Keep your distance: Different roles for knowledge and affect in predicting social distancing behavior

2022 ◽  
pp. 135910532110671
Author(s):  
Soyeon Choi ◽  
Wilson N Merrell ◽  
Joshua M Ackerman
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Longitudinal Effects ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Over Time

The current study examines predictors of social distancing behavior across populations (students and community members) and across time in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on two factors commonly associated with risk perception and prevention: knowledge and affect. Results showed that, despite similar levels of social distancing, student distancing was predicted only by feelings of threat about COVID-19, whereas community distancing was predicted by both feeling informed and threatened. Examining longitudinal effects, which were limited to students only, students became more informed about COVID-19 over time, and increases in being informed (but not feeling threatened) predicted more distancing.

Impacts of Social Distancing on Pedestrian Behavior and Risk Perception

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1302-1306
Author(s):  
Kyra B. Phillips ◽  
Kelly N. Byrne ◽  
Branden S. Kolarik ◽  
Audra K. Krake ◽  
Young C. Bui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Pedestrian Behavior ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Over Time

Since COVID-19 transmission accelerated in the United States in March 2020, guidelines have recommended that individuals wear masks and limit close contact by remaining at least six feet away from others, even while outdoors. Such behavior is important to help slow the spread of the global pandemic; however, it may require pedestrians to make critical decisions about entering a roadway in order to avoid others, potentially creating hazardous situations for both themselves and for drivers. In this survey study, we found that while overall patterns of self-reported pedestrian activity remained largely consistent over time, participants indicated increased willingness to enter active roadways when encountering unmasked pedestrians since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Participants also rated the risks of encountering unmasked pedestrians as greater than those associated with entering a street, though the perceived risk of passing an unmasked pedestrian on the sidewalk decreased over time.

scholarly journals Positive and Negative Effects of Republicanism on US citizens’ Mobility During the First Period of the COVID Crisis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Barbalat ◽  
Nicolas Franck
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Human Behaviour ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Abstract While Republican states have been criticized for their limited efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, it is important to consider that political orientation can modify human behaviour via complex effects that are still poorly understood. During the first period of the pandemic, we found that the association of republicanism with US citizens' mobility varied depending on the nature of the exposure being considered. First, republicanism was associated with increased mobility when the stringency of anti-COVID measures increased. Second, republicanism was associated with decreased mobility when COVID-related deaths increased. Third, republicanism was associated with increased mobility over time, i.e. as time went by, citizens living in Republican states were more mobile than those in Democratic states. These findings raise caution on any over-interpretation of the impact of polarization in US politics on COVID-related behaviour. They prompt consideration of persuasive tools that emphasize risk perception to promote social distancing in Republican states, rather than relying heavily on stringent anti-COVID interventions.

scholarly journals The impact of quarantine on Covid-19 infections

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Infection Rate ◽  
District Level ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Lower Infection ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lower Infection Rate ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives: Coronavirushas had profound effects on people’s lives and the economy of many countries, generating controversy between the need to establish quarantines and other social distancing measures to protect people’s health and the need to reactivate the economy. This study proposes and applies a modification of the SIR infection model to describe the evolution of coronavirus infections and to measure the effect of quarantine on the number of people infected. Methods: Two hypotheses, not necessarily mutually exclusive, are proposed for the impact of quarantines. According to the first hypothesis, quarantine reduces the infection rate, delaying new infections over time without modifying the total number of people infected at the end of the wave. The second hypothesis establishes that quarantine reduces the population infected in the wave. The two hypotheses are tested with data for a sample of 10 districts in Santiago, Chile. Results: The results of applying the methodology show that the proposed model describes well the evolution of infections at the district level. The data shows evidence in favor of the first hypothesis, quarantine reduces the infection rate; and not in favor of the second hypothesis, that quarantine reduces the population infected. Districts of higher socio-economic levels have a lower infection rate, and quarantine is more effective. Conclusions: Quarantine, in most districts, does not reduce the total number of people infected in the wave; it only reduces the rate at which they are infected. The reduction in the infection rate avoids peaks that may collapse the health system.

scholarly journals Get Close to the Robot: The Effect of Risk Perception of COVID-19 Pandemic on Customer–Robot Engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6314
Author(s):  
Jifei Wu ◽  
Xiangyun Zhang ◽  
Yimin Zhu ◽  
Grace Fang Yu-Buck
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Industry Analysis ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Risk Seeking ◽  
Positive Effect

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer–robot engagement in the Chinese hospitality industry. Analysis of a sample of 589 customers using service robots demonstrated that the perceived risk of COVID-19 has a positive influence on customer–robot engagement. The positive effect is mediated by social distancing and moderated by attitudes towards risk. Specifically, the mediating effect of social distancing between the perceived risk of COVID-19 and customer–robot engagement is stronger for risk-avoiding (vs. risk-seeking) customers. Our results provide insights for hotels when they employ service robots to cope with the shock of COVID-19 pandemic.

Disparity and Dynamics of Social Distancing Behaviors in Japan: An Investigation of mobile phone mobility data (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeyu Lyu ◽  
Hiroki Takikawa
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government ◽  
Over Time

BACKGROUND The availability of large-scale and fine-grained aggregated mobility data has allowed researchers to observe the dynamic of social distancing behaviors at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Despite the increasing attentions paid to this research agenda, limited studies have focused on the demographic factors related to mobility and the dynamics of social distancing behaviors has not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assist in the design and implementation of public health policies by exploring the social distancing behaviors among various demographic groups over time. METHODS We combined several data sources, including mobile tracking data and geographical statistics, to estimate visiting population of entertainment venues across demographic groups, which can be considered as the proxy of social distancing behaviors. Then, we employed time series analyze methods to investigate how voluntary and policy-induced social distancing behaviors shift over time across demographic groups. RESULTS Our findings demonstrate distinct patterns of social distancing behaviors and their dynamics across age groups. The population in the entertainment venues comprised mainly of individuals aged 20–40 years, while according to the dynamics of the mobility index and the policy-induced behavior, among the age groups, the extent of reduction of the frequency of visiting entertainment venues during the pandemic was generally the highest among younger individuals. Also, our results indicate the importance of implementing the social distancing policy promptly to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infection. However, it should be noticed that although the policy intervention during the second wave in Japan appeared to increase the awareness of the severity of the pandemic and concerns regarding COVID-19, its direct impact has been largely decreased could only last for a short time. CONCLUSIONS At the time we wrote this paper, in Japan, the number of daily confirmed cases was continuously increasing. Thus, this study provides a timely reference for decision makers about the current situation of policy-induced compliance behaviors. On the one hand, age-dependent disparity requires target mitigation strategies to increase the intention of elderly individuals to adopt mobility restriction behaviors. On the other hand, considering the decreasing impact of self-restriction recommendations, the government should employ policy interventions that limit the resurgence of cases, especially by imposing stronger, stricter social distancing interventions, as they are necessary to promote social distancing behaviors and mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. CLINICALTRIAL None

scholarly journals Differences in risk perception, knowledge and protective behaviour regarding COVID-19 by education level among women and men in Germany. Results from the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring (COSMO) study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251694
Author(s):  
Petra Rattay ◽  
Niels Michalski ◽  
Olga Maria Domanska ◽  
Anna Kaltwasser ◽  
Freia De Bock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Factual Knowledge ◽  
Perceived Severity ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Interaction Terms ◽  
Protective Behaviour ◽  
Low Education ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

The main strategy for combatting SARS-CoV-2 infections in 2020 consisted of behavioural regulations including contact reduction, maintaining distance, hand hygiene, and mask wearing. COVID-19-related risk perception and knowledge may influence protective behaviour, and education could be an important determinant. The current study investigated differences by education level in risk perception, knowledge and protective behaviour regarding COVID-19 in Germany, exploring the development of the pandemic over time. The COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring study is a repeated cross-sectional online survey conducted during the pandemic in Germany from 3 March 2020 (waves 1–28: 27,957 participants aged 18–74). Differences in risk perception, knowledge and protective behaviour according to education level (high versus low) were analysed using linear and logistic regression. Time trends were accounted for by interaction terms for education level and calendar week. Regarding protective behaviour, interaction terms were tested for all risk perception and knowledge variables with education level. The strongest associations with education level were evident for perceived and factual knowledge regarding COVID-19. Moreover, associations were found between low education level and higher perceived severity, and between low education level and lower perceived probability. Highly educated men were more worried about COVID-19 than those with low levels of education. No educational differences were observed for perceived susceptibility or fear. Higher compliance with hand washing was found in highly educated women, and higher compliance with maintaining distance was found in highly educated men. Regarding maintaining distance, the impact of perceived severity differed between education groups. In men, significant moderation effects of education level on the association between factual knowledge and all three protective behaviours were found. During the pandemic, risk perception and protective behaviour varied greatly over time. Overall, differences by education level were relatively small. For risk communication, reaching all population groups irrespective of education level is critical.

scholarly journals Belief in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Reduces Social Distancing over Time

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Bierwiaczonek ◽  
Jonas R. Kunst ◽  
Olivia Pich
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Survey ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Longitudinal Survey Data ◽  
Distance Methods ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Over Time

Background Conspiracy theories about the origins of COVID-19 are wide-spread and have even been propagated by highly ranked state officials and politicians in the U.S. Health authorities have cautioned that such theories, although not questioning the existence of the pandemic, may increase the spread of the virus by reducing people’s efforts to socially distance. Methods We test this proposition empirically using longitudinal survey data collected at five time points during the early outbreak of the virus in the U.S. (N = 403). ResultsMultivariate growth curve analyses showed that, although conspiracy beliefs decreased and social distancing increased over time, people holding more conspiracy beliefs at the beginning of the pandemic showed the lowest increase in social distancing. Moreover, cross-lagged analyses demonstrated that people who reported more conspiracy beliefs at any wave tended to report less social distancing at the following wave. ConclusionsOur findings show that COVID-19 conspiracy theories pose a significant threat to public health as they may reduce adherence to social distancing measures.Keywords Conspiracy theories, COVID-19, social distancing, longitudinal

scholarly journals In vitrocommunity synergy between bacterial soil isolates can be facilitated by pH stabilisation of the environment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Herschend ◽  
Klaus Koren ◽  
Henriette L. Røder ◽  
Asker Brejnrod ◽  
Michael Kühl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Activity ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Species Interaction ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Community Interactions ◽  
Community Growth ◽  
Over Time

AbstractComposition and development of naturally occurring microbial communities is defined by a complex interplay between the community and the surrounding environment and by interactions between community members. Intriguingly, these interactions can in some cases cause community synergies where the community is able to outperform it single species constituents. However, the underlying mechanisms driving community interactions are often unknown and difficult to identify due to high community complexity. Here we show how pH stabilisation of the environment through the metabolic activity of specific community members acts as a positive inter-species interaction drivingin vitrocommunity synergy in a model consortium of four co-isolated soil bacteria:Microbacterium oxydans,Xanthomonas retroflexus,Stenotrophomonas rhizophilaandPaenibacillus amylolyticus. Using micro-sensor pH measurements to show how individual species change the local pH micro-environment, and how co-cultivation leads to a stabilised pH regime over time. Specifically,in vitroacid production fromPaenibacillus amylolyticusand alkali production primarily fromXanthomonas retroflexuslead to an overall pH stabilisation of the local environment over time, which in turn resulted in enhanced community growth. This specific type of interspecies interaction was found to be highly dependent on media type and media concentration, however similar pH drift from the individual species could be observed across media variants.ImportanceWe show thatin vitrometabolic activity of individual members of a synthetic, co- isolated model community presenting community synergistic growth arises through the inter-species interaction of pH stabilization of the community micro-environment. The observed inter-species interaction is highly media specific and most pronounced under high nutrient availability. This adds to the growing diversity of identified community interactions leading to enhanced community growth.

scholarly journals EAR BIOMETRICS: ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS SOCIAL DISTANCING

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansi Talreja ◽  
Bhavika Motiramani ◽  
Muskan Asrani ◽  
Ashish Sukhani ◽  
Manas Mangaonkar
Keyword(s):  
Change Over Time ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Ear Biometrics ◽  
The Future ◽  
Secure Environment ◽  
Over Time

Biometrics deals with identification of individuals based on their characteristics. In traditional systems people use to remember passwords, PIN's, tokens for identification. But in recent years biometrics have gained a lot of popularity due to advancement in technology and the secure environment. Variety of biometrics have been developed in recent years such as fingerprint, iris, retinal. Ears are considered as the future of biometrics due to its properties of Universality, which means that every person should have it. Uniqueness, which indicates that no two persons should behave the same characteristic. Permanence, which means that this characteristic does not change over time. Collectability, which indicates that the characteristic can be measured quantitatively. Ears are comparatively large in size and hence are more visible and also their shape does not change radically over a period of time and so are their images easy to be captured.

scholarly journals Relationship Between COVID-19 Infection and Risk Perception, Knowledge, Attitude, and Four Nonpharmaceutical Interventions During the Late Period of the COVID-19 Epidemic in China: Online Cross-Sectional Survey of 8158 Adults (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Xu ◽  
Yong Gan ◽  
Daikun Zheng ◽  
Bo Wu ◽  
Xian Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
The Other ◽  
Protective Measure ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Public Risk ◽  
Nonpharmaceutical Interventions ◽  
Reduced Risk

BACKGROUND So far, there have been no published population studies on the relationship between a COVID-19 infection and public risk perception, information source, knowledge, attitude, and behaviors during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. OBJECTIVE This study aims to understand the relationships between COVID-19 infection; four personal nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs; handwashing, proper coughing habits, social distancing, and mask wearing); and public risk perception, knowledge, attitude, and other social demographic variables. METHODS An online survey of 8158 Chinese adults between February 22 and March 5, 2020, was conducted. Bivariate associations between categorical variables were examined using Fisher exact test. We also explored the determinants of four NPIs as well as their association with COVID-19 infection using logistic regression. RESULTS Of 8158 adults included, 57 (0.73%) were infected with COVID-19. The overwhelming majority of respondents showed a positive attitude (n=8094, 99.2%), positive risk perception (n=8146, 99.9%), and high knowledge levels that were among the strongest predictors of the four adopted NPIs (handwashing: n=7895, 96.8%; proper coughing: 5997/6444, 93.1%; social distancing: n=7104/8158, 87.1%; and mask wearing: 5011/5120, 97.9%). There was an increased risk of COVID-19 infection for those who did not wash their hands (2.28% vs 0.65%; risk ratio [RR] 3.53, 95% CI 1.53-8.15; <i>P</i>=.009), did not practice proper coughing (1.79% vs 0.73%; RR 2.44, 95% CI 1.15-5.15; <i>P</i>=.03), did not practice social distancing (1.52% vs 0.58%; RR 2.63, 95% CI 1.48-4.67; <i>P</i>=.002), and did not wear a mask (7.41% vs 0.6%; RR 12.38, 95% CI 5.81-26.36; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). For those who did practice all other three NPIs, wearing a mask was associated with a significantly reduced risk of infection compared to those who did not wear a mask (0.6% vs 16.7%; <i>P</i>=.04). Similarly, for those who did not practice all or part of the other three NPIs, wearing a mask was also associated with a significantly reduced risk of infection. In a penalized logistic regression model including all four NPIs, wearing a mask was the only significant predictor of COVID-19 infection among the four NPIs (odds ratio 7.20, 95% CI 2.24-23.11; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). CONCLUSIONS We found high levels of risk perception, positive attitude, desirable knowledge, as well as a high level of adopting the four NPIs. The relevant knowledge, risk perception, and attitude were strong predictors of adapting the four NPIs. Mask wearing, among the four personal NPIs, was the most effective protective measure against COVID-19 infection, with added preventive effect among those who practiced all or part of the other three NPIs.

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