Background; It is important to prevent respiratory system infections such as COVID-19 from occurring by physical and social distancing. The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of COVID-19 infection concerns regarding social distancing practices.
Methods; This study was a cross-sectional study using raw data from One Metropolitan City's 2020 Community Health Survey. The SPSS 21.0 statistical software(IBM-SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL) was used to identify the independent variables of demographic characteristics, health behavior factors, and the effects of COVID-19 infection concerns on social distancing practices.
Results; The practice of social distancing was 1.3 times higher in women than men, 1.2 times higher in married couples than the unmarried, and 1.4 times higher in non-smokers than smokers. If one is subjectively healthier, has greater COVID-19 awareness and concern, eats breakfast more regularly, the practice of social distancing increased(p〈0.05).
Conclusions; Studies have shown that gender, age, marital status, smoking status, subjective health status, and concerns about COVID-19 infection was factors that affect social distancing practices. Social distancing policies are very important in preventing infectious diseases. This study would be used as essential foundational data in preparing health policies to effectively prevent new infectious disease spread.