Association between Social Integration and Face Mask Use Behavior during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Japan: Results from U-CORONA Study

Nawa, Nobutoshi; Yamaoka, Yui; Koyama, Yuna; Nishimura, Hisaaki; Sonoda, Shiro; Kuramochi, Jin; Miyazaki, Yasunari; Fujiwara, Takeo

doi:10.3390/ijerph18094717

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…People who had more contacts likely had a greater tendency to acquire COVID-19, were concerned about it, and might have adopted the behaviour of using face-covering – or had to wear one to go to work, and to travel on public transport. Our finding on greater use of face-covering aligns with previous studies in the US 30 and Japan 31 showing masks-wearing was more prominent among individuals who were more socially integrated and who spent less time at home, including going to commercial locations and restaurants.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Social contact patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 European countries – evidence from a two-year study

Wong

Gimma

Coletti

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Most countries have enacted some restrictions to reduce social contacts to slow down disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. For nearly two years, individuals likely also adopted new behaviours to avoid pathogen exposure based on personal circumstances. We aimed to understand the way in which different factors affect social contacts, a critical step to improving future pandemic responses. The analysis was based on repeated cross-sectional contact survey data collected in 21 European countries between March 2020 and March 2022. We calculated the mean daily contacts reported using a clustered bootstrap by country and by settings (at home, at work, or in other settings). Where data were available, contact rates during the study period were compared with rates recorded prior to the pandemic. We fitted censored individual-level generalized additive mixed models to examine the effects of various factors on the number of social contacts. The survey recorded 463,336 observations from 96,456 participants. In all countries where comparison data were available, contact rates over the previous two years were substantially lower than those seen prior to the pandemic (approximately from over 10 to <5), predominantly due to fewer contacts outside the home. Government restrictions imposed immediate effect on contacts, and these effects lingered after the restrictions were lifted. Across countries, the relationships between national policy, individual perceptions, or personal circumstances determining contacts varied. Our study, coordinated at the regional level, provides important insights into the understanding of the factors associated with social contacts to support future infectious disease outbreak responses.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Social contact patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 European countries – evidence from a two-year study

Wong

Gimma

Coletti

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…People who had more contacts likely had a greater tendency to acquire COVID-19, were concerned about it, and might have adopted the behaviour of using face-covering – or had to wear one to go to work, and to travel on public transport. Our finding on greater use of face-covering aligns with previous studies in the US [ 31 ] and Japan [ 32 ] showing masks-wearing was more prominent among individuals who were more socially integrated and who spent less time at home, including going to commercial locations and restaurants.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Social contact patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 European countries – evidence from a two-year study

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Most countries have enacted some restrictions to reduce social contacts to slow down disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. For nearly two years, individuals likely also adopted new behaviours to avoid pathogen exposure based on personal circumstances. We aimed to understand the way in which different factors affect social contacts – a critical step to improving future pandemic responses. Methods The analysis was based on repeated cross-sectional contact survey data collected in a standardized international study from 21 European countries between March 2020 and March 2022. We calculated the mean daily contacts reported using a clustered bootstrap by country and by settings (at home, at work, or in other settings). Where data were available, contact rates during the study period were compared with rates recorded prior to the pandemic. We fitted censored individual-level generalized additive mixed models to examine the effects of various factors on the number of social contacts. Results The survey recorded 463,336 observations from 96,456 participants. In all countries where comparison data were available, contact rates over the previous two years were substantially lower than those seen prior to the pandemic (approximately from over 10 to < 5), predominantly due to fewer contacts outside the home. Government restrictions imposed immediate effect on contacts, and these effects lingered after the restrictions were lifted. Across countries, the relationships between national policy, individual perceptions, or personal circumstances determining contacts varied. Conclusions Our study, coordinated at the regional level, provides important insights into the understanding of the factors associated with social contacts to support future infectious disease outbreak responses.

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“…Exploring this further may prove fruitful, as both historic and recent COVID-19 pandemic related mask-use has suggested that valuing social cohesion in an area (in contrast to individualistic social structures) can positively in uence mask-use. (27)(28)(29) On a descriptive level, these ndings indicate a mismatch between what health workers perceive patients to feel, and what patients described in the interviews. Yet, as Link and Phelan suggested, to explore and understand stigma, it is also important to consider how power is exerted.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Stigma relating to tuberculosis infection prevention and control implementation in rural health facilities in South Africa – a theoretical analysis with opportunities for mitigation

Westhuizen,

Ehrlich,

Somdyala

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a stigmatised disease due to its associations with poverty, HIV, transmission risk and mortality. The use of visible TB infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, such as masks or isolation, can contribute to stigma. Methods To explore stigma in this condition, we conducted in-depth individual interviews with 18 health workers and 15 patients in the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa using a semi-structured interview guide and narrative approach. We used reflexive thematic analysis and applied Link and Phelan’s theoretical model of stigma. Results Participants shared poignant narratives of TB stigma, often entailing TB IPC, with some feeling ‘less than human’. We found TB IPC measures sometimes exacerbated stigma, for example through introducing physical isolation that became prolonged, or through a mask marking the person out as being ill with TB. In this context, stigma emerged from the narrow definition of what mask-wearing symbolises, in contrast with broader uses of masks as a preventative measure. In this way, the health facility itself was shown to play an important role in generating and perpetuating IPC related stigma. We applied ‘ubuntu’ as African humanist conceptual framework to develop recommendations of how TB IPC implementation could be destigmatised. Conclusion Health facilities may unwittingly perpetuate stigma, but they also have the potential to reduce it. Ubuntu emphases shared humanity and collective wellbeing and could engage with some of the deep-rooted contributors to TB stigma. An ubuntu-informed approach could underpin a local policy change to universal masking, thereby destigmatising an important IPC practice.

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Association between Social Integration and Face Mask Use Behavior during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Japan: Results from U-CORONA Study

Cited by 10 publications

References 25 publications

Social contact patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 European countries – evidence from a two-year study

Social contact patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 European countries – evidence from a two-year study

Social contact patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 European countries – evidence from a two-year study

Stigma relating to tuberculosis infection prevention and control implementation in rural health facilities in South Africa – a theoretical analysis with opportunities for mitigation

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