A longitudinal study of COVID-19 preventive behavior fatigue in Hong Kong: a city with previous pandemic experience
Open Access
- 31 March 2023
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Public Health
- Vol. 23 (1), 1-12
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15257-y
Abstract
In addition to high vaccination levels, COVID-19 control requires uptake and continued adherence to personal hygiene and social distancing behaviors. It is unclear whether residents of a city with successive experience in worldwide pandemics such as SARS, would quickly adopt and maintain preventive behaviors. A population-based, longitudinal telephone survey was conducted between in first local wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020) and third local wave (December 2020) (n = 403). The study examined factors associated with personal hygiene and social distancing behavior fatigue, as measured by reduced adherence. Over 9 months, face mask use increased (96.5–100%, p < 0.001). Although habitual hand hygiene remained unchanged (92.0%), blue collar workers and non-working individuals showed higher risk of hand hygiene fatigue. There was a decline (p < 0.05) in avoidance of social gatherings (81.1 to 70.7%), avoidance of public places (52.9–27.5%) and avoidance of international travel (81.9–77.4%) even with rising caseloads. Lowered perception of COVID-19 disease severity was associated with decreased avoidance of social gatherings and public places while lower education was associated with decline in avoidance of social gatherings. Even in regions with past pandemic experience, maintaining social distancing behaviors during a protracted pandemic remains a major public health challenge.Keywords
Funding Information
- World Health Organization (2020/1029037-0)
- Matching grants of the Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response, CUHK (NA)
- Centre for Global Health, CUHK (NA)
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