Impact of Covid-19 risk perception on compliance with preventive measures among adult Egyptians

Abstract

Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic has rapid inevitable effects on individuals' health and life, which need to heighten readiness to comply with preventive measures and adjust our health behaviors. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 risk perception on compliance with preventive measures among adult Egyptians. Materials & methods: A cross-sectional study conducted on 582 participants who met the inclusion criteria. An online, self-administered questionnaire sent to participants through different social media platforms; it consisted of three parts concerned with sociodemographic data, risk perception scale, and COVID-19 preventive measures scale. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 34.16 ± 9.86, and 87.8% of them had high compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures. The results also showed high COVID-19 risk perception among participants with a weighted mean of 4.01±0.74. The results reported a positive relationship between compliance with preventive measures and COVID-19 risk perception (r = 0.183, P<0.001). Also reported that risk perception is the most important predictor of compliance with preventive measures [OR=3.100, p <0.001, 95% CI (1.715-4.975)], followed by educational level [OR=2.921, p <0.001, 95% CI (1.557-6.172)]. Conclusion: Risk perception is the strongest predictor of compliance with protective measures, the findings of this study added to the rising literature suggesting that COVID-19 risk perception is an important factor in predicting compliance with preventive measures