ABSTRACT
Outbreaks of influenza have drawn unprecedented attention in recent years, and a natural response of people is to adopt flu preventive behaviors, such as getting vaccinated, taking prophylactic medicines, and increasing hand washing. I describe an agent-based epidemic-behavior model developed to simulate the transmission of influenza and the diffusion of flu prophylactic adoption together in a realistic urbanized area of Buffalo, NY, USA. The model is used to evaluate two types of promotional strategies: an incentive strategy for households and a “role-model” strategy for workplaces.
