Open AccessExperiences of New Zealand public health messaging while in lockdown
Author(s) -
Officer Tara N.,
McKinlay Eileen,
Imlach Fiona,
Kennedy Jonathan,
Churchward Marianna,
McBrideHenry Karen
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/1753-6405.13297
Subject(s) - aotearoa , public health , pandemic , social distance , covid-19 , public relations , psychology , medicine , nursing , political science , outbreak , disease , pathology , virology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law
Objective : The COVID‐19 pandemic has led to greater societal divides based on alignment with vaccine mandates and social distancing requirements. This paper briefly lays out the experiences of individuals in Aotearoa New Zealand related to public health messaging. Methods : Adults in Aotearoa New Zealand participated in a mixed‐methods study involving a survey (n=1,010 analysed results) and then semi‐structured interviews with a subset of surveyed participants (38 participants). Results were thematically analysed. Results : Participants highlighted two key areas related to public health messaging, these related to message consistency and the impact of messaging on wellbeing. Conclusions and public health implications : As the COVID‐19 pandemic continues and further disrupts health service delivery and normal societal functioning, forward planning is needed to deliver more targeted messaging.