Introduction
fever, rash, headache, blisters, aches
MONKEYPOX, PMT, VIRUS, MPOX
Mpox (also known as monkeypox) is an orthopox virus that causes fever, headache, exhaustion, swollen glands and aches (joint, muscle, back), followed by a rash with blisters.In the UK, people who thought they might have mpox were asked to call a sexual health clinic, to stay at home (self-isolate) and avoid close contact with other people.Various theories have guided research into the psychological factors associated with the uptake of health behaviours. One such theory is the protection motivation theory (PMT), which states that people’s intention to carry out a protective behaviour is influenced by their appraisal of the threat (perceived susceptibility to and severity of, eg, mpox) and the coping response (perceived effectiveness of and self-efficacy for, eg, testing, self-isolation, contact tracing, vaccination).At the time of writing, few scientific studies have investigated behaviour during the 2022 mpox epidemic. While most have investigated vaccination acceptability, few have investigated engagement with a contact tracing system. Those studies that have been done suggest that knowledge of transmission modes is incomplete.Official communications are vital during new and emerging outbreaks, and serve to inform the public about the threat, the public health response, and behaviours that people should engage with in order to protect themselves and others.Decreasing rates of incidence of HIV in EnglandThere are few quantitative studies investigating mpox knowledge, attitudes and beliefs in the UK during the 2022 outbreak. Studies investigating the effectiveness of messages that could be used in official communications are particularly important. Sociodemographic characteristics associated with intended uptake of protective behaviours can help to identify groups that may benefit from increased messaging and support to adhere to public health guidelines. Psychological factors, such as knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, that are associated with intention to enact protective behaviours can provide insights into potentially modifiable factors that could be included in official messaging. Collecting this information forms the start of an evidence base for policy decisions. In this study, we recruited a general population sample and three GBMSM samples from: a market research company, Grindr and Meta (Facebook and Instagram). We investigated knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about mpox, and intentions for key behaviours that could prevent the spread of mpox (self-isolation, help seeking (as the advised route into testing), sexual contact behaviour when symptomatic, contact sharing, vaccination). We used an experimental approach to investigate the impact of different brief communication approaches (promoting perceived susceptibility to and severity of illness/necessity and efficacy of the response/benefits of the response/low perceived costs of response) on intended behaviour. Psychological and sociodemographic factors associated with intended uptake of behaviours were also investigated.