Aldarhami Abdu, Bazaid Abdulrahman S, Althomali Omar W, Binsaleh Naif K
Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department, Turabah University College, Taif University, Turabah, Saudi Arabia.
College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia.
Int J Gen Med. 2020 Sep 22;13:677-686. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S269716. eCollection 2020.
Social distancing measures, such as stay-at-home, are currently implemented to control the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries, including Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the awareness and adherence of the Saudi population to these measures.
A web-based questionnaire was designed with 16 questions (eight questions related to demographics, three related to the awareness of social distancing (stay-at-home) and five related to the overall practice of social distancing).
A total of 5105 participants completed the survey [58.4% females, 66.3% young individuals (aged 18-37 years), 55.8% bachelor degree holders and 51.0% from the western region]. The Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) was the main source of information about COVID-19 for most of the participants (78.2%). High awareness (81.3%) regarding stay-at-home was observed, associated mainly with female participants, those from the middle region and those with a high education and income. The overall implementation of social distancing was satisfactory (score 3.13/5), with 37.8% never leaving home during the stay-at-home period. Better adherence to social distancing was observed among female participants, higher degree holders and those aged over 38 years.
Organised plans by the Saudi MOH have been effective in raising awareness and improving the practice of social distancing among public. However, the observed lower practice of social distancing by individuals with a lower education and income indicates the need for targeted interventions to achieve better outcomes.
包括沙特阿拉伯在内的许多国家目前都在实施社交距离措施，如居家隔离，以控制新冠疫情。因此，本研究的目的是评估沙特民众对这些措施的认知度和遵守情况。
设计了一份基于网络的问卷，包含16个问题（8个与人口统计学相关，3个与社交距离（居家隔离）认知相关，5个与社交距离的整体实践相关）。
共有5105名参与者完成了调查[女性占58.4%，年轻人（18 - 37岁）占66.3%，本科及以上学历者占55.8%，西部地区的占51.0%]。沙特卫生部（MOH）是大多数参与者（78.2%）获取新冠疫情信息的主要来源。观察到对居家隔离的认知度较高（81.3%），主要与女性参与者、中部地区的参与者以及高学历和高收入者相关。社交距离的整体实施情况令人满意（得分3.13/5），37.8%的人在居家隔离期间从未离开过家。女性参与者、高学历者和38岁以上者对社交距离的遵守情况更好。
沙特卫生部制定的有组织计划在提高公众对社交距离的认知度和改善实践方面是有效的。然而，观察到教育程度和收入较低的人群社交距离实践较差，这表明需要有针对性的干预措施以取得更好的效果。
