Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on health beliefs and compliance with prevention measures in rural, regional, remote and Aboriginal populations of Western NSW

The aim of the project was to develop an understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on residents in rural, regional, remote and Aboriginal populations in Western NSW during the outbreak.Based on the theoretical constructs of Health BeliefModel (HBM) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and socialisation theory.
There were three specific objectives 1) To assess levels of knowledge of COVID-19, risk perception, feelings of anxiety, perceived efficacy of measures, and the information needs of the populations. 2) To identify factors associated with taking recommended preventive measures and intentions to comply with them. 3) To identify the sources of information people engaged with and trusted, and to understand how information sources influenced compliance behaviour.
The mixed methods investigation revealed high levels of knowledge, and adoption of preventative health behaviours. There were differential responses between First Nations respondents and other members of the sample. We also identified four types of infomration that people used to get informed about COVID and four segments of the market who differed in terms of their information use, behavioural intentions and adoption of behavior.