Van et al. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:130 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/130 Table 3 Intended compliance with specific public health measures Specific public health measure Receive a “swine flu” vaccine Reluctant Willing Very willing Not specified Isolation from others if infected with “swine flu” Reluctant Willing Very willing Not specified Wear a mask in public if experiencing flu-like symptoms Reluctant Willing Very willing Not specified Assist quarantined neighbours/friends with food supplies etc Reluctant Willing Very willing Not specified Participated by staying away and taking lectures/tutorials via the internet Reluctant Willing Very willing Not specified 18 (5.0) 102 (28.3) 230 (63.9) 3 (0.8) 7 (1.9) 3 (0.8) 74 (20.6) 280 (77.8) 1 (0.3) 2 (0.6) 41 (11.4) 163 (45.3) 149 (41.4) 0 7 (1.9) 5 (1.4) 76 (21.1) 276 (76.7) 0 3 (0.8) 13 (3.6) 94 (26.1) 181 (50.3) 62 (17.2) 10 (2.8) Page 6 of 9 167 (5.9) 954 (33.1) 1669 (57.9) 10 (0.3) 82 (2.8) 92 (3.2) 783 (27.2) 1962 (68.1) 7 (0.2) 38 (1.3) 484 (16.8) 1363 (47.3) 955 (33.1) 16 (0.6) 64 (2.2) 99 (3.5) 980 (34.0) 1719 (59.6) 10 (0.3) 74 (2.6) 141 (4.9) 897 (31.1) 1472 (51.1) 323 (11.2) 49 (1.7) Discussion Universities are not immune to natural or manmade dis- asters, and past experience with these have illustrated the importance of continuity during and after these events [5,9]. In an influenza pandemic, such institutions must maintain a balance between academic continuity, with infection control and minimising morbidity [5]. In contrast to pre-pandemic and early pandemic find- ings in Australian communities [10,11], most of the University population surveyed were not anxious about the Australian pandemic situation nor did they think it was serious. Younger respondents (aged 20-34) were most likely to believe they were not susceptible to pan- demic H1N1 2009, despite being the most affected group in previous influenza pandemics. Following the resurgence of media coverage of “swine flu” in Australia, we did measure a significant rise in anxiety, perceived susceptibility and seriousness. This however declined with the approach of spring and the decline of labora- tory confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) in NSW [12]. This illustrates that public perception of a pan- demic is unstable, especially when the severity and nat- ural progression cannot be accurately predicted. If requested by authorities, most respondents in our cohort were willing to undergo isolation if suffering from influenza-like-illness (ILI). Of concern was the high proportion of students who indicated that they would still attend University with symptoms. In the event of an exam or assessment deadline, their propor- tion tripled. Such behaviour is detrimental for both stu- dents and the community, for in addition to spreading the pandemic virus, students with ILI are also likely have reduced academic performance by up 30-60% [3]. Absenteeism from University was higher in respondents who had indicated making a lifestyle change, implying the practicality of encouraging general positive health Academic Staff n = 360 (%) General Staff n = 646 (%) Student n = 1876(%) Total n = 2882 (%) 49 (7.6) 242 (37.4) 332 (51.4) 2 (0.3) 21 (3.3) 6 (0.9) 104 (16.1) 533 (82.5) 1 (0.2) 2 (0.3) 95 (14.7) 301 (46.6) 225 (34.8) 8 (1.2) 17 (2.6) 8 (1.2) 174 (26.9) 454 (70.3) 3 (0.5) 7 (1.1) 9 (1.4) 88 (13.6) 317 (49.1) 229 (35.4) 3 (0.5) 100 (5.3) 610 (32.5) 1107 (59.0) 5 (0.3) 54 (2.9) 83 (4.4) 605 (32.2) 1149 (61.2) 6 (0.3) 33 (1.8) 348 (18.6) 899 (47.9) 581 (31.0) 8 (0.4) 40 (2.1) 86 (4.6) 730 (38.9) 989 (52.7) 7 (0.4) 64 (3.4) 119 (6.3) 715 (38.1) 974 (51.9) 32 (1.7) 36 (1.9)