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Age, Gender, and Disease as Determinants of Social Distancing: Germany as a Case Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2023

Hakan Lane Open the ORCID record for Hakan Lane [Opens in a new window] ,
Jayanna Killingsworth Open the ORCID record for Jayanna Killingsworth [Opens in a new window] ,
Mark David Walker  and
Philipp Otto Open the ORCID record for Philipp Otto [Opens in a new window]
Hakan Lane*
Affiliation:
Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, 16816, Germany
Jayanna Killingsworth
Affiliation:
Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona, 86301, United States
Mark David Walker
Affiliation:
Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S11WB, UK
Philipp Otto
Affiliation:
Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, 16816, Germany
*
Corresponding author: Hakan Lane, Email: Hakan.Lane@mhb-fontane.de.
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Abstract

A mix of guidance and mandated regulations during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic served to reduce the number of social contacts, to ensure distancing in public spaces, and to maintain the isolation of infected individuals. Individual variation in compliance to social distancing in Germany, relating to age, gender, or the presence of pre-existing health conditions, was examined using results from a total of 39 375 respondents to a web-based behavioral survey.

Older people and females were more willing to engage in social distancing. Those with chronic conditions showed overall higher levels of compliance, but those with cystic fibrosis, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and epilepsy showed less adherence to general social distancing measures but were significantly more likely to isolate in their homes. Behavioral differences partly lie in the nature of each condition, especially with those conditions likely to be exacerbated by COVID-19. Compliance differences for age and gender are largely in line with previous studies.

Keywords

behavioral boundariespolicy measuresrule compliancesocial distancing
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e392
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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