Public health messaging and community engagement during COVID-19: a rapid-review from the Greater Mekong Subregion.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of public health messaging and community engagement in reducing disease transmission. This rapid review analyzes these approaches in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases, to help inform future pandemic preparedness and response strategies.<h4>Methods</h4>This rapid review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Checklist. We used Web of Science and PubMed databases. Articles were included if they addressed COVID-19-related public health messaging and/or community engagement initiatives, focused on countries within the GMS, were published in English between 2020 and 2024, and provided full-text access. Articles focusing on unrelated topics, such as vaccine development or adverse effects of the pandemic were excluded. Data extraction was performed using a calibrated data extraction sheet, with two researchers extracting and verifying the data.<h4>Results</h4>After the screening process, 26 articles were included, and 24 were excluded. Three articles use qualitative methods, five articles use quantitative approaches, eleven articles are identified as descriptive and seven are literature reviews. In most countries the government employed a centralized strategy for streamlined and coherent communication using traditional media, social media and mobile applications. Vietnam demonstrated an innovative and inclusive approach to risk communication, leveraging creative approaches such as songs and slogans to disseminate messages. Thailand effectively utilized its pre-existing network of village health volunteers to inform community members, though marginalized groups remained hard to reach.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The GMS employed diverse public health messaging and community engagement strategies during COVID-19. Our findings emphasize the importance of adaptable and inclusive strategies to ensure equitable public health outcomes in future pandemics.