Social learning about COVID-19 vulnerability and social distancing in high density populations: the case of UK urban dwelling Bangladeshis

早期流行病学表明，英国孟加拉社区的老年人受到COVID-19相关发病率和死亡率的影响不成比例。孟加拉国人更有可能患有合并症，并且生活在英国城市中心较贫穷、过度拥挤的地区，那里更有可能发生病毒传染。这一跨部门的社会经济、地理和健康相关因素强调，在复杂和不断变化的风险情景中，需要明确传达关于社交距离的信息-传达这样的信息：这一讲口头语言（Sylheti）的弱势群体，由于文化程度和英语水平较低，可能无法直接访问。这项研究将确定孟加拉国人在伦敦自治市镇采取的做法，这些问题包括大流行病、构成这些问题基础的态度和信念，以及这些态度和信念是否以及如何受到有关社交距离的信息的影响。借鉴我们早期的工作，它将研究社会学习在如何访问和解释信息中的作用，以及这个老年群体的健康互动是否以及如何由朋友，家庭成员和熟人介导。远程访谈的老年孟加拉国人和他们的社会联系人谁履行这一调解作用将提供深入了解如何语言和文化上适当的消息可以建立在现有的信念和做法，以促进遵守，并在社会调解作为一种传播战略。我们将确定语言选择（英语或Sylheti）的作用，COVID-19风险的书面和口头陈述之间的差异，以及语言选择使风险情景的各个方面变得突出的多种方式。

Early epidemiology indicates older members of Britain's Bangladeshi communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. Bangladeshis are more likely to have comorbidities and live in poorer, overcrowded areas in the UK's urban centres where viral contagion is more likely. This cross-section of socioeconomic, geographical and health related factors underlines the need for clear messaging about social distancing in a complex and shifting risk scenario - messages that this vulnerable group, who speak an oral language (Sylheti), may not be able to access directly due to low literacy and English language proficiency.This study will identify the practices adopted by Bangladeshis in a London borough in response to the pandemic, the attitudes and beliefs that underlie them and whether and how these have been influenced by messages about social distancing. Drawing on our earlier work, it will examine the role of social learning in how messages are accessed and interpreted and whether and how the health interactions of this older group are mediated by friends, family members and acquaintances. Remote interviews with older Bangladeshis and their social contacts who perform this mediating role will provide insights into how linguistically and culturally appropriate messaging can build on existing beliefs and practices to promote compliance, and on social mediation as a dissemination strategy. We will identify the role of choice of language (English or Sylheti), the differences between written and oral representations of COVID-19 risk, and the manifold ways in which linguistic choices give salience to aspects of a risk scenario.