Actual conditions of person-to-object contact and a proposal for prevention measures during the COVID-19 pandemic
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Abstract
This study focused on human contact behavior with objects and discussed countermeasures during the COVID-19 pandemic across 15 location types. Reducing contact with objects and disinfecting items can be implemented at a relatively low cost. We created a protocol for organizing the objects, and 1260 subjects who went outside during a day between December 3–7, 2020 in Tokyo and Kanagawa, Japan were surveyed. The participants touched 7317 objects in total; the most common objects were doors, chairs, baskets, elevator equipment, and cash. One-way analysis of variance and Scheffé’s multiple comparison test showed that supermarkets had the lowest mean and median values despite having the highest number of users, contact objects, and object types. Conversely, the values for hotels were the highest, significantly higher than that for other places, excluding amusement parks, workplaces, and schools and universities. Furthermore, the long-tailed frequency distribution of the number of objects suggests that the objects touched by many individuals are limited; thus, it is important to determine the objects to be prioritized for disinfection at each location. The data and protocol could inform infection countermeasures that properly address the contact realities as they pertain to people’s behavior and objects.
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SciScore for 10.1101/2021.04.11.21255290: (What is this?)
Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.
Table 1: Rigor
Institutional Review Board Statement IRB: This survey was conducted after appropriate review by the Ethics Committee of the Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. Study Design: The objects in this study were collected using a free-writing description. Randomization not detected. Blinding not detected. Power Analysis not detected. Sex as a biological variable not detected. Table 2: Resources
Software and Algorithms Sentences Resources A dedicated environment for the statistical analyses was created using python and scikit-posthocs (version 0.6.7). pythonsuggested: (IPython, RRID:SCR_001658)Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are …
SciScore for 10.1101/2021.04.11.21255290: (What is this?)
Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.
Table 1: Rigor
Institutional Review Board Statement IRB: This survey was conducted after appropriate review by the Ethics Committee of the Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. Study Design: The objects in this study were collected using a free-writing description. Randomization not detected. Blinding not detected. Power Analysis not detected. Sex as a biological variable not detected. Table 2: Resources
Software and Algorithms Sentences Resources A dedicated environment for the statistical analyses was created using python and scikit-posthocs (version 0.6.7). pythonsuggested: (IPython, RRID:SCR_001658)Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).
Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:Measures for Contact With Objects at Each Location: Limitations and Future Issues: We revealed that the type and number of objects that are touched by people differ depending on the location/vehicle and discussed the countermeasures for contact objects, e.g., disinfection. However, several issues need to be addressed in the future. First, in this study, we conducted a survey focused on general locations, such as hospitals, supermarkets/CVSs, hotels, etc. The data did not include facility information, such as location-specific objects or population density. We will focus on specific facilities, conduct fixed-point observations, and trace contact with objects in the future. Second, since the data are related to the current coronavirus pandemic and were collected in December 2020, changes in contact behavior as compared to before the pandemic could not be tracked. Importantly, the spread of COVID-19 varies depending on the season, weather, and/or event (Rosario et al., 2020; Sajadi et al., 2020), and the precautionary behaviors depend on individual characteristics such as gender, age, and employment status (Muto et al., 2020). We believe that objects and opportunities for contact may also change according to these factors. Third, this study was conducted in Japan’s urban areas, which saw (and continue to see) the rapid spread of the virus. However, the spread of infection differs depending on the density of the cities in question as well as general congestion (Rader et al., 2020...
Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.
Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.
Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.
Results from rtransparent:- Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
- Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
- No protocol registration statement was detected.
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