JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Public health efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are the priority of national policy to respond to it globally. The public health and social measures (PHSM) are shown to be effective when used alone or in combination with other measures, reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19. However, there is insufficient evidence on the status of compliance of PHSM in the general population for the prevention of COVID-19 in public areas, including Korea.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to assess the level of compliance with the recommended PHSM against COVID-19 infection and its predictors among the general population using national data.

Methods:

This study is a secondary data analysis using an Infectious Disease Prevention Behaviors in Community Survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) between October 12 and October 30, 2020. The primary study was cross-sectional, using stratified sampling with an adjusted proportional allocation method to select representative samples and secure the stability of samples. The data were collected through a phone interview conducted by trained enumerators using a structured questionnaire. The PHSM was measured using a 10-item Comprehensive Infectious Disease Preventive Behavior(CIDPB) scale and each of the socio-cognitive factors, such as perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, perceived severity of COVID-19 infection, perceived confidence in performing preventive behaviors related to COVID-19, information comprehensive ability, and trust in information from the KDCA, were measured by a single question. A total of 4,003 cases were included in the final analysis. A Tobit regression and decision tree were performed to identify the predictors of preventive measures and the targeted group for intervention.

Results:

We discovered that females had a 1.34 point higher CIDPB score than males (P<.001). The participants who were aged between 50 and 59 years performed 1.89 points higher on the CIDPB (P<.001) and the participants who were older than 60 years performed 2.48 points higher on the CIDPB (P<.001) than those who were aged between 19 and 29 years. The perceived severity of infection, confidence in preventive behaviors, information comprehensive ability, and trust in information from the KDCA were statistically significant and positive (P<.001). The perceived susceptibility to infection was statistically significant and negative (P<.001).

Conclusions:

Being female, older in age, having a lower income, and socio-cognitive factors were significant predictors for performing PHSM. These findings suggest a need for targeted intervention for these specific groups. Adequate government action and policy development are needed to increase the level of health literacy and trust in the healthcare system.