Factors associated with adherence to self-isolation and lockdown measures in the UK: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objectives To investigate factors associated with adherence to self-isolation and lockdown measures due to COVID-19 in the UK. Study design Online cross-sectional survey. Methods Data were collected between 6th and 7th May 2020. A total of 2240 participants living in the UK aged 18 years or older were recruited from YouGov's online research panel. Results A total of 217 people (9.7%) reported that they or someone in their household had symptoms of COVID-19 (cough or high temperature/fever) in the last 7 days. Of these people, 75.1% had left the home in the last 24 h (defined as non-adherent). Men were more likely to be non-adherent, as were people who were less worried about COVID-19, and who perceived a smaller risk of catching COVID-19. Adherence was associated with having received help from someone outside your household. Results should be taken with caution as there was no evidence for associations when controlling for multiple analyses. Of people reporting no symptoms in the household, 24.5% had gone out shopping for non-essentials in the last week (defined as non-adherent). Factors associated with non-adherence and with a higher total number of outings in the last week included decreased perceived effectiveness of government ‘lockdown’ measures, decreased perceived severity of COVID-19 and decreased estimates of how many other people were following lockdown rules. Having received help was associated with better adherence. Conclusions Adherence to self-isolation is poor. As we move into a new phase of contact tracing and self-isolation, it is essential that adherence is improved. Communications should aim to increase knowledge about actions to take when symptomatic or if you have been in contact with a possible COVID-19 case. They should also emphasise the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 when out and about and the effectiveness of preventative measures. Using volunteer networks effectively to support people in isolation may promote adherence.

Responses of people with epilepsy to the COVID-19 pandemic in the time of national lockdown

“…The respondents in our sample who were instructed to self-isolate adhered to the recommended lockdown measures less than the ones who did not self-isolate. A poor abidance by those advised to self-isolate was also reported in the UK [7] . In our analysis we did not find any significant associations that would allow us to provide an explanation for this worse adherence of those in self-isolation.…”

“…According to our survey, only 2.8% of respondents stated that they never or rarely complied with the lockdown measures, which is very similar to the results of a research obtained in India that was performed on the general population [6] . A common characteristic among these respondents in our sample was that they did not feel anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic, which was one of the risk factors of non-compliance with self-isolation measures in the UK [7] . If we were to interpret this lack of anxiety as an expression of insufficient information about the dangers of the disease, then one could speculate that better information would lead to better abidance by the measures.…”

Life in lockdown: experiences of patients with IBD during COVID-19

“…An insight may be drawn from a study of lockdown adherence, with recent open access data from a national survey suggesting that 25% of the general UK population broke lockdown restrictions at least once. 13 The reasons for non-adherence are complex and multifactorial. The likelihood of adherence is related to an individual's personal circumstances and their perception of risk.…”

What have we learned so far about COVID-19 volunteering in the UK? A rapid review of the literature

“…In terms of sustaining volunteering, factors identified by groups as being important to successful retention of volunteers included: not asking volunteers to engage in activities they are uncomfortable with; allowing volunteers to say no; providing social rewards; nurturing relationships with volunteers; and recognising the contributions of volunteers (8). Moreover, a common theme emerging from the research reviewed is that effective and rich responses are underpinned by 'community-led infrastructure', understood as community leadership, trust, relationships with agencies, and access to funds (35).…”

“…Among the most difficult of these non-pharmaceutical interventions is self-isolation, with UK surveys estimating that less than 20% of those required reported doing so for the full 10-14 days 1 (3,6,7,8,9). To ensure that people follow COVID-19 measures, police enforcement and fines for failure of self-isolation have been employed (11,12).…”