The Intention of Changing Adherence to COVID-19 Preventive Health Measures After Implementation of COVID-19 Vaccination Program: An Online-Based Study in Mazandaran Province, Iran

Abstract

Background: The nature and extent of changing adherence to COVID-19 preventive health measures are different in various populations. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the intention of changing adherence to COVID-19 preventive health measures (ICA-COVID-19–PHM) after implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program compared to when they had not received the vaccine. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1000 participants in the 18 to 60-year-old group population (Mazandaran Province, Iran). The data were collected by an anonymous online “Google Form” questionnaire. The Pearson correlation coefficient, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), and paired t-test were used to evaluate the intention of changing adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. Results: The correlation coefficient ranged from 0.58 for non-travel to 0.76 for personal hygiene. ICC ranged from 0.68 for non-traveling to 0.86 for personal hygiene and hand/face washing. The results of the paired t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the adherence at the present time and the intention to adhere to preventive protocols after receiving the vaccine. Conclusions: The intention of changing adherence to preventive health measures, such as avoiding travel and crowded places and mask-wearing, had the most reduction.