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. 2022 Mar 10;22(1):475.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-12777-x.

Engagement with protective behaviours in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: a series of cross-sectional surveys (the COVID-19 rapid survey of adherence to interventions and responses [CORSAIR] study)

Louise E Smith  1   2 , Henry W W Potts  3 , Richard Amlȏt  4   5 , Nicola T Fear  6   7 , Susan Michie  8 , G James Rubin  6   4
Affiliations

Engagement with protective behaviours in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: a series of cross-sectional surveys (the COVID-19 rapid survey of adherence to interventions and responses [CORSAIR] study)

Louise E Smith et al. BMC Public Health. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Behaviour is key to suppressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Maintaining behaviour change can be difficult. We investigated engagement with hand cleaning, reducing the number of outings, and wearing a face covering over the course of the pandemic.

Methods: We used a series of 64 cross-sectional surveys between 10 February 2020 and 20 January 2022 (n ≈ 2000 per wave). Surveys investigated uptake of hand cleaning behaviours, out of home activity (England only, n ≈ 1700 per wave) and wearing a face covering (England only, restricted to those who reported going out shopping in the last week, n ≈ 1400 per wave).

Results: Reported hand cleaning has been high throughout the pandemic period (85 to 90% of participants consistently reporting washing their hands thoroughly and regularly with soap and water frequently or very frequently). Out of home activity has mirrored the easing and re-introduction of restrictive measures. Total number of outings were higher in the second national lockdown than in the first and third lockdowns. Wearing a face covering increased steadily between April to August 2020, plateauing until the end of measurement in May 2021, with approximately 80% of those who had been out shopping in the previous week reporting wearing a face covering frequently or very frequently.

Conclusions: Engagement with protective behaviours increased at the start of the pandemic and has remained high since. The greatest variations in behaviour reflected changes to Government rules. Despite the duration of restrictions, people have continued to adopt personal protective behaviours that were intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Keywords: Behavioural fatigue; Face covering; Hand cleaning; Hand hygiene; Physical distancing; Social distancing; Uptake.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors had financial support from NIHR for the submitted work; RA is an employee of the UK Health Security Agency; HWWP has received additional salary support from Public Health England and NHS England; HWWP receives consultancy fees to his employer from Ipsos MORI and has a PhD student who works at and has fees paid by AstraZeneca; NTF is a participant of an independent group advising NHS Digital on the release of patient data. All authors are members of the UK’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies or its subgroups. There are no other financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous 3 years and no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Graph depicting the percentage of people who reported washing their hands thoroughly and regularly, between February 2020 and May 2021. Dashed lines indicate those who reported hand cleaning more than usual; solid lines indicate those who reported hand cleaning frequently or very frequently. Error bars are 95 confidence intervals
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Graph depicting the mean number of times that people reported going out for different reasons in the last seven days, between March 2020 and January 2022. Error bars are 95% confidence intervals
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Graph depicting the total number of outings in the last seven days, between March 2020 and January 2022. Error bars are 95% confidence intervals
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Graph depicting the percentage of people who reported wearing a face covering frequently or very frequently when out and about in the last seven days in those who reported having been shopping, between April 2020 and May 2021. Error bars are 95% confidence intervals
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