Assessment of the Importance of COVID-19 Prevention Measures and Their Applicability in the Daily Life of Pregnant Women and Mothers of Infants

Abstract

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to (expectant) mothers of infants in terms of family health protection. To meet these challenges in a health literate manner, COVID-19 protective measures must be considered important and must also be implemented appropriately in everyday life. To this end, N = 343 (expectant) mothers of infants indicated (a) how important they considered 21 COVID-19 infection prevention measures, and (b) how well they succeeded in implementing them in their daily life (20 measures). We performed data analysis using exploratory factor analysis for ordinal data and latent class analysis. One- and two-dimensional models (CFI = .960 / .978; SRMR = .053 / .039) proved to appropriately explain maternal importance ratings. The items on successfully applying COVID-19 measures in daily life can be modeled by the 5 factors hygiene measures, contact with other people, public transportation, staying at home, and checking infection status (CFI = 0.977; SRMR = .036). Six latent classes can be distinguished. Despite the largest class (39 %), classes are characterized by selective or general applicability problems. Classes reporting problems in the applicability of the measures rated them as generally less important (η = .582). Assessing and modelling importance and applicability of COVID-19 prevention measures allows for a psychometrically sound description of subjective perceptions and behaviors that are crucial for health literate practice in maternal daily life.