Non-Compliance with COVID-19 Prevention Guidelines in Brazil: A Study with Latent Classes

Non-compliance with prevention guidelines makes it difficult to combat Covid-19 by prolonging its impact. Brazil and other countries are facing a growing second wave of the virus. This study aims to identify, through Latent Class Analysis, the groups of compliance with the prevention guidelines given by public health recommendations. We adopted a research model that allows the identification and characterization of such groups, facilitating the adoption of fact-based communication by health authorities. The results revealed that the proposed model worked properly, in line with the findings of previous studies. The analysis confirmed all three hypotheses and revealed two latent classes: 1) Concerned, composed mostly of elderly, female and married respondents, and 2) Noncompliant, formed mostly by young, male and single respondents. The result indicates that Belief in Perceived Severity of Risks and Belief in Subjective Norms precede Belief in Self-Efficacy, which, in turn, precedes Compliance with Covid-19 prevention guidelines. The construct with the best index was Belief in Subjective Norms, showing its strength not only as a predictor but also as an attitudinal driver. The study contributes to academic and public health policies by demonstrating the importance of segmentation for preventive communication regarding Covid-19.