Adolescents’ behavioral changes and preventive practices against COVID-19 in South Africa: The influence of household characteristics

The South African government instituted a countermeasure against COVID-19 in March 2020, which had a significant impact on many individuals, particularly the youth. However, there is a limited understanding of how household characteristics influenced adolescents’ behavioral changes and their adoption of preventive measures during the pandemic. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the role of household characteristics and adolescents’ behavioral responses to COVID-19 in South Africa. Using the latest data from the South African National Income Dynamics-Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (Wave 5), which includes responses from 5581 (99.9%) youths aged 15 – 24, we analyzed changes in their behaviors and the preventive measures they adopted. The study controlled for various household, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents. We utilized cross-tabulations and an ordinal logistics regression model to determine the relationship between the covariates and the outcome of behavioral changes and preventive measures adopted. Our findings revealed that none of the respondents adopted all recommended precautionary measures for COVID-19, while 55.7% exhibited low behavioral changes, and only 2.7% exhibited higher behavioral changes throughout the pandemic. The results indicate that, at both the individual and household levels, factors such as gender, educational attainment, source of household income, and access to electricity increase the odds of behavioral changes against COVID-19 in South Africa. In addition, among household-level factors, adolescents without access to water were more likely to adopt one to three preventive measures compared to those with access to water (52.2% vs. 47.9%, p < 0.001). Therefore, to effectively prevent the spread of infection in South Africa, it is pertinent to address these household characteristics and encourage preventive measures tailored to these factors.