COVID-۱۹ Prevention Behaviors among Health Staff: Data from a Large Survey in the West of Iran

Background: Hospital staffs are at high risk of Novel Coronavirus (۲۰۱۹-nCoV preventivebehaviors play a peculiar role in the reduction of the incidence and mortality of this infection.Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the prevention behaviors of COVID-۱۹ among healthstaff based on the Extended Parallel Model (EPPM) in western Iran.Study design: It was a cross-sectional study.Methods: The present study was performed in the west of Iran in April ۲۰۲۰. In total, ۱,۶۶۴ caseswere enrolled in this study via multi-stage sampling. The data were collected using a questionnaire,including the demographic characteristics of participants and EPPM constructs. All analyses wereconducted in Stata software (version ۱۴) at a ۵% significant level.Results: As evidenced by the obtained results, ۱,۵۲۳ (۹۱.۵۳%), ۱,۲۲۶ (۷۳.۶۸%), ۱,۵۲۶ (۹۱.۷۱%),۸۹۳ (۵۳.۶۷%), and ۸۶۲ (۵۱.۸۶%) of health staff wear gloves, use masks, avoid contact with others,maintain a good distance from other people, and wash their hands frequently with water and soap,respectively. In terms of using gloves and avoiding contacts with others, participants with highperceived threat had higher odds of observing health behaviors (OR= ۳.۱۴, ۹۵% CI: ۲.۰۸, ۴.۷۳;P<۰.۰۰۱) and (OR= ۳.۱, ۹۵% CI: ۲.۰۴, ۴.۶۹; P<۰.۰۰۱), respectively. In all categories of EPPM, theparticipants with high efficacy had higher odds of exhibiting health behaviors, compared to thosewith low efficacy (P<۰.۰۰۱).Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrated that health workers are expected tobe at the highest level of threat and efficiency. Moreover, the findings emphasized the effectivenessof the recommended strategies in the prevention of COVID-۱۹ disease.

Keywords:

Coronavirus , Behavior , Fear , Iran