Binte Aamir Faiqa, Ahmad Zaidi Syeda Maria, Abbas Saadia, Aamir Syed Roohan, Ahmad Zaidi Syed Nauman, Kanhya Lal Karishma, Fatima Syeda Sadia
Medical College, Aga Khan University, Karachi.
Medical College, United Medical and Dental College, Karachi.
J Public Health Res. 2021 Oct 29;11(1):2614. doi: 10.4081/jphr.2021.2614.
Despite mass vaccination campaigns, the world has seen a steady rise in the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, with 178,765,626 cases and 3,869,994 COVID-19 related deaths by June 19th, 2021. Therefore, it is important to enforce social distancing to control its spread. With the variation observed in the severity of the pandemic in different countries, it is also imperative to study the social distancing behaviors amongst the population in developed and developing countries.
In this cross-sectional study, a total of 384 participants from 14 different countries were surveyed via an online REDCap form.
In this study, it was highlighted that despite adequate knowledge, the overall compliance to COVID-19 related preventive measures remains poor, the lowest being in the senior age group (≥ 65 years), and the highest being in adults aged between 25-64 years (p=0.003). Population from the developing countries were more compliant to all preventative measures against COVID-19 spread, except for handwashing, where the difference between the two populations remained insignificant (p=0.038, p<0.001, p=0.016) Socioeconomic status, prior history of COVID-19 infection or presence of comorbidities did not significantly affect compliance rates, however, participants with no prior history of this infection were found to be more compliant to donning a mask in public as compared to those with a positive history (p=0.044).
Since compliance remains subpar in both the developing and the developed countries, mass campaigns about COVID-19 related preventive measures remain essential in controlling the disease spread.
尽管开展了大规模疫苗接种运动，但全球新冠病毒病例数仍在稳步上升，截至2021年6月19日，病例数达178,765,626例，与新冠病毒相关的死亡人数为3,869,994例。因此，实施社交距离措施以控制其传播非常重要。鉴于不同国家疫情严重程度存在差异，研究发达国家和发展中国家民众的社交距离行为也势在必行。
在这项横断面研究中，通过在线REDCap表格对来自14个不同国家的384名参与者进行了调查。
本研究强调，尽管民众具备足够的知识，但对新冠病毒相关预防措施的总体遵守情况仍然较差，其中老年组（≥65岁）最低，25 - 64岁成年人最高（p = 0.003）。发展中国家的民众对所有预防新冠病毒传播的措施更为遵守，洗手方面除外，两类人群在这方面的差异不显著（p = 0.038，p < 0.001，p = 0.016）。社会经济地位、既往新冠病毒感染史或合并症的存在对遵守率没有显著影响，然而，与有阳性感染史的参与者相比，无该感染既往史的参与者在公共场合更遵守佩戴口罩规定（p = 0.044）。
由于发展中国家和发达国家的遵守情况均未达标准，开展关于新冠病毒相关预防措施的大规模宣传活动对于控制疾病传播仍然至关重要。
