Volume 14, Number 5—May 2008
Policy Review
Public Response to Community Mitigation Measures for Pandemic Influenza
Robert J. Blendon*
, Lisa M. Koonin†, John M. Benson*, Martin S. Cetron†, William E. Pollard†, Elizabeth W. Mitchell†, Kathleen J. Weldon*, and Melissa J. Herrmann‡
, Lisa M. Koonin†, John M. Benson*, Martin S. Cetron†, William E. Pollard†, Elizabeth W. Mitchell†, Kathleen J. Weldon*, and Melissa J. Herrmann‡
Table 2
Responses to questions about school closings during an influenza pandemic*
| Question | Possible responses |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Don't know/ refused to answer | |
| If schools/daycare closed for 1 mo, could arrange care so that at least 1 employed adult in household could go to work† | 93 | 5 | 2 |
| If schools/daycare closed for 3 mo, could arrange care so that at least 1 employed adult in household could go to work† | 86 | 11 | 3 |
| If schools/daycare closed for 1 mo, at least 1 employed person would have to stay home from work† |
60 |
37 |
3 |
| Among those who could arrange care so that at least 1 adult in household could go to work if schools closed for 1 mo: | |||
| If schools were closed for 3 mo, would be willing to give school lessons at home‡ | 95 | 5 | <0.5 |
| Would need help giving school lessons at home |
47 |
53 |
<0.5 |
| If schools and daycare closed for 1 mo would be able to work from home and take care of children§ | 25 | 72 | 3 |
| If public health officials recommended, could keep children from taking public transportation, going to public events and gathering outside home while schools closed for 3 mo‡ |
85 |
13 |
2 |
| A lot/some |
Little/none |
Don't know/
refused to answer |
|
| Would need outside help with problems of having to keep children at home† | 35 | 64 | 1 |
| Children in household get free breakfast or lunch at school or daycare¶ | 25 | 74 | 1 |
| If school/daycare closed for 3 mo, would be problem that children could not get free meals¶ | 8 | 91 | 1 |
*From the Harvard School of Public Health, Pandemic Influenza Survey, 2006. Numbers represent percentage of responses to each question.
†Among respondents who have major responsibility for children <5 y in daycare or children 5–17 y in household and have at least 1 working adult in household (n = 634).
‡Among respondents with major responsibility for children 5–17 y in household (n = 610).
§Among employed respondents who have major responsibility for children <5 y in daycare or children 5–17 y in household (n = 537)
¶Among respondents who have major responsibility for children <5 y in daycare or children 5–17 y in household (n = 664).
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