COVID-19: Developing evidence-based messages to encourage preventive health behaviours

The likelihood of someone undertaking a health behaviour, following a public health message, is partly determined by how that message is framed. Therefore, if we wish to design a brief, effective public health message to encourage preventive behaviours, we must identify the specific determinants and moderators of these behaviours. We will provide this information by conducting a systematic review of the determinants of behaviours (such as handwashing and social distancing) that aim to prevent the spread of communicable illnesses. To enhance the appropriateness of the findings, we will only include research about communicable illnesses that are transmitted in a similar way and have similar symptoms to COVID-19. These illnesses include severe acute respiratory syndrome, H1N1 influenza and other types of flu. We will also include any relevant evidence about COVID-19 that emerges. The systematic review will follow the guidance on Conducting Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Observational Studies of Etiology (COSMOS-E) and Cochrane guidance for COVID-19 rapid reviews and will include the following stages: electronic literature search; eligibility assessment; quality assessment; data extraction and synthesis; dissemination of findings. The research team have the necessary expertise and experience to carry out this review and disseminate its findings. Through this project, we will identify the most important variables to be addressed in public health messages and disseminate these findings to public health bodies. Therefore, the project will help to optimise the effectiveness of any messages designed to encourage preventive behaviours for COVID-19 or any future similar situations, thereby serving to minimise contagion.