Compliance with General Rules and Periodically Differences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Türkiye: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this research is to investigate the compliance of the society with the general 14 rules of the Ministry of Health and the generally accepted hygiene rules recommended in the literature during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic process. In line with the purpose, behavioral differences related to demographic characteristics and pandemic periods were also evaluated. Material and Methods: The study was conducted in August 2021 and snowball sampling technique was used. A questionnaire of 23 questions was applied to participants, in which compliance with the hygiene rules, including demographic questions, was investigated. The study included 1,069 participants between the ages of 18 and 65, living in Türkiye, using smartphones. Results: In our study, when the results of the compliance with the measures are examined, the compliance has decreased in almost all the other periods compared to the first period of the pandemic. In general, females pay more attention to complying with hygiene rules than males. It has been observed that those who have had COVID-19 disease pay less attention to participating in public areas than those who have not had COVID-19 disease. Conclusion: Social distancing, avoidance of mass events, hygiene, etc., are the most criti-cal measures in slowing the spread of coronavirus. For this reason, it should not be forgotten that non-compliance with the rules will lead to an increase in cases. In terms of the “normalization” steps taken during the pandemic process, analyzing the compliance rate with the hygiene rules seems very important in guiding future studies.