Commitment to protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Syria: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 continues to impose itself on all populations of the world. Given the slow pace of vaccination in the developing world and the absence of effective treatments, adherence to precautionary infection control measures remains the best way to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from spiraling out of control. In this study, we aim to evaluate the extent to which the Syrian population adheres to these measures and analyze the relationship between demographic variables and adherence. Methods This cross-sectional study took place in Syria between January 17 and March 17, 2021. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The questionnaire was distributed in both electronic and printed versions. Our sample consisted of 7531 individuals. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS v.25. The chi-square test was used to address the correlation between adherence and demographic variables. Results Of the 10083 reached out, only 8083 responded, and 7531 included in the final analysis with an effective response rate of 74.7%. Of them, 4026 (53.5%) were women, 3984 (52.9%) were single, and 1908 (25.3%) had earned university degrees. 5286 (70.25) were in the high level of adherence category to protective measures. Statistically significant differences were documented when investigating the correlation between commitment to preventive measures and age, sex, marital status, financial status, employment, and educational attainment. Furthermore, those who believed that COVID-19 poses a major risk to them, or society were more committed to preventive measures than those who did not. Conclusion The participants in this study generally showed a high level of adherence to the preventive measures compared to participants in other studies from around the world, with some concerns regarding the sources of information they depend on. Nationwide awareness campaigns should be conducted and focus on maintaining, if not expanding, this level of commitment, which would mitigate the pandemic’s impact on Syrian society.

Model Perilaku Pencegahan Virus Covid-19 Berdasarkan Kepercayaan Kepada Sains Dengan Mediasi Komitmen Dan Berbagi Informasi

“…Komitmen pencegahan adalah afeksi sebagai manifestasi dari kesadaran untuk melakukan atau bertindak (Merritt, 2011;Shibani et al, 2022), yang mengarah pada upaya pencegahan menularnya COVID-19. Skala terdiri dari 2 item yaitu "Saya merasa bahwa mengikuti aturan yang terkait upaya pencegahan penyakit menular itu diperlukan" dan "Saya merasa penting memiliki komitmen pencegahan".…”

Need dissatisfaction and its consequences on support for anti-pandemic behaviors in China: The mediation of attribution and local government satisfaction, and the moderation of social class

“…One pathway originates from an individual perspective, according to the health belief model, which posits that individual emotion and risk perception affect health-related behaviors ( Rosenstock, 1974 , 1977 ; Weinstein and Nicolich, 1993 ). Many studies supported the individual emotional and cognitive approach in explaining anti-pandemic behaviors ( Kowalski and Black, 2021 ; Shiloh et al, 2021 ; Shibani et al, 2022 ; Anderson and Hobolt, 2023 ).…”

“…Although pandemic prevention experts referred to people over the age of 65 and/or with comorbidities as vulnerable groups during the pandemic, other groups may also be vulnerable due to unmet needs and other difficulties, such as homelessness ( Bodenmann et al, 2020 ). Some studies have found that compared to their counterparts, people of younger age, lower income, lower educational level, or without a full-time job were less compliant with anti-pandemic behaviors ( Armitage et al, 2021 ; Kowalski and Black, 2021 ; Kanazawa, 2022 ; Shibani et al, 2022 ). According to our previous hypothesis H1, this may be because their normal life was disrupted more, and their needs were more dissatisfied than those of their counterparts.…”