November 4, 2020

Avoiding versus Contracting COVID-19 On the Effectiveness of Social Distancing at the Level of the Individual

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

Keywords (Tags): candidate, non-pharm interventions, report, social distancing, summarize

[Preprint, not peer-reviewed] A participant’s behavior during behavioral simulation of social distancing behaviors was associated with the risk of subsequently contracting COVID-19, whereas self-report of these behaviors was not. Results from a survey among 2,120 US residents determined that an individual’s performance in a simulator intended to assess physical positioning was associated with lower risk of COVID-19 illness over the subsequent 4 months (OR=0.8), but self-reports of social distancing behavior did not show a significant association with infection of SARS-CoV-2. This association was maintained when considering only participants who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 and when considering participants who were untested but believed that they had been infected. 

Fazio et al. (Nov 3, 2020). Avoiding versus Contracting COVID-19 On the Effectiveness of Social Distancing at the Level of the Individual. Pre-print downloaded Nov 4 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.29.20222422