@article{Menezes_D-2024_165380,
title = {Compliance with COVID-19 rules on intimate physical contact between households},
author = {Menezes, D. and Sonnenberg, P. and Willis, M. and Mercer, C. and Mitchell, K. and Field, N.},
month = {jan},
year = {2024},
abstract = {Despite concerns about COVID-19 ‘lockdown fatigue’ affecting compliance, most people adhered to the rules on intimate physical contact (ie, sex) between households. Four months after the first lockdown started, ~10% of survey participants in the Natsal-COVID wave 1 study reported sex outside the household in the 4 weeks prior to interview (quasi-representative web panel of 6654 British residents aged 18–59 years; July–August 2020).Those in steady relationships but not living with their partner (7.6% of sample) were most likely to report sex outside the household (56.8% of this group). Qualitative interviews identified careful consideration of risks and benefits, suggesting decisions were not taken lightly.One year later—when indoor mixing was again largely prohibited—we found a small increase in reporting sex outside the household (12.2% (95% CI 11.3% to 13.1%) compared with 9.9% (9.1% to 10.6%)), but associations by age and other characteristics remained stable (Natsal-COVID wave 2; 6658 residents aged 18–59 years; March–April 20214)},
pages = {54-54},
volume = {100},
issue = {1},
journal = {Sexually Transmitted Infections},
publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2023-055948},
}
