Wong, Kerry L M; Gimma, Amy; Coletti, Pietro; CoMix, European Working Group; Faes, Christel; Beutels, Philippe; Hens, Niel; Jaeger, Veronika K; Karch, Andre; Johnson, Helen; Edmunds, WJohn; Jarvis, Christopher I (2023). Social contact patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 21 European countries - evidence from a two-year study. BMC infectious diseases, 23(1), p. 268. BioMed Central 10.1186/s12879-023-08214-y
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BACKGROUND
Most countries have enacted some restrictions to reduce social contacts to slow down disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic. For nearly two years, individuals likely also adopted new behaviours to avoid pathogen exposure based on personal circumstances. We aimed to understand the way in which different factors affect social contacts - a critical step to improving future pandemic responses.
METHODS
The analysis was based on repeated cross-sectional contact survey data collected in a standardized international study from 21 European countries between March 2020 and March 2022. We calculated the mean daily contacts reported using a clustered bootstrap by country and by settings (at home, at work, or in other settings). Where data were available, contact rates during the study period were compared with rates recorded prior to the pandemic. We fitted censored individual-level generalized additive mixed models to examine the effects of various factors on the number of social contacts.
RESULTS
The survey recorded 463,336 observations from 96,456 participants. In all countries where comparison data were available, contact rates over the previous two years were substantially lower than those seen prior to the pandemic (approximately from over 10 to < 5), predominantly due to fewer contacts outside the home. Government restrictions imposed immediate effect on contacts, and these effects lingered after the restrictions were lifted. Across countries, the relationships between national policy, individual perceptions, or personal circumstances determining contacts varied.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study, coordinated at the regional level, provides important insights into the understanding of the factors associated with social contacts to support future infectious disease outbreak responses.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
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Division/Institute: |
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) |
ISSN: |
1471-2334 |
Publisher: |
BioMed Central |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Beatrice Minder Wyssmann |
Date Deposited: |
01 May 2023 11:08 |
Last Modified: |
02 May 2023 07:49 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1186/s12879-023-08214-y |
PubMed ID: |
37101123 |
Additional Information: |
The following authors were part of the CoMix Europe Working Group. Each contributed to consultation for policy input, interpretation of data and fndings, and supported the drafting of the manuscript, and approved the work for publication: Christian Althaus, Nicola Low, and Martina Reichmuth (Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern) |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
COVID-19 pandemic Contact survey Physical distancing SARS-CoV-2 transmission Social contacts Social distance |
BORIS DOI: |
10.48350/182163 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/182163 |
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