Personal Protective Behaviors Research Articles

Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Vaccine Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children Aged 5-11 Years in Japan During Omicron Variant Predominate Periods.

Although the effectiveness of BNT162b2 messenger RNA vaccines against the Omicron variant has been reported in several countries, data are limited in children living in Asian countries. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the effectiveness of the pediatric primary two-dose monovalent mRNA vaccine series in preventing symptomatic novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan. We conducted a test-negative case-control study (262 test-positive cases and 259 test-negative controls) in patients aged 5-11 years who presented with COVID-19-like symptoms during the Omicron BA.2- and BA.5-predominant periods. Vaccination status, demographic data, underlying medical conditions, lifestyle, personal protective health behaviors, living environment, and PCR test results were obtained using parent-administered questionnaires and clinical records. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic COVID-19 was calculated using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Of the test-positive cases and test-negative controls, 9.2% (n = 24) and 12.7% (n = 33) received two vaccine doses, respectively. Having siblings and a BA.5-dominant period were significantly associated with symptomatic COVID-19. After adjusting for age, siblings, study period, and duration after the last vaccination, the overall VE of two-dose vaccination was 50.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5-74%). VE was 72% (95% CI, 24-89%) within 3 months after the two-dose vaccination, while it decreased to 24% (95% CI, -80% to 68%) after 3 months. Two BNT162b messenger RNA vaccine doses provided moderate protection against symptomatic COVID-19 during the Omicron variant period. A time-dependent decrease in VE was noted after the second dose; thus, a booster dose 3 months after the second dose is warranted.

Do we protect ourselves against West Nile Virus? A systematic review on knowledge, attitudes, and practices and their determinants

BackgroundWest Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus. In humans, 80% of infections are asymptomatic, while approximately 20% experience influenza-like symptoms. Fewer than 1% develop the neuroinvasive form which can lead to encephalitis, meningitis, acute flaccid paralysis, and even death. The global spread of the virus to areas where it was not previously present has become a growing concern. Since the 2000 s, there have been numerous outbreaks affecting local and travelling populations worldwide. Given the lack of a vaccine, preventative measures are primarily focused on surveillance, vector control, and the use of personal protective behaviours (PPBs). The importance of PPBs is central to public health recommendations. However, translating these messages into coherent action by the public can prove challenging, as the uptake of such measures is inevitably influenced by socio-economic factors, awareness, knowledge, and risk perception. MethodsA PRISMA-based systematic research was conducted on EMBASE, PubMed/MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023459714. Quality of studies included in the final stage was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Checklist for Cross-Sectional Study (CEBMa). Results2963 articles were screened, and 17 studies were included in the final round. Out of these, six were deemed of high quality, ten were of medium quality, and one was of low quality. In almost all studies considered, both awareness and knowledge of WNV transmission were above 90%, while concern about WNV ranged from 50% to 80%. Concern about the safety of repellents, either with or without DEET, ranged from 27% to 70%. The percentage of people actually using repellents ranged from 30% to 75%, with the lowest usage reported among individuals over 60 years old (29%) and pregnant women (33%), and the highest among students aged 9–11 (75%). Concern for West Nile Virus (WNV) was consistently linked to an increase in taking preventative measures, including the use of repellents, by two to four times across studies. The school-based intervention was effective in increasing the practice of removing standing water (AOR=4.6; 2.7–8.0) and wearing long clothing (AOR=2.4; 95%CI: 1.3–4.3), but did not have a significant impact on the use of repellents. ConclusionsThe present systematic review provides an overview of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of WNV and their determinants. While concern about West Nile Virus (WNV) and its effects can be a significant motivator, it is important to promote evidence-based personal protective behaviours (PPBs) to counter unwarranted fears. For example, the use of repellents among the most vulnerable age groups. Given the geographical expansion of WNV, it is necessary to target the entire population preventively, including those who are difficult to reach and areas not yet endemic. The findings of this investigation could have significant implications for public health and support well-informed and effective communication strategies and interventions.

Vaccine Hesitancy Among Us Travelers

Diseases are increasing in prevalence around the world. American travelers are at greater risk of contracting the disease when traveling outside the country to an endemic region. The safety of visitors to mosquito-endemic destinations is more important than ever. Because a vaccine does not exist for prevention or as a prophylactic, tourists are in jeopardy of fatal sicknesses. Thus, if a vaccine existed, it would be important to understand the likelihood of taking such a vaccine. This study sought to identify specific demographic and attitudinal variables that may be the best predictors of the likelihood of getting a Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) vaccine. An online survey of US travelers intending to travel to the Caribbean in the next 3‐5 years was used to gather information related to personal protection motivations, behaviors, and knowledge of CHIKV. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine the best predictor of getting a CHIKV vaccine. Results suggested that the best predictor of getting the vaccine was trust. Using scenarios and predicting the use of vaccines in today’s environment are effective ways of determining vaccine support and the likelihood of engaging in this personal protective behavior, should it become commercially available. Such efforts can improve ways to manage, control, and message regarding CHIKV.

Social contact patterns with acquaintances and strangers related to influenza in the post-pandemic era

Abstract Aim To investigate the social contact patterns of Chinese residents in the post COVID-19 pandemic period, explore the associations between the different contact patterns and incidence of influenza. Subject and methods A cross-sectional social contact survey was conducted on Chinese residents from December 9, 2021, to January 20, 2022. The contact was divided into participant–acquaintance (P–A) and participant–stranger (P–S), and the generalized linear model (GLM) was used to explore their impact on the incidence of influenza. Results The contact frequency of P–S was higher than that of P–A (3.41 V.S. 1.94), but the average contact duration of P–S was much shorter than that of P–A (0.20 h V.S. 5.53 h). P–A contact mainly occurred among peers as well as family members. However, P–S contact was concentrated in the middle-aged population. In GLM, the influence of P–S on the incidence of influenza was higher (OR = 2.63, 95% CI 2.29–3.02) than that of P–A (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.56–2.13), especially on the weekend (P–S OR = 4.31, 95% CI 2.31–8.01) and in recreation places (P–S OR = 4.94, 95% CI 2.26–10.78). Conclusions Social contact will increase the incidence rate of influenza. Therefore, when contacting with strangers, especially in recreation places, personal protective behavior should be strengthened.

COVID-19 Personal Protective Behaviors during Large Social Events: The Value of Behavioral Observations.

Within the context of reopening society in the summer of 2021, as the UK moved away from 'lockdowns', the Government of Wales piloted the return of organized 'mass gatherings' of people at a number of test events. The current study reports behavioral observations that were made at two of the test events to inform this process. The researchers were particularly interested in four key factors: how (1) context within a venue, (2) environmental design, (3) staffing and social norms, and (4) time across an event, affected the personal protective behaviors of social distancing and face-covering use. Data collection was undertaken by trained observers. Adherence to protective behaviors was generally high, but there is clear evidence that these behaviors were shaped in a systematic way by the environment, situational cues, and the passage of time during the events. Some instances of large-scale non-adherence to personal protective behaviors were documented. An analysis within a dual-process framework suggests ways to understand and respond to supporting target health behaviors in groups of people where intervention is deemed valuable, such as in complex or ambiguous contexts. This is one of the first studies to include a 'true' behavioral measure in understanding human responses to COVID-19. It demonstrates that behavioral observations can add precision and granularity to understanding human behavior in complex real-world contexts. Given the significant physical and mental health burden created acutely and chronically by COVID-19, this work has implications for how governments and organizations support target populations in other complex challenges facing us today, such as in sustainability, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. An individual's intentions are not always matched by their actions, and so the findings support a balanced liberal paternalistic approach where system-level changes support appropriate individual-level decisions to engender collective responsibility and action.

Health Beliefs, Protective Behaviors, and Information-Seeking.

The outbreak of COVID-19 caused severe damage to public health globally and served as a stark reminder of the potential for future pandemics. Promoting protective behaviors to prevent the spread of any contagious disease thus remains a priority. Although research has shown that health beliefs can affect protective behaviors, few studies have examined the role of information-seeking in this relationship. On the basis of the health belief model, this research focused on whether health beliefs affect personal protective behaviors through health information-seeking behaviors. This cross-sectional study with a causal-comparative design used an online questionnaire to investigate the Taiwanese public's health beliefs, protective behaviors, and information-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Between September 2021 and January 2022, 322 valid questionnaires were collected. The results revealed that the effects of two health beliefs-self-efficacy and perceived benefits-on handwashing, social distancing, practicing good cough etiquette, and keeping one's environment clean and well ventilated were partially mediated by the frequency of official information-seeking. Results of this study support the regular and timely promotion of pandemic prevention measures through official sites. Promoting official information-seeking can help enhance protective behaviors.

Hygiene Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Greek Undergraduate Students on Mobile Phones and Corresponding Devices’ Microbial Assessment

The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Greek undergraduate students on hand hygiene and mobile phone hygiene, in relation to their mobile phones’ microbial load. An anonymous self-reported questionnaire was distributed among 100 students and swabs were taken from their devices for microbiological cultures and for an on-site bioluminescence microbial load assessment. Hand washing was considered the most effective personal protective behavior by the majority (89%), while spatial restrictions (40%) and forgetfulness (31%) were the main reasons for neglecting hand washing. Most students washed their hands 6–10 times/day (32%) for approximately 11–20 s (35%). Although most devices were cleaned/disinfected within the last week (28%), many were contaminated with Staphylococcus saprophyticus (84%), Staphylococcus aureus (13%), and Escherichia coli (39%), while 75% of the samples exceeded the “fail” threshold limit of the luminometer’s measurements. Moreover, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between the devices’ microbial load and certain hand hygiene behaviors and preferences. The median cfu/cm2 of Escherichia coli was higher among first-year students of health sciences, while Staphylococcus aureus was more prevalent in females’ than in males’ mobile phones. It w therefore understood that undergraduate students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors on hand hygiene and mobile phone hygiene are highly intertwined with the microbial load on their mobile phones.

Personal protective behaviors in response to COVID-19: a longitudinal application of protection motivation theory.

Disease outbreaks are expected to occur more frequently and spread more rapidly in the age of globalization. Personal protective behaviors strongly affect infection and death rates worldwide. It is therefore of prime importance to better understand which factors predict personal protective behaviors during a pandemic. Protection motivation theory (PMT) proposes that people's motivation to protect themselves is based on two appraisal processes: threat appraisal and coping appraisal. Building on PMT, this longitudinal study aimed to predict personal protective behaviors in response to COVID-19, including hand hygiene, physical distancing, and mask wearing. In the first wave of the study (November, 2020), the two appraisal processes as specified in PMT as well as intentions to perform protective behaviors were assessed in a representative sample of German adults (N = 328). In the second wave of this study, which was conducted one month later, the frequency of protective behaviors was measured. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether threat and coping appraisal predicted intentions and protective behaviors. Response rate for the second wave was high (87%). For all three behaviors, self-efficacy predicted intentions and also indirectly behavior (i.e., mediated via intentions). Furthermore, exploratory tests of alternative theoretical models suggested that both self-efficacy and costs have direct effects (i.e., independent from their relationship with intentions) on performed behavior. To support individuals to engage in protective behaviors during a pandemic, it is important to reduce barriers to action and to foster individuals' self-efficacy.

Daily Effects of COVID-19 News on Personal Protective Behaviors Through COVID-19 Anxiety: The Significance of Direct Wuhan Epidemic Experience.

Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, this study investigates the effect of daily COVID-19 news on daily anxiety and protective behaviors (e.g., wearing masks and washing hands). This study proposes that such processes, leading to self-protection, are highly likely when individuals have directly experienced the Wuhan epidemic at the beginning of 2020, which is the most serious COVID-19 outbreak in history. The positive effect of daily COVID-19 news on daily protective behaviors through daily COVID-19 anxiety was examined in this study, which was hypothesized to be accentuated by direct Wuhan epidemic experience. An online survey based on the experience sample method (ESM) was conducted during the COVID-19 epidemic in Hebei Province, China, at the beginning of 2021, in which 82 working adults participated in a daily survey for five consecutive days. Once a day during the five-day period, the participants reported their daily COVID-19 news exposure, daily COVID-19 anxiety, and daily protective behaviors. Wuhan epidemic experience was measured by the place of residence of the participants during the 2020 Wuhan epidemic through a separate general survey conducted before the ESM survey. Analysis of 392day-level data confirmed the positive link between daily COVID-19 news and daily protective behaviors, mediated by daily COVID-19 anxiety (b = 0.03, SE = 0.01, p = 0.018). Furthermore, the mediated effect was significant for the participants with direct COVID-19 experience in Wuhan in 2020 (b = 0.05, SE = 0.03, p = 0.041) but not significant for those without direct experience in Wuhan (b = 0.01, SE = 0.01, p = 0.461). Thus, the results confirmed the positive moderating role of Wuhan epidemic experience. The analysis reveals the psychological mechanism through which COVID-19 information promotes self-protection measures to control the infectious disease and highlights the importance of direct COVID-19 experience in generating such an effect.

Personal protective equipment waste management behavior of undergraduates in Xi'an City based on extended theory of value-identity-personal norm model

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s lives, with the most prominent change being the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). In this study, we used the extended Value-Identity-Personal (VIP) norm model to empirically analyze the influencing factors of Pro-Environmental Behavior (PEB) among college students in Xi 'an, China, while considering the usage of PPE as an example of PEB. We proposed nine hypothetical questions, and the VIP model was established through the SmartPLS software to test the valid questionnaires of 414 college students. The verification results indicated that all the nine hypotheses were supported statistically, with personal environmental social responsibility and personal norms showing the most significant direct impact on PEB; notably, personal norms were also strongly influenced by environmental personal social responsibility. Biosphere values affected PEB indirectly, through self-identity and individual norms. This study proposes viable countermeasures and suggestions for college students to improve PEB; our findings can serve as a reference for policymakers and stakeholders to ensure the effective waste management of personal safety equipment.

Clinical characteristics of COVID‐19 patients infected by the Omicron variants in Macao, China: A cross‐sectional study

AbstractBackground and AimsThe evolving mutants of SARS‐CoV‐2 have made the COVID‐19 pandemic sustained for over 3 years. In 2022, BA.4 and BA.5 were the Omicron variants dominating the spread globally. Although COVID‐19 was no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as announced by WHO, the SARS‐CoV‐2 variants remain a challenge to global healthcare under the circumstances of withdrawal and loosening of personal protective behavior in the post‐quarantine era. This study aims to acknowledge the clinical characteristics caused by Omicron BA.4/BA.5 in COVID‐19 naive people and analyze possible factors affecting disease severities.MethodsIn this retrospective study, we report and analyze the clinical features of 1820 COVID‐19 patients infected with the BA.4/BA.5 Omicron variants of SARS‐CoV‐2 during a local outbreak that occurred in Macao SAR, China, from June to July 2022.ResultsA total of 83.5% of patients were symptomatic eventually. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, and sore throat. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were the leading comorbidities. There were significantly more elderly patients (p < 0.001), more patients with comorbidity (p < 0.001) and more patients without vaccination or not completing the series (p < 0.001) in the “Severe to Critical” group. All deceased patients were elderly with at least three comorbidities and were partial to totally dependent in their daily lives.ConclusionOur data are consistent with a milder disease caused by BA.4/5 Omicron variants in the general population, while patients with old age and comorbidities have developed severe to critical diseases. Complete vaccination series and booster doses are effective strategies to reinforce protection against severe diseases and avoid mortality.

Firefighter Stress, Anxiety, and Diminished Compliance-Oriented Safety Behaviors: Consequences of Passive Safety Leadership in the Fire Service?

Safety-specific passive leadership has been negatively linked to diminished safety outcomes, including safety behaviors. However, this relationship is not fully understood. Research has not fully examined mediating factors that may be influenced by passive leadership, which then influence safety behaviors. Research among firefighters in this context is particularly absent. As such, this study aimed to examine relationships between safety-specific passive leadership, stress, anxiety, and compliance-oriented safety behavior outcomes among 708 professional firefighters. A path analysis was completed. The hypothesized model fit was very good and hypothesized relationships were confirmed. Safety-specific passive leadership was positively, significantly associated with increased firefighter stress perceptions and stress was positively, significantly associated with anxiety. Anxiety was negatively, significantly associated with both safety compliance and personal protective equipment behavior. This study has implications for researchers and practitioners. The findings emphasize the importance of active leaders in the fire service as passive leadership in the context of safety is distressing, which results in anxiety and ultimately diminished safety behavior outcomes, which could place firefighters at risk for injuries, illness, or death.

Evaluation of personal protective behaviors among healthcare workers after receiving COVID-19 vaccination

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate personal protective behaviors after COVID-19 vaccination in healthcare workers.
 Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with healthcare workers (physician, dentist, midwife, nurse, health officer or emergency medicine technician) in Bursa City Hospital between September 1, 2021 and September 1, 2022. Data was collected with a questionnaire form which was sent to participants via WhatsApp or email.
 Results: All participants had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 31.0% had had experienced at least one COVID-19 infection. It was determined that while the use of N95 masks in the workplace (p

Who will survive in the next disaster? The associations between sociodemographics and typhoon protective behaviors

Personal protective behaviors play an important role in disaster management because they can effectively reduce the damage caused by disasters. Understanding the relations and differences in protective behaviors among different social classes can help improve disaster management. This study conducted a street questionnaire survey in a typhoon-prone district of Hong Kong. Data were analyzed to understand how sociodemographic parameters (i.e., gender, age, education level, and income) influenced typhoon protective behaviors (i.e., preparedness before typhoons and emergency response during typhoons) of Hong Kong residents. The results showed that the level of preparedness of the respondents was low before the arrival of the typhoon. When the typhoon is approaching Hong Kong, they become more responsive. The higher the intensity of the typhoon, the higher the level of the adoption of emergency response. Among four sociodemographic parameters, only age and income significantly affected protective behaviors. This study supplements the existing literature on typhoon disaster management and provides a reference for improving typhoon disaster management in Hong Kong and other coastal cities affected by typhoons.

Factors Influencing Compliance With Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Use Among Healthcare Workers.

Introduction Accurate and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is an integral component in infection prevention and control policy to ensure healthcare workers' safety.Poor compliance with personal protective behaviours and inconsistent use ofPPE has been identified as the main cause of transmission of nosocomial infections in healthcare settings and this reduced compliance is linked to many individual, environmental, and organizational factors. Therefore, the current study was carried out to identify various factors influencing PPE use among healthcare workers. Materials and methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey has been carried out among healthcare workers selected from two selected tertiary care hospitals in central India. Data on compliance with PPE and factors influencing compliance were collected using a three-point rating scale and structured questionnaire. Quantile regression was performed to identify the factors associated with adherence to PPE use among healthcare workers. Results The median score for compliance with PPE use among healthcare workers was found to be 22 with an interquartile range (IQR) of 16-24.The multiple quantile regression found that variables such as occupation (p<0.001), institutional policy (p=0.003), quality of PPE (p=0.002), availability of PPE (p<0.001), and improper size (p=0.042) were significantly associated with PPE compliance by healthcare workers. Conclusion The current study highlights the importance of taking adequate measures by the government and healthcare organizations to eliminate various factors hindering PPE compliance levels among healthcare workers to ensure consistent use of PPE by healthcare workers to safeguard themselves and patients.

Age-Related Associations of Altruism with Attitudes towards COVID-19 and Vaccination: A Representative Survey in the North of Italy

During the coronavirus pandemic, altruism has been linked to personal protective behavior, vaccine development, and vaccination intention. Studies of the moderating effects of age on altruism in pandemic preparedness have not yet been conducted. A representative cross-sectional survey of residents of South Tyrol, Italy, was conducted in March 2021. Among the participants, 1169 were aged 18-69 years, and 257 were aged ≥ 70 years. The questionnaire collected information on sociodemographic and individual characteristics, including comorbidities, COVID-19-related experiences, trust in information, the likelihood of accepting the national vaccination plan, and altruism. A linear regression analysis was performed. Among 1426 participants, the median altruism sum score was 24 (interquartile range, 20-26). In the participant group aged ≥ 70 years, the median altruism score was significantly higher than that in the younger group. Participants living in a single household were significantly less altruistic than other participants, while participants working in the health sector, living in a household at risk from coronavirus disease 2019, or suffering from a chronic disease were found to be more altruistic. Altruism showed significant positive correlations with age and agreement with the national vaccination plan and was negatively correlated with well-being. Trust in institutions was positively correlated with altruism only in the younger age group but not in the elderly. Linear regression models confirmed female gender and identified trust in institutions as a positive predictor of altruism. In the younger age group, increased well-being and restricted individual sports activities were associated with reduced altruism, whereas support of compulsory self-isolation after contact with a SARS-CoV-2-positive person and handwashing as a personal protective measure were positively associated. Altruism is associated with various predictors of pandemic behavior and traits. The strengths of the identified positive and negative correlations support the modifying role of age in the effects of altruism on pandemic attitudes. Interventions that are likely to enhance altruism to improve pandemic preparedness in certain age groups require further study.

Local travel behaviour under continuing COVID-19 waves– A proxy for pandemic fatigue?

COVID-19 continues to threaten the world. Relaxing local travel behaviours on preventing the spread of COVID-19, may increase the infection risk in subsequent waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this study, we analysed changes in the travel behaviour of different population groups (adult, child, student, elderly) during four pandemic waves in Hong Kong before January 2021, by 4-billion second-by-second smartcard records of subway. A significant continuous relaxation in human travel behaviour was observed during the four waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Residents sharply reduced their local travel by 51.9%, 50.1%, 27.6%, and 20.5% from the first to fourth pandemic waves, respectively. The population flow in residential areas, workplaces, schools, shopping areas, amusement areas and border areas, decreased on average by 30.3%, 33.5%, 41.9%, 58.1%, 85.4% and 99.6%, respectively, during the pandemic weeks. We also found that many other cities around the world experienced a similar relaxation trend in local travel behaviour, by comparing traffic congestion data during the pandemic with data from the same period in 2019. The quantitative pandemic fatigue in local travel behaviour could help governments partially predicting personal protective behaviours, and thus to suggest more accurate interventions during subsequent waves, especially for highly infectious virus variants such as Omicron.

Protective behavior during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark

A fundamental aim during the COVID-19 pandemic has been to motivate comprehensive behavioral change in the population in order to protect them against infection with the corona virus. Here, we study how psychological factors relate to such behavior change during the second wave of the pandemic. Using survey data representative of the adult Danish population, we demonstrate that people who (1) perceive the coronavirus as a personal threat, (2) perceive that behavior change makes a difference (“response efficacy”), (3) perceive that behavior change does not come with high costs (“response costs”), and (4) have high institutional trust are more willing to comply with health-protective behavioral advice. Furthermore, we show that the factors (2)-(4) mute the association between personal threat and protective behavior. Thus, we identify a psychological path without fear to foster behavior change during a pandemic.

Changes in preventive behaviour after COVID-19 vaccination in Thailand: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundProtective behaviours (e.g., mask-wearing, handwashing, avoiding social gatherings) and mass vaccination are effective ways to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Previous studies found that people who get vaccinated may change their protective behaviours. The Thai government has endorsed several mix-and-match vaccine regimens to eliminate the insufficiency of each vaccine brand. This study aimed to determine levels of protective behavioural changes after COVID-19 vaccination and its relationship with various vaccine regimens in Thailand.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between September 13, 2021, and January 14, 2022. Data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed via social media platforms and posters in public places in Thailand. The questionnaire comprised six items for demographic characteristics, seven items for COVID-19 vaccine regimens, and four items for protective behaviours. The vaccinated Thai population aged ≥ 18 years were surveyed. Statistical analyses included a Chi-squared test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and multivariate logistic regressions.ResultsOf the 469 participants, more than half were females (67.4%), single (57.4%), and lived in an urban area (67.2%). Significant differences were observed with regard to median scores in handwashing (5.0 vs. 5.0, p-value < 0.001), physical distancing (4.0 vs. 5.0, p-value = 0.019), and avoiding social activity (4.0 vs. 5.0, p-value = 0.010) in pre- and post-vaccination situations. Approximately 70–90% of the participants did not report changes in protective behaviours after vaccination. Overall, 17.4%, 13.9%, and 12.7% of participants showed improvements in avoiding social activity, physical distancing, and handwashing respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that improvements in protective behaviours were significantly associated with the age group (between 18 and 24 years), non-healthcare worker status, and those who lived in urban areas. No significant evidence of vaccine regimens was found relative to improved protective behaviours.ConclusionThis evidence revealed that Thai people maintain their protective behaviours after vaccination but rather improved them. Moreover, demographic data were significantly associated with improved protective behaviours, but various vaccine regimens were not. These findings might be useful for implementing policies to maintain personal protective behaviours after vaccination against COVID-19.

The Relationship Between Personal Protection Behaviors and Fear Levels of Healthcare Professionals Who Had Covid-19 Vaccine

Background. It is known that the use of personal protective equipment is effective in preventing the spread of covid19. The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationship between personal protection behaviors and fear levels of healthcare professionals who get Covid-19 vaccine.&#x0D; Material and methods. This descriptive and relationship-seeker study was carried out between February and April 2021 using an online questionnaire method with 155 healthcare professionals who were actively involved in the Covid-19 pandemic process in a hospital in Istanbul. The data were obtained using the "Participant Information Form" consisting of 19 items and the "Covid-19 Fear Scale". &#x0D; Results. The average score obtained from the Covid-19 Fear Scale was medium (X̄ = 2.54 ± 0.89). A positive significant relationship was found between the fear of Covid-19 and the use of gloves, masks, and disposable gowns before vaccination by the healthcare professionals participating in the study. After vaccination, there is a positive and significant relationship between the use of gloves and surgical masks and the fear of Covid-19. &#x0D; Conclusions. According to the results of the study, female participants and participants who express their economic situation as moderate have a higher level of fear about Covid-19, and that vaccination affects the use of masks and disposable gowns by reducing the fear of Covid-19. Failure of healthcare workers to pay attention to the use of personal protective behivors after vaccination may increase the spread of variants such as omicron.