Predictive factors of non-pharmacological measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 contagion: A cross-sectional study in a large adult Spanish sample from PSY-COVID study

The objective of the study was to identify the factors that predicted the intention to carry out coronavirus infection prevention behaviors in the Spanish population during the first wave of the pandemic, a time when the vaccines were in the development phase and the containment of the pandemic. depended on non-pharmacological measures. An observational study was carried out based on an online form that contained evaluation instruments for possible predictor variables of 7 prevention behaviors, based on non-probabilistic sampling of the adult Spanish population. Self-efficacy and outcome expectations related to COVID-19 preventive behaviors, as well as the interaction of perceived severity with both personal vulnerability and actual adherence, appeared as the main predictive variables of the intention to carry out preventive behaviors against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Slight but significant differences were observed in behavioral intentions between Spanish autonomous communities, probably linked to the differences in the impact of the pandemic in each territory. It is necessary to implement consistent communications that allow for the development of appropriate expectations and encourage adherence to preventive behaviors, as well as recognizing regional disparities in preventive behaviors and their causes, to promote compliance. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This research was funded by grant PANDE-00025 from the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (Government of Catalonia) ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: This research was approved by the Animal and Human Experimentation Ethics Committee of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (CEEAH-5197) and followed the Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Helsinki Declaration) for experiments involving humans. The database used in the study is accessible at the following link: https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/PSY-COVID-1_Dataset/21695561. This dataset was developed by a consortium of researchers, some of whom are co-authors of the manuscript I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced are available online at https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/PSY-COVID-1_Dataset/21695561