Association of fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors (PB) against COVID-19 in Iran

The world is currently experiencing a pandemic of COVID-19. The pandemic can impact on physical health and psychological health. Therefore, we conducted a web based cross-sectional study to evaluate Fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors against COVID-19 in a volunteer population of Golestan province, Iran, in May and June 2020. An online questionnaire, including Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and preventive behaviors against COVID-19, was used to evaluate fear and preventive behaviors in population. The data were presented by mean and frequency. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with Fear of COVID-19 at a significant level of 0.05 in Stata 14. A total of 734 of 900 contacted individuals completed the survey, with a participation rate of 81.5%. A total the mean age of the participants was 33.97±10.68 years and 375 (51.9%) females. The mean Fear of COVID-19 score in the participants was 19.69±5.96. There was a significant positive correlation between Fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors (r=0.19, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed participants with perceived threat of COVID-19 higher, female, married participants, health worker staffs and with underlying diseases in participants were associated with Fear of COVID-19. The fear of COVID-19 in Iranian society is high, which indicates the need to pay attention to the mental health in pandemic conditions. Appropriate interventions can be designed and implemented according to the factors affecting fear. In addition, it should be noted that people with less fear are less likely to observe the COVID 19's preventative behaviors. These findings would need to be verified in larger population studies.