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Protective Behaviors Following Digital COVID-19 Exposure Notifications, Washington State, September 1, 2021, to March
Nicole L Briggs1, Brandon L Guthrie, Adam S Elder
1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (Ms Briggs); Departments of Global Health and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (Dr Guthrie); Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (Dr Elder); Department of Health Systems and Population Health (Ms Revere), Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (Ms Molino); Office of Innovation and Technology, Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater, Washington (Mss West and Higgins);Office of Innovation and Technology, Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater and Department of Health Systems and Population Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (Dr Karras); and Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (Dr Baseman).
Digital exposure notification systems like WA Notify influenced user behavior during COVID-19. More users implemented protective actions, such as quarantining and symptom watching, than initially planned.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Digital Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Digital exposure notification (EN) systems were crucial for public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- WA Notify, a Washington State system, used Bluetooth for proximity detection but couldn't track user responses.
- Understanding user behavior post-notification is vital for optimizing these tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of WA Notify exposure notifications on users' intended and actual protective behaviors.
- To identify factors influencing behavior change after receiving an EN.
Main Methods:
- Two surveys (baseline and 2-week follow-up) collected self-reported data on planned and implemented protective behaviors.
- Poisson regression analyzed behavior differences across demographics and contexts.
- Study included 4280 participants in Washington State from September 2021 to March 2022.
Main Results:
- More individuals implemented quarantining and symptom watching than initially planned after receiving an EN.
- Symptomatic individuals were more likely to quarantine and test for COVID-19.
- Behavioral responses varied based on personal and contextual factors.
Conclusions:
- Initial plans for protective behaviors can evolve after receiving an EN.
- Tailored messaging in future digital EN systems can enhance disease prevention efforts.
- Digital EN systems are valuable tools for influencing public health behaviors.
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