Ranking of Everyday Activities by Risk of Coronavirus in the Istanbul Metropolitan Area, Turkey

Abstract

Objective: Understanding how people evaluate and perceive risks is critical in designing successful risk communication strategies. Very limited information is available in Turkey regarding how people determine whether something is risky or safe. The purpose of the study was to document the ranking of everyday activities by risk of coronavirus by health professionals and others. Besides analyzing the risk ranking differences between these two groups, creating an infographic based on the rankings of health professionals was the main objective. Materials and Methods: An online descriptive study was planned to understand how health professionals and non-health professionals rank the risks of 43 everyday activities from a COVID-19 perspective in the Istanbul metropolitan area. The study hyperlink was shared through social media channels, as well as professional associations targeting health professionals. Responses were analyzed in SPSS.11. The statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results: We received 1,614 valid responses through online submissions, of which 738 (45.7%) were health professionals, and 876 (%54.3) were from non-health sectors. Mask use and the respect of the 1.5 m distance from others were found to be similar in participants from health and non-health sectors. Hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers were found to be significantly higher among health professionals. Health professionals, women, and participants with higher education ranked the risk of everyday activities higher than other groups. The activities that were ranked as high-risk share some common features like closed spaces, crowded places, and activities that require people to be close to each other and, in some cases, touching. Conclusion: Based on the rankings of the 738 health professionals, an infographic illustrating the ranking scores of the 43 everyday activities, both through labels and colors, was developed, using a cartoon-style Istanbul metropolitan landscape.