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

Our finding of a difference in the need for help by state is likely to be associated with the different sampling and recruitment processes used in the two study locations. In WA the Local Chambers of Commerce was directly contracted to supply the business contact details and conduct the interviews. Thus, the existing relationship with the businesses sampled is likely to explain the higher response rate in WA, why a higher proportion of owners were interviewed, and provide a sample which may be less biased in terms of either having a specific interest in pandemic influenza or time or resource pressures than the NSW sample. Selection bias associated with the different recruitment strategies may explain why participants from NSW were more likely to have a plan, were more likely to need help and reported lower response efficacy. Alternatively, these findings may be due to real differences in beliefs and behaviour between states, which may for example be associated with differences in media exposure or other local influences. Regardless of the cause, these differences did not significantly influence the associations found between beliefs and preparedness.