Barriers to and facilitators of populational adherence to prevention and control measures of COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Tácito Zaildo; Thayla Amorim Santino; Gabriela Chaves; Baldomero Antonio Kato da Silva; João Carlos Alchieri; Cecilia M Patino; Sarah Leite; Kleber Giovanni Luz; Ricardo Oliveira Guerra; Tito Hugo Soares da Penha; Gabriel Rodrigues da Silva; Ada Cristina Jácome; Karolinne Souza Monteiro; Karla Morganna Pereira Pinto de Mendonça

doi:10.1183/16000617.0238-2022

Barriers to and facilitators of populational adherence to prevention and control measures of COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Eur Respir Rev. 2023 Jun 21;32(168):220238. doi: 10.1183/16000617.0238-2022. Print 2023 Jun 30.

Authors

Tácito Zaildo¹, Thayla Amorim Santino², Gabriela Chaves³, Baldomero Antonio Kato da Silva⁴, João Carlos Alchieri⁵, Cecilia M Patino⁶, Sarah Leite⁷, Kleber Giovanni Luz⁸, Ricardo Oliveira Guerra⁷, Tito Hugo Soares da Penha⁷, Gabriel Rodrigues da Silva⁷, Ada Cristina Jácome⁹, Karolinne Souza Monteiro¹⁰, Karla Morganna Pereira Pinto de Mendonça⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Program in Physical Therapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil ft.tacitozaildo@gmail.com.
² Department of Physical Therapy, State University of Paraiba, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil.
³ Research and Development, Myant Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Physical Therapy, Federal University of Delta do Parnaíba, Parnaíba, PI, Brazil.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Graduate Program in Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
⁶ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Program in Physical Therapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
⁸ Department of Infectious Diseases, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
⁹ Public Health Department of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
¹⁰ Faculty of Health Sciences of Trairi, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.

Abstract

Aims: To summarise the evidence on barriers to and facilitators of population adherence to prevention and control measures for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other respiratory infectious diseases.

Methods: A qualitative synthesis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis and the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care: Qualitative Evidence Synthesis. We performed an electronic search on MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO from their inception to March 2023.

Results: We included 71 studies regarding COVID-19, pneumonia, tuberculosis, influenza, pertussis and H1N1, representing 5966 participants. The measures reported were vaccinations, physical distancing, stay-at-home policy, quarantine, self-isolation, facemasks, hand hygiene, contact investigation, lockdown, infection prevention and control guidelines, and treatment. Tuberculosis-related measures were access to care, diagnosis and treatment completion. Analysis of the included studies yielded 37 barriers and 23 facilitators.

Conclusions: This review suggests that financial and social support, assertive communication, trust in political authorities and greater regulation of social media enhance adherence to prevention and control measures for COVID-19 and infectious respiratory diseases. Designing and implementing effective educational public health interventions targeting the findings of barriers and facilitators highlighted in this review are key to reducing the impact of infectious respiratory diseases at the population level.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / prevention & control
Communicable Disease Control
Communicable Diseases*
Humans
Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype*
Influenza, Human*