Non-pharmaceutical interventions and risk of COVID-19 infection: survey of U.K. public from November 2020 – May 2021
Non-pharmaceutical interventions and risk of COVID-19 infection: survey of U.K. public from November 2020 – May 2021
Introduction: non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as handwashing, social distancing and face mask wearing, have been widely promoted to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore the relationship between self-reported use of NPIs and COVID-19 infection.
Methods: we conducted an online questionnaire study recruiting members of the UK public from November 2020 to May 2021. The association between self-reported COVID-19 illness and reported use of NPIs was explored using logistic regression and controlling for participant characteristics, month of questionnaire completion, and vaccine status. Participants who had been exposed to COVID-19 in their household in the previous 2 weeks were excluded.
Results: twenty-seven thousand seven hundred fifty-eight participants were included and 2,814 (10.1%) reported having a COVID-19 infection. The odds of COVID-19 infection were reduced with use of a face covering in unadjusted (OR 0.17 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.20) and adjusted (aOR 0.19, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.23) analyses. Social distancing (OR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.31; aOR 0.35, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.43) and handwashing when arriving home (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.73; aOR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.83) also reduced the odds of COVID-19. Being in crowded places of 10–100 people (OR 1.89, 95% CI: 1.70 to 2.11; aOR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.42 to 1.85) and > 100 people (OR 2.33, 95% CI: 2.11 to 2.58; aOR 1.73, 95% CI: 1.53 to 1.97) were both associated with increased odds of COVID-19 infection. Handwashing before eating, avoiding touching the face, and cleaning things with virus on were all associated with increased odds of COVID-19 infections.
Conclusions: this large observational study found evidence for strong protective effects for individuals from use of face coverings, social distancing (including avoiding crowded places) and handwashing on arriving home on developing COVID-19 infection. We also found evidence for an increased risk associated with other behaviours, possibly from recall bias.
COVID-19, non-pharmaceutical interventions, face covering, Social distancing, handwashing, risk, SARS-CoV-2, Hand Disinfection, Humans, Self Report, COVID-19/prevention & control, Surveys and Questionnaires
Francis, Nick A.
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Becque, Taeko
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Willcox, Merlin
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Hay, Alastair D.
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Lown, Mark
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Clarke, Richard
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Stuart, Beth
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Yardley, Lucy
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Houriet, Joëlle
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Moore, Michael
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Little, Paul
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24 February 2023
Francis, Nick A.
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Becque, Taeko
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Willcox, Merlin
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Hay, Alastair D.
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Lown, Mark
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Clarke, Richard
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Stuart, Beth
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Yardley, Lucy
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Houriet, Joëlle
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Moore, Michael
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Little, Paul
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Francis, Nick A., Becque, Taeko, Willcox, Merlin, Lown, Mark, Yardley, Lucy, Moore, Michael and Little, Paul
,
et al.
(2023)
Non-pharmaceutical interventions and risk of COVID-19 infection: survey of U.K. public from November 2020 – May 2021.
BMC Public Health, 23 (1), [389].
(doi:10.1186/s12889-023-15209-6).
Abstract
Introduction: non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as handwashing, social distancing and face mask wearing, have been widely promoted to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore the relationship between self-reported use of NPIs and COVID-19 infection.
Methods: we conducted an online questionnaire study recruiting members of the UK public from November 2020 to May 2021. The association between self-reported COVID-19 illness and reported use of NPIs was explored using logistic regression and controlling for participant characteristics, month of questionnaire completion, and vaccine status. Participants who had been exposed to COVID-19 in their household in the previous 2 weeks were excluded.
Results: twenty-seven thousand seven hundred fifty-eight participants were included and 2,814 (10.1%) reported having a COVID-19 infection. The odds of COVID-19 infection were reduced with use of a face covering in unadjusted (OR 0.17 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.20) and adjusted (aOR 0.19, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.23) analyses. Social distancing (OR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.31; aOR 0.35, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.43) and handwashing when arriving home (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.73; aOR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.83) also reduced the odds of COVID-19. Being in crowded places of 10–100 people (OR 1.89, 95% CI: 1.70 to 2.11; aOR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.42 to 1.85) and > 100 people (OR 2.33, 95% CI: 2.11 to 2.58; aOR 1.73, 95% CI: 1.53 to 1.97) were both associated with increased odds of COVID-19 infection. Handwashing before eating, avoiding touching the face, and cleaning things with virus on were all associated with increased odds of COVID-19 infections.
Conclusions: this large observational study found evidence for strong protective effects for individuals from use of face coverings, social distancing (including avoiding crowded places) and handwashing on arriving home on developing COVID-19 infection. We also found evidence for an increased risk associated with other behaviours, possibly from recall bias.
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FRANCIS - BMC PUBLIC HEALTH - Non pharmaceutical interventions and risk of COVID
- Accepted Manuscript
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s12889-023-15209-6
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e-pub ahead of print date: 24 February 2023
Published date: 24 February 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research (project reference 496). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. The funder had no role in the design of the study or the collection, analysis or interpretation of the data. LY is an NIHR Senior Investigator and her research programme is partly supported by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC)-West and NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) for Behavioural Science and Evaluation. MW’s salary was partly funded by a National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Lectureship, under grant CL-2016–26-005.
Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge Chantal Csajska (School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Switzerland) who made it possible to host the questionnaire on the Limesurvey platform of the University of Geneva, Bertrand Graz for his advice during the conception of the survey (Antenna Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland), James Denison-Day (university of Southampton) and Yann Manet (university of Geneva) who provided technical support, and Jennifer Bostock, Caroline Eccles and Zoe Roberts, who supported the project as patient and public contributors.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
Keywords:
COVID-19, non-pharmaceutical interventions, face covering, Social distancing, handwashing, risk, SARS-CoV-2, Hand Disinfection, Humans, Self Report, COVID-19/prevention & control, Surveys and Questionnaires
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 476863
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/476863
ISSN: 1471-2458
PURE UUID: 26426f6e-0550-4232-b37b-fced6262d6fb
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Date deposited: 18 May 2023 16:37
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:54
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Author:
Alastair D. Hay
Author:
Richard Clarke
Author:
Beth Stuart
Author:
Joëlle Houriet
Corporate Author: et al.
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