Investigating the Effects of COVID-19 Prevalence on Demographic Variables and Its Relationship With Social Participation

Background and Objective: Because COVID-19 has become a pandemic, public health measures to cut off human-to-human transmission may include quarantine and social isolation. This study aims to demonstrate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on demographic variables and their relationship to the level of social participation during the pandemic. Methods: In June 2020, the community integration questionnaire (CIQ) was transcribed along with the required demographic information on a web-based platform. A total of 461 people (with a mean ± SD age of 36.86 ± 5.8 years) completed the questionnaire in a cross-sectional study. The effects of COVID-19 on social interaction were then calculated by analyzing the community integration questionnaire scores before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 and the data were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 26. Results: Quarantine measures had the most damage in the reference group (participants under 24 years old) (P < 0.001) compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak. Except for participation in productive activities (compared to the elderly) (P < 0.001), in all cases and among all age groups, integration and the total score of the questionnaire decreased. Conclusion: Psychosocial stress and reduced participation in social and life spheres are the results of quarantine measures and social distancing. Meanwhile, the participation rate of the under 24 years old age group significantly decreased in all areas. Following that, the older age group had a significant decrease in social participation. The results of this study can be used to prioritize the vaccination of different people in the community according to the amount of damage caused by COVID-19.