Context Matters: Patterns in Physical Distancing Behavior Across Situations and Over Time During the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Netherlands.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Physical distancing is an effective preventative measure during respiratory infectious disease outbreaks. Prior studies on distancing behaviors have largely ignored context characteristics (physical, social) and time.

Purpose

We investigated patterns in physical distancing over time and across situations, as well as sociodemographic variation herein.

Methods

We employed data from five rounds of a cohort study conducted throughout the pandemic by the Dutch public health institute (RIVM; N ≈ 50.000 per round). We conducted Latent Class Analyses to investigate patterns of physical distancing in a range of situations, followed by regression models to investigate associations between distancing behavior and sociodemographic and context characteristics.

Result

SUBMITTER: Bussemakers C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10831219 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature