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Aurore Margat,1 Benoit Pétré,2 Soizic David,1 Daniela Toro Arrocet,1 Vincent de Andrade,1 Cyril Crozet,1 Delphine Kirkove,2 Rémi Gagnayre1 1Education and Health Promotion Laboratory (LEPS), (UR 3412), UFR SMBH, Sorbonne Paris-Nord University, Bobigny, France; 2Department of Public Health, University of Liege, Liège, BelgiumCorrespondence: Aurore Margat, Email aurore.margat@univ-paris13.frIntroduction: The management of a pandemic, such as COVID-19, requires the full participation of citizens. This recent situation has revealed the undermining of user participation in the decision-making process. Thus, this study aims to assess the involvement of users in the design and administration of surveys for health crisis monitoring and to stimulate reflection on information processes shared upstream during the decision-making process.Methods: A literature search was conducted on population monitoring surveys published during the first containment period in Belgium and France between April and May 2020. The selected studies were first analyzed according to a reading grid based on the criteria proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for monitoring populations and supplemented by data from a descriptive analysis of the selected studies. Second, with the objective of specifically evaluating the involvement of users in monitoring surveys, this study evaluated the surveys according to the following parameters: content of a study based on themes presented in surveys; inclusion of health literacy (HL); and factors of commitment of the respondents to the survey.Results: A total of 45 studies were selected for final analysis. The majority of the surveys focused on the effect of COVID-19 on well-being. Furthermore, analysis indicated that, in summary, the HL of people concerned as well as the involvement of respondents is poorly considered, which remains limited in terms of the design and administration of the surveys.Discussion: Although the principles of health democracy seemed to have been established, the exceptional regime induced by the epidemic overlooked the observance of such principles. This result indicates the need to reconsider the participation of citizens as real partners in care, including health crisis management.Keywords: COVID-19, health democracy, survey, citizen engagement, health literacy

Benoit Pétré,1 Delphine Kirkove,1 Vincent de Andrade,2 Cyril Crozet,2 Daniela Toro-Arrocet,2 Aurore Margat,2 Rémi Gagnayre2 1Department of Public Health, University of Liege, Liège, Belgium; 2Education and Health Practices Laboratory, UR 3412, UFR Santé Médecine Biologie Humaine, Sorbonne Paris-Nord University, Bobigny, FranceCorrespondence: Benoit PétréDepartment of Public Health, University of Liège, Quartier Hôpital, Avenue Hippocrate 13 (B23), Liège, 4000, BelgiumTel +32 4 366 2505Email benoit.petre@uliege.beAbstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled public authorities to establish preventive measures involving individual behaviour modification strategies (mask-wearing, social distancing, etc.) with a view to community protection. In this context, documenting people’s behaviour changes, the impact of public health measures, and individuals’ knowledge, motivations, and beliefs – even their perception of how the crisis is being managed – is essential for understanding the experience of the population and adapting the management approach accordingly. This article presents findings and lessons on how to monitor a population’s behaviour during a crisis, obtained by reviewing forty-five surveys conducted in Belgium and France during the first Covid-19 stay-at-home order, from April to May 2020. The central message is to argue that the citizens’ role in this type of survey – and in managing the crisis, more generally – should be reconsidered by thinking of them as true health partners and members of a community that could be mobilised to help.Keywords: pandemic, covid 19, community monitoring, preventive health behavior