Behaviour of Singaporeans during the SARS outbreak: The impact of anxiety and public satisfaction with media information

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Abstract
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has been dubbed as an epidemic of fear. A public education campaign was launched in Singapore to allay fears and encourage the adoption of appropriate behaviour. In a survey conducted in May 2003, the anxiety level of respondents during the SARS outbreak and their satisfaction with media messages were assessed. Possible implications for behaviour were also investigated. While over half of the respondents were anxious about the SARS situation, 87 per cent reported that they found the SARS information provided was accurate, timely, complete and helpful. However, satisfaction about media information was not associated with any positive or negative behaviour of respondents. Respondents who had a higher level of anxiety towards neighbours being quarantined and the spread of SARS to the community tended to be people who practised cautious behaviour towards SARS or adopted appropriate personal hygiene and healthy lifestyle habits. A high anxiety level towards seeking medical help at general practitioner (GP) clinics or government polyclinics is related to high social responsibility, defined by the public education campaign as the wearing of masks when one was unwell and the regular checking of body temperature.

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