Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jun 1;45(6):e53-e60.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2017.02.013. Epub 2017 Apr 3.

Middle East respiratory syndrome risk perception among students at a university in South Korea, 2015

Seongwoo Yang  1 , Sung-Il Cho  2
Affiliations

Middle East respiratory syndrome risk perception among students at a university in South Korea, 2015

Seongwoo Yang et al. Am J Infect Control. .

Abstract

Background: The 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea was a serious threat to public health, and was exacerbated by the inappropriate responses of major institutions and the public. This study examined the sources of confusion during the MERS outbreak and identified the factors that can affect people's behavior.

Methods: An online survey of the risk perception of university students in South Korea was performed after the epidemic had peaked. The questionnaire addressed the major social determinants in South Korea during the MERS epidemic. The analysis included data from 1,470 subjects who provided complete answers.

Results: The students had 53.5% of the essential knowledge about MERS. Women showed higher risk perception than men, and trust in the media was positively associated with risk perception (P < .001). Additionally, risk perception was positively associated with overreaction by the public (odds ratio, 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 2.17-3.60; P < .001). These findings suggest that media content affected the public's perception of MERS risk and that perception of a high level of risk led to overreaction.

Conclusions: Risk perception was associated with most of the social factors examined and overreaction by the public. Therefore, providing accurate information and data to the public, establishing trust, and facilitating the development of an attitude will all be important in future crises.

Keywords: Infectious disease; MERS; Overreaction; Risk communication; Risk perception; Trust.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Epidemic curve of Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea from May 11-July 10, 2015.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Relationships among risk perception, compliance, and overreaction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MERS portal. http://www.mers.go.kr/mers/html/jsp/main.jsp Available from. Accessed October 2016.
    1. Penttinen P.M., Kaasik-Aaslav K., Friaux A., Donachie A., Sudre B., Amato-Gauci A.J., et al. Taking stock of the first 133 MERS coronavirus cases globally–Is the epidemic changing? Euro Surveill. 2013;18:1–5. - PubMed
    1. Fung I.C., Tse Z.T., Chan B.S., Fu K.W. Middle East respiratory syndrome in the Republic of Korea: transparency and communication are key. Western Pac Surveill Response J. 2015;6:1–2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ma R. Media, crisis, and SARS: an introduction. Asian J Commun. 2005;15:241–246.
    1. King G., Pan J., Roberts M.E. How censorship in China allows government criticism but silences collective expression. Am Polit Sci Rev. 2013;107:326–343.