Association Between COVID-19 Exposure and Self-reported Compliance With Public Health Guidelines Among Essential Employees at an Institution of Higher Education in the US

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Detailed analysis of infection rates paired with behavioral and employee-reported risk factors is vital to understanding how transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection may be exacerbated or mitigated in the workplace. Institutions of higher education are heterogeneous work units that supported continued in-person employment during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a test site for occupational health evaluation. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between self-reported protective behaviors and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among essential in-person employees during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 13 to September 2, 2020, at an institution of higher education in Fort Collins, Colorado. Employees 18 years or older without symptoms of COVID-19 who identified as essential in-person workers during the first 6 months of the pandemic were included. Participants completed a survey, and blood and nasal swab samples were collected to assess active SARS-CoV-2 infection via quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and past infection by serologic testing. EXPOSURE Self-reported practice of protective behaviors against COVID-19 according to public health guidelines provided to employees. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Prevalence of current SARS-CoV-2 infection detected by qRT-PCR or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection detected by an IgG SARS-CoV-2 testing platform. The frequency of protective behavior practices and essential workers' concerns regarding contracting COVID-19 and exposing others were measured based on survey responses. RESULTS Among 508 participants (305 [60.0%] women, 451 [88.8%] non-Hispanic White individuals; mean [SD] age, 41.1 [12.5] years), there were no qRT-PCR positive test results, and only 2 participants (0.4%) had seroreactive IgG antibodies. Handwashing and mask wearing were reported frequently both at work (480 [94.7%] and 496 [97.8%] participants, respectively) and outside work (465 [91.5%] and 481 [94.7%] participants, respectively). Social distancing was reported less frequently at work (403 [79.5%]) than outside work (465 [91.5%]) (P < .001). Participants were more highly motivated to avoid exposures because of concern about spreading the infection to others (419 [83.0%]) than for personal protection (319 [63.2%]) (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this cross-sectional study of essential workers at an institution of higher education, when employees reported compliance with public health practices both at and (continued)

Psychological and psychosocial determinants of COVID‐related handwashing behaviours: A systematic review

“…Weak, but positive associations were reported in three studies (Al‐Shammary 2021 ; Jovančević & Milićević 2020 ; Rattay 2021 (Petra et al, 2021) which examined the role of fear on handwashing, supporting the contention that these behaviours may be driven or motivated by the level of COVID‐19 related fear (Table 9 ). Worry or concern about COVID‐19 was also consistently found to be associated with handwashing behaviours in five of the included studies (Al‐Sejari 2021 ; Callaghan 2021 ; Rattay 2021 ; Shook 2020 (Shook Natalie et al, 2020 ); Nelson 2021 (Nelson Tracy et al, 2021 ), but again, the reported effect sizes for these associations were weak (Table 10 ). One of these studies (Nelson 2021 ) did not report any differences based on whether handwashing behaviour were being carried out in or outside of work contexts.…”

“…Worry or concern about COVID‐19 was also consistently found to be associated with handwashing behaviours in five of the included studies (Al‐Sejari 2021 ; Callaghan 2021 ; Rattay 2021 ; Shook 2020 (Shook Natalie et al, 2020 ); Nelson 2021 (Nelson Tracy et al, 2021 ), but again, the reported effect sizes for these associations were weak (Table 10 ). One of these studies (Nelson 2021 ) did not report any differences based on whether handwashing behaviour were being carried out in or outside of work contexts.…”

2022 AHA/ACC Key Data Elements and Definitions for Cardiovascular and Noncardiovascular Complications of COVID-19: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Data Standards

“…37 , 38 In addition to vaccinations, wearing face masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and compliance with public health guidelines are effective in reducing spread of COVID-19. 39-42…”

“…37,38 In addition to vaccinations, wearing face masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and compliance with public health guidelines are effective in reducing spread of COVID-19. [39][40][41][42] Comprehensive and reliable capture of data elements pertinent to therapeutic procedures in patients with COVID-19 is important to monitor and assess quality of care of these patients with the goal to improve their outcomes. These include but are not limited to data elements pertinent to ventilation and circulatory support, percutaneous interventional therapies, and electrophysiological procedures (Appendix 9).…”

Development of Harmonized COVID-19 Occupational Questionnaires

“…The pandemic has initiated a wealth of research on COVID-19 and working life. Examples are research on occupational risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection ( Beale et al , 2022 ; Lan et al , 2020 ; Magnusson et al , 2020 ; Pearce et al , 2021 ; Verbeeck et al , 2021 ), occupational risk factors for COVID-19 disease and mortality ( Mutambudzi et al , 2020 ; Nafilyan et al , 2021 ; Pearce et al , 2021 ; Senia et al , 2022 ), mitigating factors for risks associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus ( Iavicoli et al , 2021 ; Nelson et al , 2021 ), and long-term effects of COVID-19 infection often named long-COVID ( Pauwels et al , 2021 ; Rayner and Campbell, 2021 ). Mental health issues related to being an essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic has also been studied as reviewed in Froessl and Abdeen (2021) .…”