Influenza pandemic preparedness: motivation for protection among small and medium businesses in Australia

Watkins, Rochelle E; Cooke, Feonagh C; Donovan, Robert J; MacIntyre, C Raina; Itzwerth, Ralf; Plant, Aileen J

The following beliefs about pandemic influenza were each assessed by a single question: the perceived severity of the threat; the risk of the threat; and the ability to respond effectively to the threat. The general belief about the severity of the threat was operationalised as the perceived proportion of people that could become sick if pandemic influenza were to affect the local community. The perceived risk of the threat was operationalised as the likelihood that pandemic influenza would become a significant health issue in Australia in the near future, and assessed on a four point scale (very unlikely, unlikely, likely, very likely). An additional business-specific indicator of risk, the perceived level of risk that pandemic influenza poses to the interviewee's business, was also rated on a four-point scale (no risk, some risk, moderate risk, high risk). A dichotomous indicator of coping appraisal was derived from the open-ended question: "Can you think of any steps you can take to protect your business from pandemic influenza?" Responses were independently reviewed by two coders, and participants who were unable to identify any potentially useful steps that could be taken to protect their business or limit disease spread were classified as having low coping appraisal.