Beyond vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study of the importance of Behavioral and Native Factors on COVID-19 Infection and Severity

Abstract

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on a global scale. Understanding the innate and lifestyle-related factors influencing the rate and severity of COVID-19 is important for making evidence-based recommendations. This cross-sectional study aimed at establishing a potential relationship between human characteristics and vulnerability/resistance to SARS-CoV-2. We hypothesize that the impact of virus is not the same due to cultural and ethnic differences. A cross-sectional study was performed using an online questionnaire. The methodology included a development of a multi-language survey, expert evaluation and data analysis. Data was collected using a 13-item pre-tested questionnaire based on a literature review. Data was statistically analyzed using the logistic regression. For a total of 1125 respondents, 332 (29.5%) were COVID-19 positive, among them 130 (11.5%) required home-based treatment, and 14 (1.2%) intensive care. The significant factors included age, physical activity and health status all found to have a significant influence on the infection (p < 0.05). The severity of infection was associated with preventive measures and tobacco (p < 0.05). This suggests the importance of behavioral factors compared to innate ones. Apparently, the individual behavior is mainly responsible for the spread of the virus. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and scrupulously observing preventive measures including vaccination would greatly limit the probability of infection and prevent the development of severe COVID-19.