Public perceptions, individual characteristics, and preventive behaviors for COVID-19 in six countries: a cross-sectional study

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

Junichiro Niimi¹  Kensuke Suzuki²  Ryosuke Fujii³ 

[1] Department of Business Management, Meijo University, 1-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tempaku-ku, 468-8502, Nagoya, Japan;Department of Economics, The Pennsylvania State University, 16802, University Park, PA, USA;Department of Preventive Medical Sciences, Fujita Health University School of Medical Sciences, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, 470-1192, Toyoake, Japan;

关键词: COVID-19;    Public perception;    Preventive behavior;    Wearing a mask;    Handwashing;    Avoiding social gatherings;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12199-021-00952-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPublic perceptions and personal characteristics are heterogeneous between countries and subgroups, which may have different impacts on health-protective behaviors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To assess whether self-reported perceptions of COVID-19 and personal characteristics are associated with protective behaviors among general adults and to compare patterns in six different countries.MethodsThis cross-sectional study uses the secondary data collected through an online survey between 15 and 23 April 2020 across six countries (China, Italy, Japan, Korea, the UK, and the USA). A total of 5945 adults aged 18 years or older were eligible for our analysis. A logistic regression model was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of three recommended behaviors (wearing a mask, handwashing, and avoiding social gatherings).ResultsIn most countries except for China, the participants who perceived wearing a mask as being extremely effective to curtail the pandemic were more likely to wear a mask (OR, 95%CI: Italy: 4.14, 2.08–8.02; Japan: 3.59, 1.75–7.30; Korea: 7.89, 1.91–31.63: UK: 9.23, 5.14–17.31; USA: 4.81, 2.61–8.92). Those who perceived that handwashing was extremely effective had higher ORs of this preventive behavior (OR, 95%CI: Italy: 16.39, 3.56–70.18; Japan: 12.24, 4.03–37.35; Korea: 12.41, 2.02–76.39; UK: 18.04, 2.60–152.78; USA: 10.56, 2.21–44.32). The participants who perceived avoiding social gathering as being extremely effective to curtail the pandemic were more likely to take this type of preventive behavior (OR, 95%CI: China: 3.79, 1.28–10.23; Korea: 6.18, 1.77–20.60; UK: 4.45, 1.63–11.63; USA: 4.34, 1.84–9.95). The associations between personal characteristics, living environment, psychological status, and preventive behaviors varied across different countries. Individuals who changed their behavior because of recommendations from doctors/public health officials were more likely to take preventive behaviors in many countries.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that higher perceived effectiveness may be a common factor to encourage preventive behaviors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These results may provide a better understanding of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of factors related to preventive behaviors and improve public health policies in various countries and groups.

【 授权许可】

CC BY