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This thesis consists of studies in behavioural health economics which examine the effects of preferences and perceptions on decision-making. It argues that humans are prone to reasoning failures, which can lead to non-optimal outcomes in health-related decisions. The first part of this thesis shows how deviations from conventionally defined rationality may exist in the area of health and welfare and suggests some ways forward. The second part, using insights from behavioural health economics, focuses on preferences and perceptions of people in the context of health decisions related to COVID-19, suggesting their relevance in (expected) health behaviours.

Additional file 1. Dimension scores per age category.

Background Risk communication is a key component of public health interventions during an outbreak. As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in late 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was at the forefront in the development of risk communication strategies. The WHO introduced a range of activities with the purpose of enabling the public to avail verified and timely information on COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Given the various WHO activities to protect the public health during COVID-19, it is important to investigate the extent of familiarity and uptake of the WHO recommendations among the public during the first wave of the pandemic. Methods To do this, we conducted a large-scale Pan-European survey covering around 7500 individuals that are representative of populations from seven European countries, collected online during April 2-April 15, 2020. We use descriptive statistics including proportions and correlations and graphical representations such as bar charts to analyze and display the data. Results Our findings suggest that information from the WHO in the context of COVID-19 is well trusted and acted upon by the public. Overall familiarity and adherence were quite high in most countries. Adherence was higher for social distancing recommendations compared to hygiene measures. Familiarity and adherence were higher among older, female, and highly educated respondents. However, country level heterogeneities were observed in the level of trust in information from the WHO, with countries severely affected by the pandemic reporting lower levels of trust. Conclusion Our findings call for efforts from health authorities to get regular feedback from the public on their familiarity and compliance with recommendations for preventive measures at all stages of the pandemic, to further develop and adapt risk communication as the pandemic evolves. publishersversion published

Poster presentation at the EUHEA 2018 in Maastricht&nbsp