BMC Public Health 2009, 9:258 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/9/258 Table 3: Key themes Knowledge and perceptions of infection transmission: Being near to someone who is infected Touching an infected person or contaminated object Uncertainty about pandemic influenza Attitudes toward infection control behaviour: Positive attitude Responsibility for the wellbeing of yourself and others Suggestion of alternative measures or compensatory behaviour Negative attitude Factors relating to implementation of infection control behaviour Normal routine Close or intimate relationships Memory Knowledge and perceptions of infection transmission Participants were quite knowledgeable about the trans- mission routes of colds and influenza, including hand or other bodily contact with an infected person or contami- nated object and airborne transmission by coughing and sneezing [42]. Knowledge levels did not appear to differ by age, gender or whether participants had children. How- ever, there was much uncertainty about pandemic influ- enza. The limited knowledge participants did have centred on its serious and widespread nature. A large number of participants expressed distrust of some kind, which ranged from beliefs that pandemic influenza will not happen to a scepticism regarding the motives of the media and/or government: "It's just scare mongering really it's like the end of the world was gonna be the year 2000 it just didn't hap- pen it's probably never gonna happen so it's not a worry to me at all" (F9 male, age 20). "Erm at this point in time I think that fear is kind of pumped out there and I get really annoyed when the media does that and I think they're just trying to make people get stuck in one place and not move around" (F2 female, age 24). Attitudes toward infection control measures Positive attitudes were more often expressed toward hand- washing and cough hygiene behaviours than to social dis- tancing. Several participants agreed with the premise of the recommendations, believing the behaviours to be effective prevention measures. A few participants appreci- ated that such measures would provide a sense of control: Catching an infection that is in the air Not covering mouth or using a tissue when coughing or sneezing Measures are ineffective Measures are inappropriate Selfishness Fear of becoming ill Practicality Severity of the illness Education "I think it might give us a, give people anyway a sense of control over something we cannot control" (F4 female, age 26). The favourable attitudes of all participants were markedly strengthened given the prospect of pandemic influenza. Older adults in particular stated they would go further than the suggested behaviours in such a scenario: "You'd probably, you'd probably do more than that" (F5 male, age 49). "Definitely, I'd be scrubbing me house down as well" (F8 female, age 49). Responsibility for the protection of oneself or another appeared to be a strong motivation. This was especially evident given the prospect of pandemic influenza. Responsibility for the protection of others was presented as a stronger motivation than the protection of one's own health, especially amongst younger participants. Accord- ingly, motivation to protect one's own health was to be able to adequately care for others who became ill: "Well yeah, obviously if you've picked up a disease and you're fighting it and nearly dying you're not gonna want to pass it on to your little sister or your younger brother or your mum or anyone are you?" (F6 male, age 23). "Be more aware of other people and how they might get infected by you instead of relying on other people to protect themselves from you" (F9 male, age 18). Page 5 of 11 (page number not for citation purposes)