Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors Trends in Chile: Lesson from a Population Cohort 2021–2022

Paola Rubilar
ORCID logo ,
Loreto-Núñez Franz
* ORCID logo ,
Mauricio Apablaza
,
Muriel Ramírez-Santana
ORCID logo ,
Xaviera Molina
,
Luis Canales
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 9 January 2024 / Approved: 9 January 2024 / Online: 9 January 2024 (14:45:23 CET)

How to cite: Rubilar, P.; Franz, L.; Apablaza, M.; Ramírez-Santana, M.; Molina, X.; Canales, L. COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors Trends in Chile: Lesson from a Population Cohort 2021–2022. Preprints 2024, 2024010742. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.0742.v1 Rubilar, P.; Franz, L.; Apablaza, M.; Ramírez-Santana, M.; Molina, X.; Canales, L. COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors Trends in Chile: Lesson from a Population Cohort 2021–2022. Preprints 2024, 2024010742. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.0742.v1

Abstract

The rapid emergence of COVID-19 necessitated policy responses worldwide, focusing on vaccination and mobility restrictions. However, studies on individual non-pharmacological preventive measures are less common. In particular, Chile represents a unique scenario for analyzing the adoption of preventive measures and changes amid aggressive communication and vaccination campaigns. This study aims to provide insights into public adherence to non-pharmacological measures in the face of diseases, using a cohort of 386 participants from 2021 to 2022. This was achieved by employing a questionnaire to measure adherence to self-care practices and by analyzing contact tracing data from health authorities. We performed bivariate analysis and a linear regression model. Mask-wearing in public places was the most commonly used measure (95.9% in 2021 and 89.9% in 2022). The median adherence score increased from 18 to 19 for both measurements, respectively. The regression model shows that women are more likely to adopt preventive behaviors in both waves and being a young adult (30-49 years) predicted the adoption of behavioral precautions in 2022. Adherence to preventive measures increased even with high vaccination coverage, likely due to the epidemiological situation with the Omicron variant circulating in 2022.

Keywords

non-pharmacological measures; preventive measures; COVID-19; Chile

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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