Associations between compliance with covid-19 public health recommendations and perceived contagion in others: a self-report study in Swedish university students

BMC Research Notes

Olof Molander¹  Naira Topooco²  Claes Andersson³  Karin Engström⁴  Marcus Bendtsen⁵  Petra Lindfors⁶  Lilian Granlund⁷  Anne H. Berman⁸ 

[1] Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden;Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden;Department of Criminology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden;Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden;Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden;Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden;

关键词: COVID-19;    University students;    Contagion in others;    Public health recommendations;    Bayesian inference;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13104-021-05848-6

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveDuring the COVID pandemic, government authorities worldwide have tried to limit the spread of the virus. Sweden’s distinctive feature was the use of voluntary public health recommendations. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of this strategy. Based on data collected in the spring of 2020, this study explored associations between compliance with recommendations and observed symptoms of contagion in others, using self-report data from university students.ResultsCompliance with recommendations ranged between 69.7 and 95.7 percent. Observations of moderate symptoms of contagion in “Someone else I have had contact with” and “Another person” were markedly associated with reported self-quarantine, which is the most restrictive recommendation, complied with by 81.2% of participants. Uncertainty regarding the incidence and severity of contagion in cohabitants was markedly associated with the recommendation to avoid public transportation, a recommendation being followed by 69.7%. It is concluded that students largely followed the voluntary recommendations implemented in Sweden, suggesting that coercive measures were not necessary. Compliance with recommendations were associated with the symptoms students saw in others, and with the perceived risk of contagion in the student’s immediate vicinity. It is recommended that voluntary recommendations should stress personal relevance, and that close relatives are at risk.

【 授权许可】

CC BY