Multilevel factors related to COVID-19 preventive behaviors

What is it about?

While previous studies on COVID-19 prevention have mainly concentrated on individual factors, taking a more comprehensive approach that considers multilevel factors could aid in the development and implementation of interventions and policies. To this end, the current study analyzed survey data from 1,500 people in South Korea to examine the multilevel factors associated with COVID-19 preventive measures like mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social distancing. Beyond the previously known individual-level factors (e.g., age, gender, educational attainment), the current study discovered that multilevel factors are associated with COVID-19 preventive behaviors. For example, at the individual level, higher levels of COVID-19 fear and correct knowledge were related to adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors. COVID-19 preventive behaviors were associated with factors at other levels, such as COVID-19 information sharing (interpersonal level), neighborhood perception and community participation (community level), and a better evaluation of national government COVID-19 policies (policy level).

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Photo by Tai's Captures on Unsplash

Photo by Tai's Captures on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The findings of this study suggest that a multilevel approach is needed to promote preventive behaviors, not just a focus on individual-level factors.