Abstract
ABSTRACT.As the lockdowns have been lifted to relieve pressure on the economy, strict adherence to personal preventive measures (PPMs) in offices is essential to control the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated self-reported compliance with three PPMs among a sample of office workers in Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey with participants were adult office workers who had resumed work in Karachi, Pakistan. All full-time employees aged ≥ 18 years who had resumed work in the offices were invited to complete the survey. Of 487 workers who were invited, 411 (84.4%) completed the survey between March 1 and March 20, 2021. We examined the effects of sociodemographic factors, individual-level factors, interpersonal-level factors, and social-structural–level factors using logistic regression models. Of the total sample, 192 (46.7%) reported always wearing a face mask in the workplace. Self-reported sanitizing of hands (46.0%) was comparable to use of face masks, whereas avoiding crowded places (21.2%) was less common. Perceived effectiveness of individual preventive measures (adjusted odds ratios [AORs] from 1.19 to 1.42; confidence intervals (CIs) 1.04–1.37 to CI 1.18–1.71), perceived effectiveness of governmental preventive measures (AORs from 1.23 to 1.39 CI 1.02–1.47 to CI 1.12–1.72), and number of preventive measures implemented by the office (AORs from 1.20 to 1.26 CI 1.09–1.31 to CI 1.13–1.39) were associated with self-reported compliance with PPMs. Perceived preparedness of medical system in Karachi (AOR 1.44, CI 1.08–1.93) was only associated with self-reported sanitizing of hands. Reduced compliance to PPMs was observed; hence, efforts need to be made to ensure strict adherence to PPMs.
Highlights
As of April 28, 2021, 149,368,127 cases of COVID-19 and 3,149,698 deaths from the disease have been reported worldwide.[1]
We examined the effects of sociodemographic factors, individual-level factors, interpersonal-level factors, and social-structural–level factors using logistic regression models
This study examines the effects of sociodemographic factors, individual-level factors, interpersonal-level factors, and social-structural–level factors on compliance to three personal preventive measures among a sample of office workers in Karachi, Pakistan
Summary
As of April 28, 2021, 149,368,127 cases of COVID-19 and 3,149,698 deaths from the disease have been reported worldwide.[1]. According to the WHO, indoor locations, especially settings that are enclosed and confined with poor or no ventilation, are riskier than outdoor locations.[3] people can be in close proximity to each other for long hours in offices This makes it essential to ensure compliance to personal preventive measures (PPMs) in offices to reduce the risk of contraction. To determine the participants’ knowledge related to transmission routes of COVID-19, a composite indicator variable was constructed by counting the number of correct responses to five knowledge items related to COVID-19 transmission routes (ranging from 0 to 5). A single item was used to measure the participants’ perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 in the 3 months (response categories: 1 5 low, 2 5 moderate, 3 5 high), and another item measured the perceived effectiveness of preventive measures implemented by the offices (response categories: 1 5 very ineffective, 2 5 ineffective, 3 5 neutral, 4 5 effective, 5 5 very effective)
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