The findings were published in the journal, Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Dr Gillian Steel Fisher of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston,
America, said: "The wide variations between countries in our study
shows that in the event of another serious outbreak of infectious disease,
public perceptions have to be taken into account to best tailor and
communicate policy approaches that need public support in each country.
"Our findings suggest that promoting non-pharmaceutical interventions –
such as handwashing and avoiding large public gatherings of people – do not
jeopardise the adoption of vaccination, though the uptake of vaccines was
low compared to other behaviours in all countries we surveyed.
"To maximise the effect of pandemic policies, future efforts might need
to combine vaccination programmes with support for the most effective
non-pharmaceutical interventions."
It is not clear how many people in the survey already washed their hands very
frequently or covered their face when coughing normally. They were only
asked if they increased these measures during the pandemic.
The researchers were attempting to identify if taking up these public health
measures prevented them from being vaccinated but in Britain only a minority
of the general public were eligible for the pandemic vaccine.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "During swine flu, we ran a successful
campaign to encourage better respiratory and hand hygiene.
"Our own survey at the time suggests that most people are aware of the
benefits."