sources: Fisher & Fisher (2023)
Prevention and Vaccination
Vaccination is a key prevention strategy within pandemic response efforts. The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model can be applied to understand and address factors influencing vaccination and booster uptake.
Sources: Fisher & Fisher (2023)
