Alkhaldi Ghadah, Aljuraiban Ghadeer S, Alhurishi Sultana, De Souza Roberta, Lamahewa Kethakie, Lau Rosa, Alshaikh Fahdah
The Department of Community Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Research Chair of Health Education and Health Promotion, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Public Health. 2021 Jun 29;21(1):1251. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-11223-8.
Effective management of the spread of a novel infectious disease, such as the COVID-19 virus can be achieved through influencing people's behavior to adopt preventive measures. The public's perceptions and attitudes towards the virus, governmental guidance and preventive measures were unknown in Saudi Arabia.
Between April 22nd and June 21st 2020, Saudi adults aged ≥18 years voluntarily completed a self-administered web-based cross-sectional survey, distributed through social media (WhatsApp) and emails to representatives in education, health, business, and social sectors across all Saudi Arabian regions. The survey included questions on anxiety level, COVID-19 risk perceptions and adoption of preventive measures. Weighted percentages, Pearson's chi-square tests, and multiple logistic regression were applied to evaluate associations between these factors and socio-demographic variables.
A total of 2393 respondents completed the survey. A majority (74%) were worried about the COVID-19 outbreak and of those, 27% reported that it was likely that they would be infected with COVID-19; 16% believed it would be life-threatening or severe. However, only 11% of respondents reported high anxiety level. Adoption of hygiene practices and social distancing were lower among older (> 65 years) compared to younger (18-24 years) respondents (OR: 0.06; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.28 and OR 0.06; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.27 respectively). High percentages of respondents reported being able to (88%) and were willing to (82%) self-isolate. Those with the lowest gross household income and those with at least one flu symptom were less able and willing to self-isolate. A significant increase in levels of anxiety, perceived effectiveness of social distancing and hygiene practices was reported in the post-lockdown compared to during the lockdown.
The study reported high levels of adoption of preventive measures, willingness and perceived ability to self-isolate during the early phase of the pandemic. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly, and those with low socio-economic status reported lower adoption of preventive measures or ability and willingness to self-isolate. Tailored public health messages and interventions are needed to achieve high adherence to these preventive measures in these groups.
通过影响人们的行为以采取预防措施，可以有效管理新型传染病（如新冠病毒）的传播。沙特阿拉伯民众对该病毒、政府指导意见及预防措施的认知和态度尚不清楚。
1）调查沙特阿拉伯民众对新冠病毒的认知、焦虑水平、获取新冠病毒信息的来源、预防措施的采用情况，以及在新冠疫情封锁期间及解封后自我隔离的能力和意愿；2）调查与采取预防新冠病毒措施及自我隔离行为相关的社会人口学因素。
2020年4月22日至6月21日期间，年龄≥18岁的沙特成年人自愿完成一项基于网络的自填式横断面调查，该调查通过社交媒体（WhatsApp）和电子邮件分发给沙特阿拉伯各地区教育、卫生、商业和社会部门的代表。调查包括有关焦虑水平、新冠病毒风险认知及预防措施采用情况的问题。应用加权百分比、Pearson卡方检验和多重逻辑回归来评估这些因素与社会人口学变量之间的关联。
共有2393名受访者完成了调查。大多数（74%）人担心新冠疫情爆发，其中27%的人表示他们有可能感染新冠病毒；16%的人认为这将危及生命或病情严重。然而，只有11%的受访者表示焦虑水平较高。与年轻（18 - 24岁）受访者相比，年长（>65岁）受访者采取卫生措施和保持社交距离的比例较低（比值比分别为：0.06；95%置信区间：0.01，0.28和比值比0.06；95%置信区间：0.01，0.27）。高比例的受访者表示能够（88%）且愿意（82%）自我隔离。家庭总收入最低的人群以及至少有一项流感症状的人群自我隔离的能力和意愿较低。与封锁期间相比，解封后焦虑水平、社交距离和卫生措施的感知有效性显著增加。
该研究报告称，在疫情早期阶段，预防措施的采用率、自我隔离的意愿和感知能力较高。老年人以及社会经济地位较低等弱势群体采取预防措施或自我隔离的能力和意愿较低。需要制定针对性的公共卫生信息和干预措施，以促使这些群体高度遵守这些预防措施。
