Communicating Community-Based Public Health Surveillance: Lessons from Profiling Public Risk Perceptions of COVID-19...

Area of Science:

• Public Health Surveillance
• Epidemiology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Wastewater monitoring emerged as a critical tool for tracking SARS-CoV-2 infection trends during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Effective public health action relies on communication strategies that address public risk perceptions and encourage cooperation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To segment the population based on risk perception profiles related to wastewater monitoring for COVID-19.
• To provide an evidence base for developing targeted public health communication strategies.

Main Methods:

• Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to analyze survey data from 332 Colorado residents.
• Covariate analysis explored factors associated with identified risk perception profiles.

Main Results:

• Four distinct risk perception profiles were identified: worrisome (48%), practical (19%), community-oriented (11%), and minimally concerned (22%).
• Communal coping, misinformation beliefs, knowledge of wastewater monitoring, age, education, and political ideology were associated with these profiles.

Conclusions:

• Public health communication for wastewater surveillance can be optimized by tailoring messages to specific population subgroups.
• Understanding diverse risk perceptions is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of community-based public health surveillance programs.