Protective behavior and SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in the population – Results from the Gutenberg COVID-19 study

Publication type:
Journal article
Metadata:
Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, preventive measures like physical distancing, wearing face masks, and hand hygiene have been widely applied to mitigate viral transmission. Beyond increasing vaccination coverage, preventive measures remain urgently needed. The aim of the present project was to assess the effect of protective behavior on SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in the population.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>Data of the Gutenberg COVID-19 Study (GCS), a prospective cohort study with a representative population-based sample, were analyzed. SARS-CoV-2 infections were identified by sequential sampling of biomaterial, which was analyzed by RT-qPCR and two antibody immunoassays. Self-reported COVID-19 test results were additionally considered. Information on protective behavior including physical distancing, wearing face masks, and hand hygiene was collected via serial questionnaire-based assessments. To estimate adjusted prevalence ratios and hazard ratios, robust Poisson regression and Cox regression were applied.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>In total, 10,250 participants were enrolled (median age 56.9 [43.3/68.6] years, 50.8% females). Adherence to preventive measures was moderate for physical distancing (48.3%), while the use of face masks (91.5%) and the frequency of handwashing (75.0%) were high. Physical distancing appeared to be a protective factor with respect to SARS-CoV-2 infection risk independent of sociodemographic characteristics and individual pandemic-related behavior (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62–0.96). A protective association between wearing face masks and SARS-CoV-2 transmission was identified (PR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.55–0.96). However, the protective effect declined after controlling for potential confounding factors (PR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.68–1.36). For handwashing, this investigation did not find a beneficial impact. The adherence to protective behavior was not affected by previous SARS-CoV-2 infection or immunization against COVID-19.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p>The present study suggests primarily a preventive impact of physical distancing of 1.5 m, but also of wearing face masks on SARS-CoV-2 infections, supporting their widespread implementation. The proper fit and use of face masks are crucial for effectively mitigating the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the population.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
Autoren
  • Rieke Baumkötter
  • Simge Yilmaz
  • Daniela Zahn
  • Katharina Fenzl
  • Jürgen H Prochaska
  • Heidi Rossmann
  • Irene Schmidtmann
  • Alexander K Schuster
  • Manfred E Beutel
  • Karl J Lackner
  • Thomas Münzel
  • Philipp S Wild
DOI
10.1186/s12889-022-14310-6
eISSN
1471-2458
Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung
1
Zeitschrift
BMC Public Health
Sprache
en
Artikelnummer
1993
Online publication date
2022
Status
Published online
Herausgeber
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Herausgeber URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14310-6
Datum der Datenerfassung
2022
Titel
Protective behavior and SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in the population – Results from the Gutenberg COVID-19 study
Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
22

Data source: Crossref

Other metadata sources:
Author's licence
CC-BY
Autoren
  • Rieke Baumkötter
  • Simge Yilmaz
  • Daniela Zahn
  • Katharina Fenzl
  • Jürgen H Prochaska
  • Heidi Rossmann
  • Irene Schmidtmann
  • Alexander K Schuster
  • Manfred E Beutel
  • Karl J Lackner
  • Thomas Münzel
  • Philipp S Wild
Hosting institution
Universitätsbibliothek Mainz
Sammlungen
  • DFG-491381577-G
Resource version
Published version
DOI
10.1186/s12889-022-14310-6
Funding acknowledgements
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)|491381577|Open-Access-Publikationskosten 2022–2024 Universität Mainz - Universitätsmedizin
File(s) embargoed
false
Open access
true
ISSN
1471-2458
Zeitschrift
BMC public health
Schlüsselwörter
  • 610 Medizin
  • 610 Medical sciences
Sprache
eng
Open access status
Open Access
Paginierung
1993
Datum der Veröffentlichung
2022
Public URL
https://openscience.ub.uni-mainz.de/handle/20.500.12030/8922
Herausgeber
BioMed Central
Herausgeber URL
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14310-6
Datum der Datenerfassung
2023
Datum, an dem der Datensatz öffentlich gemacht wurde
2023
Zugang
Public
Titel
Protective behavior and SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in the population : results from the Gutenberg COVID-19 study
Ausgabe der Zeitschrift
22

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