麻豆原创

In late March, Deborah Birx, the nation鈥檚 Coronavirus Response Coordinator, famously stated that 鈥淭here is no magic bullet, no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviors.鈥�

Teachers College鈥檚 John Allegrante, Professor of Health Education, agrees -- but in a recent article in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, he and coauthors M. Elaine Auld, Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Public Health Education, and Sundar Natarajan of NYU Langone Health argue that thus far the United States has fallen far short in its prevention strategies. 

鈥淚f 鈥榠t's just behaviors,鈥� preventing further viral spread will require strengthening evidence-based behavioral change and implementation of science strategies to effectively reach the large numbers of at-risk Americans who are anxiously navigating the difficult social terrain to keep themselves and their families safe from COVID-19 and its long-term sequela,鈥� the three write in in a piece titled 鈥淚n other wars, the U.S. committed resources, technology, and expertise to achieve overwhelming superiority and overcome the enemy. The strategy for winning this contemporary war will demand nothing less.鈥�

Preventing further viral spread will require strengthening evidence-based behavioral change and implementation of science strategies to effectively reach the large numbers of at-risk Americans who are anxiously navigating the difficult social terrain to keep themselves and their families safe.

[Read by Allegrante, Auld and Natarajan.]

Currently, argue Allegrante, Auld and Natarajan, the prevention 鈥渘arrative鈥� being delivered to the public is 鈥渕issing the behavioral science expertise that is central to achieving protective behaviors.鈥� The three call for 鈥渁 national historic commitment鈥�in which behavior change methodology is a dominant weapon in the nation鈥檚 public health arsenal.鈥� They underscore an urgent need for 鈥渁ccurate data about the public understanding of COVID-19 risk and preferred sources for obtaining information about how to stay safe.鈥�

At hotspots or areas of impending risk, push notifications to reinforce social distancing, hand washing, and use of masks could be sent to every mobile phone there until government leaders and public health authorities believe the risk has been lowered substantially.   

The three authors also urge better utilization of digital technology to enable more efficient targeting of at-risk individuals and tailoring of behavioral interventions. For that to happen, they argue that pandemic behavioral science, methodology, and evidence need to be updated and expanded.

鈥淎t hotspots or areas of impending risk, push notifications to reinforce social distancing, hand washing, and use of masks could be sent to every mobile phone there until government leaders and public health authorities believe the risk has been lowered substantially,鈥� the authors write. 鈥淪uch notifications could be sent by the National Emergency Broadcast System, AMBER Alert (the Department of Justice's Nationwide System of Emergency Response), or even by active alerts through the National Weather Service or other emergency mass text alert systems to provide the cues and nudges to activate behavioral change.鈥�

In other wars, the U.S. committed resources, technology, and expertise to achieve overwhelming superiority and overcome the enemy. The strategy for winning this contemporary war will demand nothing less.

The authors also praise work by former New York City Mayor and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg to develop smartphone apps for tracing COVID contacts as an 鈥渆xample of how clever strategic use of digital technology could strengthen the national response.鈥�