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Objectives To assess the impact of a multi-tiered oral health education programme on care staff caring for people with intellectual disability ( ID). Methods Postal questionnaires were sent to all care staff of a community-based residential care service for adults, randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. A specifically developed training programme was delivered to residential staff nominees, who then trained all staff within the intervention group. The control group received no training. Post-test questionnaires were sent to both groups. Paired-samples t-test was used to compare oral health-related knowledge ( K) and behaviour, attitude and self-efficacy ( BAS) scores. Results Of the initial 219 respondents, 154 (response rate between 40% and 35.8%, with attrition rate of 29.7% from baseline to repeat) returned completed questionnaires at post-test ( M = 8.5 months, range = 6.5-11 months). Control and intervention groups were comparable for general training, employment and demographic variables. In the intervention group, mean Knowledge Index score rose from K = 7.2 to K = 7.9 ( P < 0.001) and mean BAS scale score rose from BAS = 4.7 to BAS = 5.4 ( P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant increase in mean scores from test ( K = 7.0, BAS = 4.7) to post-test ( K = 7.2, BAS = 4.9) for the control group. Conclusions Mean scores regarding knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and reported behaviour increased significantly at 8.5 months in staff where training was provided. The results indicate that a multi-tiered training programme improved knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and reported behaviour amongst staff caring for people with ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic can save lives. We therefore set out to test communication strategies to promote social distancing. We aimed to test two novel public health messages against a control message. The first was designed to exploit the "identifiable victim" effect by highlighting the risk of transmission to identifiable vulnerable persons. The second sought to counteract intuitive underestimation of exponential transmission. In total, 500 Irish adults undertook a pre-registered, online experiment. They were randomly assigned to a control group or one of two treatment groups. The control group viewed a current poster that encouraged a 2-m separation between people. The two treatment groups saw posters of similar design, but with narrative messages describing how an individual had infected a specific vulnerable person or multiple other people. Later questions measured intentions to undertake three specific types of social interaction over the coming days and the stated acceptability of three other types of social interaction. Pilot work had identified these six behaviors as "marginal" – people were unsure whether they were advisable. Participants in the treatment conditions were more cautious about undertaking the behaviors and less accepting of them. This positive effect occurred despite participants rating the treatment posters as likely to be less effective and memorable than the control poster. Messages that invoke thoughts of infecting vulnerable people or large numbers of people can motivate social distancing and, hence, help to limit the spread of COVID-19. Stated public evaluations (obtained via focus groups or surveys) may underestimate the actual effectiveness of such emotional messages. • Online experiment tested two novel public health messages on social distancing. • Messages focused on potential to infect vulnerable people or many people. • Participants (N = 500) randomized to see control or (one of two) treatment posters. • Behavioral intentions and acceptability judgements of behaviors measured later. • Both posters increased caution with respect to social distancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]