Fear in general populations: A cross-sectional study on perceived fear of common diseases, COVID-19, life events, and environmental threats in 30 countries.
Journal: Journal of global health
Volume: 14
Issue:
Year of Publication: 2024
Affiliated Institutions:
School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
School of Nursing and Health Studies, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
Department of Social Work, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
School of Nursing, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna British Columbia, Canada.
The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Family & Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Internal Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Department of Urology, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Al Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.
School of Public Health, JSS Medical College, JSS AHER, Mysuru, India.
Department of Statistics, Chulalongkorn Business School, Bangkok, Thailand.
Kulliyyah of Nursing, International Islamic University, Kuantan, Malaysia.
Italian Association against Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma, Rome Section, Italy.
Diálogos Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala.
School of Nursing, Centro Escolar University, Manila, Philippines.
Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Science, Beirut Arab University, Lebanon.
Italian Group for Adult Hematologic Disease, Data Center and Health Outcomes Research Unit, Rome, Italy.
Department of Psychology, Beirut Arab University, Lebanon.
Department of hepatogastroenterology and infectious diseases, Damietta faculty of medicine, Al-Azher University, Egypt.
Ergonomics Research Center, University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Laboratory of Applied Prosocial Research, Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
Faculty of Nursing, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Nigeria.
Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
School of Nursing, Wijaya Husada Health Institute, Bogor, Indonesia.
Department of Optometry, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Ecove, Ghaziabad, India.
School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Health Care Science, Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia.
Nam Dinh University of Nursing, Nam Dinh, Vietnam.
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, School of Social Work, Valparaíso, Chile.
Research Department, National Commission for Medical Arbitration, Mexico, Mexico.
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Science and Technology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Presidente Prudente, Brazil.
Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Benghazi University, Libya.
School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
Center for Language Enhancement, College of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Rwanda, Huye, Rwanda.
Faculty of Medicine, Alzaiem Alazhari University, Khartoum North, Sudan.
Faculty of Health Sciences and Sports, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao.
National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico.
Mental Health and Learning division, Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, UK.
Medical-surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University, Egypt.
Abstract summary
In this study, we assessed the general population's fears towards various diseases and events, aiming to inform public health strategies that balance health-seeking behaviours.We surveyed adults from 30 countries across all World Health Organization (WHO) regions between July 2020 and August 2021. Participants rated their fear of 11 factors on an 11-point Likert scale. We stratified the data by age and gender and examined variations across countries and regions through multidimensional preference analysis.Of the 16 512 adult participants, 62.7% (n = 10 351) were women. The most feared factor was the loss of family members, reported by 4232 participants (25.9%), followed by cancer (n = 2248, 13.7%) and stroke (n = 1416, 8.7%). The highest weighted fear scores were for loss of family members (mean (x̄) = 7.46, standard deviation (SD) = 3.04), cancer (x̄ = 7.00, SD = 3.09), and stroke (x̄ = 6.61, SD = 3.24). The least feared factors included animals/insects (x̄ = 3.72, SD = 2.96), loss of a mobile phone (x̄ = 4.27, SD = 2.98), and social isolation (x̄ = 4.83, SD = 3.13). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was the sixth most feared factor (x̄ = 6.23, SD = 2.92). Multidimensional preference analyses showed distinct fears of COVID-19 and job loss in Australia and Burundi. The other countries primarily feared loss of family members, cancer, stroke, and heart attacks; this ranking was consistent across WHO regions, economic levels, and COVID-19 severity levels.Fear of family loss can improve public health messaging, highlighting the need for bereavement support and the prevention of early death-causing diseases. Addressing cancer fears is crucial to encouraging the use of preventive services. Fear of non-communicable diseases remains high during health emergencies. Top fears require more resources and countries with similar concerns should collaborate internationally for effective fear management.
Authors & Co-authors:
Li Jiaying J
Pandian Vinciya V
Fong Daniel Yee Tak DYT
Lok Kris Yuet Wan KYW
Wong Janet Yuen Ha JYH
Man Ho Mandy M
Choi Edmond Pui Hang EPH
Davidson Patricia M PM
Duan Wenjie W
Tarrant Marie M
Lee Jung Jae JJ
Lin Chia-Chin CC
Akingbade Oluwadamilare O
Alabdulwahhab Khalid M KM
Ahmad Mohammad Shakil MS
Alboraie Mohamed M
Alzahrani Meshari A MA
Bilimale Anil S AS
Boonpatcharanon Sawitree S
Byiringiro Samuel S
Hasan Muhammad Kamil Che MKC
Schettini Luisa Clausi LC
Corzo Walter W
De Leon Josephine M JM
De Leon Anjanette S AS
Deek Hiba H
Efficace Fabio F
El Nayal Mayssah A MA
El-Raey Fathiya F
Ensaldo-Carrasco Eduardo E
Escotorin Pilar P
Fadodun Oluwadamilola Agnes OA
Fawole Israel Opeyemi IO
Goh Yong-Shian Shawn YS
Irawan Devi D
Khan Naimah Ebrahim NE
Koirala Binu B
Krishna Ashish A
Kwok Cannas C
Le Tung Thanh TT
Leal Daniela Giambruno DG
Lezana-Fernández Miguel Ángel MÁ
Manirambona Emery E
Mantoani Leandro Cruz LC
Meneses-González Fernando F
Mohamed Iman Elmahdi IE
Mukeshimana Madeleine M
Nguyen Chinh Thi Minh CTM
Nguyen Huong Thi Thanh HTT
Nguyen Khanh Thi KT
Nguyen Son Truong ST
Nurumal Mohd Said MS
Nzabonimana Aimable A
Omer Nagla Abdelrahim Mohamed Ahmed NAMA
Ogungbe Oluwabunmi O
Poon Angela Chiu Yin ACY
Reséndiz-Rodriguez Areli A
Puang-Ngern Busayasachee B
Sagun Ceryl G CG
Shaik Riyaz Ahmed RA
Shankar Nikhil Gauri NG
Sommer Kathrin K
Toro Edgardo E
Tran Hanh Thi Hong HTH
Urgel Elvira L EL
Uwiringiyimana Emmanuel E
Vanichbuncha Tita T
Youssef Naglaa N
Study Outcome
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