Volume 16, Number 2—February 2010
Research
Household Responses to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009–related School Closures, Perth, Western Australia
Paul V. Effler
, Dale Carcione, Carolien Giele, Gary K. Dowse, Leigh Goggin, and Donna B. Mak
, Dale Carcione, Carolien Giele, Gary K. Dowse, Leigh Goggin, and Donna B. MakTable 3
Household responses to survey regarding pandemic (H1N1) 2009–related school closures, Perth, Western Australia, 2009, June 8–14, 2009
| Survey question, response | No. (%) responses |
|---|---|
| Was school closure appropriate, and why or why not?* | |
| Yes | 110 (47) |
| To protect the community | 84 (76) |
| To protect other students at the school | 72 (66) |
| To protect my child and family | 68 (62) |
| Swine flu illness is serious | 31 (28) |
| No | 76 (33) |
| Swine flu illness is mild | 54 (71) |
| Cannot stop flu spread | 50 (66) |
| Lost income due to missed work | 18 (24) |
| Too difficult to make childcare arrangements | 14 (18) |
| Not sure |
47 (20) |
| What was the level of disruption to family routines caused by the closure? | |
| Severe | 32 (14) |
| Moderate | 95 (41) |
| Minimal | 87 (37) |
| None |
19 (8) |
| What level of anxiety did the closure create in your child? | |
| Severe | 3 (1) |
| Moderate | 20 (9) |
| Minimal | 101 (43) |
| None |
109 (47) |
| What could have helped you be bettered prepared for the school closure?* | |
| Nothing, we were well prepared | 104 (45) |
| More time between notification and closing | 47 (20) |
| Assistance with emergency childcare arrangements | 45 (19) |
| Better understanding of potential length of closure at outset | 26 (11) |
*Reasons for the individual responses were not mutually exclusive.
