Dev, R. orcid.org/0000-0003-1853-9728, Raparelli, V., Bacon, S.L. orcid.org/0000-0001-7075-0358 et al. (3 more authors) (2022) Impact of biological sex and gender-related factors on public engagement in protective health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional analyses from a global survey. BMJ Open, 12 (6). e059673. ISSN 2044-6055
Abstract
Objective Given the role of sociocultural gender in shaping human behaviours, the main objective of this study was to examine whether sex and gender-related factors were associated with the public’s adherence to COVID-19-recommended protective health behaviours.
Design This was a retrospective analysis of the survey that captured data on people’s awareness, attitudes and behaviours as they relate to the COVID-19 policies.
Setting Data from the International COVID-19 Awareness and Responses Evaluation survey collected between March 2020 and February 2021 from 175 countries.
Participants Convenience sample around the world.
Main outcome measures We examined the role of sex and gender-related factors in relation to non-adherence of protective health behaviours including: (1) hand washing; (2) mask wearing; and (3) physical distancing. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine the factors associated with non-adherence to behaviours.
Results Among 48 668 respondents (mean age: 43 years; 71% female), 98.3% adopted hand washing, 68.5% mask wearing and 76.9% physical distancing. Compared with males, females were more likely to adopt hand washing (OR=1.97, 95% CI: 1.71 to 2.28) and maintain physical distancing (OR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.34). However, in multivariable sex-stratified models, females in countries with higher Gender Inequality Indexes (GII) were less likely to report hand washing (adjusted OR (aOR)=0.47, 95% CI: 0.21 to 1.05). Females who reported being employed (aOR=0.22, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.48) and in countries with low/medium GIIs (aOR=0.18, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.51) were less likely to report mask wearing. Females who reported being employed were less likely to report physical distancing (aOR=0.39, 95% CI: 0.32 to 0.49).
Conclusion While females showed greater adherence to COVID-19 protective health behaviours, gender-related factors, including employment status and high country-wide gender inequality, were independently associated with non-adherence. These findings may inform public health and vaccination policies in current as well as future pandemics.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | COVID-19; infectious diseases; health policy |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Psychology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 13 Feb 2024 11:19 |
Last Modified: | 13 Feb 2024 11:19 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | BMJ |
Identification Number: | 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059673 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:209081 |