Covid-19 and work dimensions: a socio-historical analysis of impacts affecting men during the pandemic / Covid-19 e as dimensões do trabalho: análise sócio-histórica dos impactos vivenciados por homens na pandemia / COVID-19 y las dimensiones del trabajo: análisis sociohistórico de los impactos experimentados por los hombres en la pandemia

OBJETIVO: Apreender os impactos vivenciados por homens residentes no Brasil na pandemia da Covid-19 em relação às dimensões do trabalho. MÉTODO: Estudo sócio-histórico, qualitativo, realizado durante a pandemia da Covid-19 com 400 adultos e idosos residentes no Brasil. Aplicou-se um formulário on-line. Os dados foram analisados com base no Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo, interpretados à luz do Materialismo Histórico Dialético. RESULTADOS: A pandemia da Covid-19 provocou e intensificou impactos: sobrecarga provocada pelo trabalho home office; inadequações no trabalho e exposição à contaminação pelo Coronavírus; estresse e medo de ser contaminado no trabalho e de perder o emprego; dificuldade na manutenção econômica/financeira e adaptações repentinas no desempenho do trabalho. CONCLUSÃO: As dimensões do mundo do trabalho intensificaram as vulnerabilidades sociais e em saúde de homens no contexto da pandemia da Covid-19. Repercutiram em maior exposição ao SARS-CoV-2 e vivência de estressores na vida cotidiana.

OBJECTIVE: To apprehend the impacts affecting men residing in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic concerning work dimensions. METHOD: A socio-historical, qualitative study carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic with 400 adult and old males residing in Brazil. An on-line form was applied. Data were analyzed based on the Discourse of the Collective Subject, interpreted according to the Dialectic Historical Materialism. RESULTS: The Covid-19 pandemic did cause and intensify impacts: overload resulting from home-office jobs; inadequacies as to the work and exposition to contamination by the Coronavirus; stress and fear to be contaminated at work and losing employment; difficulties to maintain economic/financial conditions and unexpected adaptations in work performance. CONCLUSION: The dimensions of the work environment did intensify both social and health vulnerabilities for men in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, rebounding on even higher exposure to SARS-CoV 2 and daily life stressors.

OBJETIVO: Comprender los impactos experimentados por los hombres residentes en Brasil en la pandemia de COVID-19 respecto a las dimensiones del trabajo. MÉTODO: Estudio sociohistórico, cualitativo, realizado durante la pandemia de COVID-19, con 400 adultos y personas mayores residentes en Brasil. Se aplicó un formulario online. Los datos se analizaron con base en el Discurso del Sujeto Colectivo y fueron interpretados a la luz del Materialismo Histórico Dialéctico. RESULTADOS: La pandemia de COVID-19 ha ocasionado e intensificado los impactos: sobrecarga causada por el teletrabajo; inadecuaciones en el trabajo y exposición a la contaminación por el coronavirus; estrés y miedo a contaminarse en el trabajo y a perder el empleo; dificultad en el mantenimiento económico/financiero y adaptaciones repentinas en el rendimiento del trabajo. CONCLUSIÓN: Las dimensiones del mundo del trabajo han intensificado las vulnerabilidades sociales y de salud de los hombres en el contexto de la pandemia de COVID-19. Han repercutido en una mayor exposición al SARS-CoV-2 y vivencia de estresores en la vida cotidiana.

Telework and telerehabilitation programs for workers with a stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic: A commentary.

BACKGROUND: Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, rehabilitation facilities have become less accessible for patients with a stroke. Lack of early, intensive rehabilitation misses the opportunity for recovery during the critical time window of endogenous plasticity and improvement post-stroke. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this commentary was to highlighting the benefits of telework and telerehabilitation programs for workers with a stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Relevant publications regarding the management of individuals with a stroke, telerehabilitation and teleworking in the setting of COVID-19 were reviewed. RESULTS: Previous studies showed that telerehabilitation can effectively provide an alternate method of promoting recovery for patients with a stroke. With the physical distancing precautions in place for mitigating viral spread, teleworking can also provide a method for long term recovery and improvements in quality of life after a stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this commentary addresses the benefits of physically distant, safe and effective alternatives to support individuals who live with a stroke during COVID-19 pandemic.

Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Suicidal Ideation Among State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, March-April 2021.

Increases in mental health conditions have been documented among the general population and health care workers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (1-3). Public health workers might be at similar risk for negative mental health consequences because of the prolonged demand for responding to the pandemic and for implementing an unprecedented vaccination campaign. The extent of mental health conditions among public health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, is uncertain. A 2014 survey estimated that there were nearly 250,000 state and local public health workers in the United States (4). To evaluate mental health conditions among these workers, a nonprobability-based online survey was conducted during March 29-April 16, 2021, to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation among public health workers in state, tribal, local, and territorial public health departments. Among 26,174 respondents, 52.8% reported symptoms of at least one mental health condition in the preceding 2 weeks, including depression (30.8%), anxiety (30.3%), PTSD (36.8%), or suicidal ideation (8.4%). The highest prevalence of symptoms of a mental health condition was among respondents aged ≤29 years (range = 13.6%-47.4%) and transgender or nonbinary persons (i.e., those who identified as neither male nor female) of all ages (range = 30.4%-65.5%). Public health workers who reported being unable to take time off from work were more likely to report adverse mental health symptoms. Severity of symptoms increased with increasing weekly work hours and percentage of work time dedicated to COVID-19 response activities. Implementing prevention and control practices that eliminate, reduce, and manage factors that cause or contribute to public health workers' poor mental health might improve mental health outcomes during emergencies.

The feminist political economy of Covid-19: Capitalism, women, and work.

Analysing the pandemic through a feminist political economy lens makes clear how gender, race, and class structures are crucial to the functioning of capitalism and to understanding the impacts of the pandemic. The way capital organises production and reproduction combines with structures of oppression, generating vulnerability among the racialised and gendered populations worst impacted by Covid-19. Using global data, this commentary shows that during the pandemic, women experienced relatively greater employment losses, were more likely to work in essential jobs, and experienced a greater reduction in income. Women were also doing more reproductive labour than men and were more likely to drop out of the labour force because of it. Analyses of capitalism in feminist political economy illustrate how capital accumulation depends on women's oppression in multiple, fundamental ways having to do with their paid and unpaid work. Women's work, and by extension their health, is the foundation upon which both production and social reproduction rely. Recognising the pandemic as endogenous to capitalism heightens the contradiction between a world shaped by the profit motive and the domestic and global requirements of public health.

Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Suicidal Ideation Among State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, March-April 2021.

Increases in mental health conditions have been documented among the general population and health care workers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (1-3). Public health workers might be at similar risk for negative mental health consequences because of the prolonged demand for responding to the pandemic and for implementing an unprecedented vaccination campaign. The extent of mental health conditions among public health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, is uncertain. A 2014 survey estimated that there were nearly 250,000 state and local public health workers in the United States (4). To evaluate mental health conditions among these workers, a nonprobability-based online survey was conducted during March 29-April 16, 2021, to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation among public health workers in state, tribal, local, and territorial public health departments. Among 26,174 respondents, 53.0% reported symptoms of at least one mental health condition in the preceding 2 weeks, including depression (32.0%), anxiety (30.3%), PTSD (36.8%), or suicidal ideation (8.4%). The highest prevalence of symptoms of a mental health condition was among respondents aged ≤29 years (range = 13.6%-47.4%) and transgender or nonbinary persons (i.e., those who identified as neither male nor female) of all ages (range = 30.4%-65.5%). Public health workers who reported being unable to take time off from work were more likely to report adverse mental health symptoms. Severity of symptoms increased with increasing weekly work hours and percentage of work time dedicated to COVID-19 response activities. Implementing prevention and control practices that eliminate, reduce, and manage factors that cause or contribute to public health workers' poor mental health might improve mental health outcomes during emergencies.

Work-family conflict during the Covid-19 pandemic: teleworking of administrative and technical staff in healthcare. An Italian study.

BACKGROUND: Remote working (more appropriately, mandatory work from home) during the Covid-19 healthcare emergency has increased significantly. Amidst many critical issues, work-family conflict (WFC) remains a central topic, due to the hardships in separating different life domains, the pervasiveness of technology, and decreased opportunities for recovery, all considering new, emerging job demands. Although many studies have involved healthcare workers, less attention has been paid to technical-administrative staff (TA); moreover, previous studies about the impact of remote working on WFC have provided mixed results. OBJECTIVES: The study aims at examining the relationships between WFC and cognitive demands, off-work hours technology assisted job demands (off-TAJD) and recovery, in the TA of a hospital in northwest Italy. METHODS: A sample of 211 individuals (response rate of 58%), in line with the population, filled in an online self-report questionnaire in the second half of April 2020. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis showed a positive relationship between WFC and perceived ICT stress, off-TAJD and cognitive demands, and a negative relationship with recovery. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the role of cognitive demands, technology overload and invasiveness, as potential predictors of WFC. The results also indicate the mitigating role of recovery, even in the face of a prolonged and forced experience of remote work. The study emphasises the need for transparent policies, based on trust, autonomy and right to disconnect, and the centrality of training, especially for supervisors, on topics such as evaluation of results, proper recovery management and correct use of technology.

A network modelling approach to assess non-pharmaceutical disease controls in a worker population: An application to SARS-CoV-2.

As part of a concerted pandemic response to protect public health, businesses can enact non-pharmaceutical controls to minimise exposure to pathogens in workplaces and premises open to the public. Amendments to working practices can lead to the amount, duration and/or proximity of interactions being changed, ultimately altering the dynamics of disease spread. These modifications could be specific to the type of business being operated. We use a data-driven approach to parameterise an individual-based network model for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 amongst the working population, stratified into work sectors. The network is comprised of layered contacts to consider the risk of spread in multiple encounter settings (workplaces, households, social and other). We analyse several interventions targeted towards working practices: mandating a fraction of the population to work from home; using temporally asynchronous work patterns; and introducing measures to create 'COVID-secure' workplaces. We also assess the general role of adherence to (or effectiveness of) isolation and test and trace measures and demonstrate the impact of all these interventions across a variety of relevant metrics. The progress of the epidemic can be significantly hindered by instructing a significant proportion of the workforce to work from home. Furthermore, if required to be present at the workplace, asynchronous work patterns can help to reduce infections when compared with scenarios where all workers work on the same days, particularly for longer working weeks. When assessing COVID-secure workplace measures, we found that smaller work teams and a greater reduction in transmission risk reduced the probability of large, prolonged outbreaks. Finally, following isolation guidance and engaging with contact tracing without other measures is an effective tool to curb transmission, but is highly sensitive to adherence levels. In the absence of sufficient adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions, our results indicate a high likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 spreading widely throughout a worker population. Given the heterogeneity of demographic attributes across worker roles, in addition to the individual nature of controls such as contact tracing, we demonstrate the utility of a network model approach to investigate workplace-targeted intervention strategies and the role of test, trace and isolation in tackling disease spread.

Lives versus Livelihoods? Perceived economic risk has a stronger association with support for COVID-19 preventive measures than perceived health risk.

This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N = 25,435). The main predictors were (1) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (2) perceived risk to suffer economic losses due to coronavirus, and (3) their interaction effect. Individual and country-level variables were added as covariates in multilevel regression models. We examined compliance with various preventive health behaviors and support for strict containment policies. Results show that perceived economic risk consistently predicted mitigation behavior and policy support-and its effects were positive. Perceived health risk had mixed effects. Only two significant interactions between health and economic risk were identified-both positive.

Quality of life and occupational performance of children with cancer in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of rehabilitation.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the changes in the quality of life (QOL) and occupational performance of children with cancer and to examine their rehabilitation needs during the pandemic period in Turkey. METHODS: 60 children with cancer and their families participated in the study. The first and second assessments were carried out in April and September 2020, respectively. The pediatric quality of life inventory parent proxy-report was used to evaluate the QOL, and the Canadian occupational performance measurement was used to evaluate children's occupational performance and satisfaction. A qualitative interview was planned to determine the impact of the pandemic on children with cancer alongside their families and therefore determining the rehabilitation needs of the children. RESULTS: While there is no statistically significant change in the pain-related conditions of the children in the first six months of the pandemic (p > 0.05), procedural and treatment anxieties of the children increased during the treatment. Their QOL including cognitive state, perceived physical appearance and communication skills also showed a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.05). Both the occupational performance and satisfaction scores decreased significantly, covering the pre-pandemic and pandemic era (p < 0.01). In the qualitative interview parents expressed their children's need for physical, psychological and social participation support. Also, they emphasized the need for time management. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the QOL and occupational performance level of children with cancer decreased significantly. Holistic rehabilitation approaches complying with pandemic conditions are likely to benefit these children.

Working along the Continuum: North Carolina's Collaborative Response to COVID-19 for Migrant & Seasonal Farmworkers.

North Carolina employs 78,000+ migrant/seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs) annually. Arrival/departure dates are crop and weather dependent. MSFWs may be employed by a grower or a farm labor contractor (FLC). Like farmworker housing, FLCs may be registered or unregistered. Primary care or enabling services are provided by the NC Farmworker Health Program or community health centers that receive dedicated federal funding for MSFWs. The arrival of NC's growing season, MSFWs, and COVID-19 brought unforeseen challenges even to those experienced in caring for MSFWs. Challenges include congregate activities, consistency/accuracy of COVID-19 related communications, availability of alternate housing, barriers to testing and contact tracing, lack of internet connectivity in farmworker housing and insufficient personal protective equipment. Challenges are discussed in no order of occurrence or level of importance as many are inter-related. To meet these challenges, a migrant health and housing workgroup was convened. Members include the NC Department of Labor-Agricultural Safety and Health Bureau, NC Department of Health and Human Services - Communicable Disease Branch and NC Farmworker Health Program, NC Community Health Center Association and NC Agromedicine Institute. Members work collaboratively along the continuum from local to state levels and across agencies and communities to facilitate strategies to address COVID-19 challenges. Implications exist for practice, research and policy including testing of MSFWs on arrival with a 14-day quarantine before moving to assigned farm, a "strike team" to do on-farm tests for workers in the event of a positive case or exposure; and, research on COVID-19 outbreaks and impact of telehealth on MSFWs wellbeing.

Effect of Web-Based Time-Use Intervention on Occupational Balance During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND.: Restrictions implemented to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to disruptions in occupational balance among university students. PURPOSE.: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based time-use intervention on the occupational balance of university students. METHOD.: A total of 60 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received eight sessions of web-based time management intervention, while the control group received a single-session web-based time management intervention. Pre-and post-intervention occupational balance of the participants was evaluated with Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ). FINDINGS.: The eight-session intervention was more effective than the single-session intervention in improving OBQ total scores and all individual OBQ item scores except for "Having sufficient things to do during a regular week." IMPLICATIONS.: Occupational therapists can implement web-based time management interventions to promote the occupational balance of university students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 shelter-at-home and work, lifestyle and well-being in desk workers.

BACKGROUND: Emerging cross-sectional reports find that the COVID-19 pandemic and related social restrictions negatively affect lifestyle behaviours and mental health in general populations. AIMS: To study the longitudinal impact of COVID-19 on work practices, lifestyle and well-being among desk workers during shelter-at-home restrictions. METHODS: We added follow-up after completion of a clinical trial among desk workers to longitudinally measure sedentary behaviour, physical activity, sleep, diet, mood, quality of life and work-related health using validated questionnaires and surveys. We compared outcomes assessed before and during COVID-19 shelter-at-home restrictions. We assessed whether changes in outcomes differed by remote working status (always, changed to or never remote) using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). RESULTS: Participants (N = 112; 69% female; mean (SD) age = 45.4 (12.3) years; follow-up = 13.5 (6.8) months) had substantial changes to work practices, including 72% changing to remote work. Deleterious changes from before to during shelter-at-home included: 1.3 (3.5)-h increase in non-workday sedentary behaviour; 0.7 (2.8)-point worsening of sleep quality; 8.5 (21.2)-point increase in mood disturbance; reductions in five of eight quality of life subscales; 0.5 (1.1)-point decrease in work-related health (P < 0.05). Other outcomes, including diet, physical activity and workday sedentary behaviour, remained stable (P ≥ 0.05). Workers who were remote before and during the pandemic had greater increases in non-workday sedentary behaviour and stress, with greater declines in physical functioning. Wake time was delayed overall by 41 (61) min, and more so in workers who changed to remote. CONCLUSIONS: Employers should consider supporting healthy lifestyle and well-being among desk workers during pandemic-related social restrictions, regardless of remote working status.

Willingness to work during initial lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic: Study based on an online survey among physicians of Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: During the catastrophic situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the health care workers (HCWs) is the most crucial, and their absenteeism, whether due to inability or unwillingness, becomes a major concern for the national health system. Hence, the present study aimed to determine the willingness and its associated factors to work during the COVID-19 pandemic among the physicians of Bangladesh. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from April 21 to May 10, 2020, using an online survey among the Bangladeshi physicians living in the country. Both univariate and multivariable binary logistic regression models were used to determine the predictors of the willingness of the physicians to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: More than 69% physicians reported that they were willing to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, 8.9% reported that they were not willing, while 21.4% of participants were not sure about their willingness. Younger age, having experience of treating patients during previous pandemics, working in the emergency departments and high self-reported compliance to the recommended PPE were important predictors of being willing to work during COVID-19 pandemic. Concern for family and risk of transmitting the infection to family members were most commonly reported as major barriers of working during the pandemic (30%) followed by having comorbidities (25%), lack of adequate safety measures (25%), fear of being infected (12.2%), not involved in clinical practice (12.5%) etc. CONCLUSIONS: Though the majority of the physicians were willing to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, sufficient supply of PPE, support to maintain recommended quarantine and isolation policy after risky hospital duty along with adequate and effective training can increase their willingness to continue their sacred duty during this crucial pandemic.

Symptoms related to mental disorder in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Studies of previous pandemics indicate that healthcare workers have a high risk of developing symptoms related to mental health, especially depression, anxiety, and stress. OBJECTIVE: To identify mental disorder symptoms among Brazilian healthcare workers during the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic and compare findings in different work categories. METHODS: This was an online cross-sectional study. Information related to the pandemic and mental disorder symptoms was collected. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale and the Impact of Event Scale-revised were used. Associations were estimated by the chi-square test. The mean scores were compared among work categories with ANOVA (α = 5%) and the prevalence of symptoms was estimated. RESULTS: 1,609 healthcare workers participated in the survey [mean age: 36.9 (SD = 11.6) years, women = 83.6%]. There was no association between work category and changes in mental health during the pandemic (p = 0.288) or prevalence of unsafe feeling (p = 0.218). A significant relationship was observed between maintaining work activities during the pandemic and work category (p < 0.001). Physicians had the lowest out-of-work prevalence (9.5%) while dentists had the highest (32.3%). Physicians and nurses showed the highest prevalence of in-person work routine. Psychologists presented the highest prevalence of remote work (64.0%) while dentists had the lowest (20.2%). A high prevalence of depression (D), anxiety (A), and stress (S) symptoms was observed in all professional categories (D: 57.2, 95% CI 48.3-66.1%; A: 46.20%, 95% CI = 37.2-55.2%; S: 55.80%, 95% CI = 46.8-64.8%), with physicians (D = 38.4%, A = 25.80%, S = 37.90%), psychologists (D = 50.2%, A = 39.0%, S = 43.1%), and nurses (D = 50.0%, A = 40.9%, S = 49.0%) having significantly lower scores. Psychologists had the lowest pandemic-related psychological impact (42.70%, 95% CI 36.8-48.6%). CONCLUSION: Extreme changes in the work routine of dentists and psychologists and an overall high prevalence of mental symptoms due to the pandemic were found. Researchers should focus on gathering information that can identify workers at increased risk of mental illness to guide discussions and develop actions to minimize the harm of the pandemic. In addition, we suggest that healthcare and support systems urgently adopt mental health care measures with specialized professionals to protect the psychological well-being of the healthcare community.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Job Activity, Dietary Behaviours and Physical Activity Habits of University Population of Naples, Federico II-Italy.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a large family of respiratory viruses that can cause mild to moderate illness. The new variant COVID-19 has started to spread rapidly since December 2019, posing a new threat to global health. To counter the spread of the virus, the Italian government forced the population to close all activities starting from 9 March 2020 to 4 May 2020. In this scenario, we conducted a cross-sectional study on a heterogeneous sample (average age of 28 ± 12 years, 62.6% females) of the University of Naples Federico II (Italy). The aim of the study was to describe the lifestyle change in the university population during quarantine for the COVID 19 pandemic. Participants compiled an online survey consisting of 3 sections: socio-demographic data, dietary behaviours, physical activity habits and psychological aspects. The different results by gender are: 90.8% of females continued to work from home (81.9% were students); 34.8% increased their physical activity; and, only 0.8% prefer ready meals. Whereas, the same percentage of men continued to work from home (90%), but only 72.1% were students (p < 0.001 vs. females), only 23.9% increased physical activity (p < 0.001) and 1.7% favous ready meals. Our data shows that the male population was more affected by isolation and quarantine reporting more unfavourable behavioural changes.

The effects of COVID-19 stay-at-home order on sleep, health, and working patterns: a survey study of US health care workers.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: By March 2020, COVID-19 forced much of the world to stay at home to reduce the spread of the disease. Whereas some health care workers transitioned to working from home, many continued to report to work in person as essential employees. We sought to explore changes in sleep, health, work, and mood in health care workers during the stay-at-home orders. METHODS: We developed a cross-sectional online survey administered to health care workers. The survey assessed changes in sleep, work, screen time, media exposure, diet, exercise, substance use, and mood. The survey data were collected between March 28, 2020, and April 29, 2020. RESULTS: A total of 834 of 936 individuals completed the entire survey. Respondents were from 41 US states. Mood after the stay-at-home orders worsened, and screen time and substance use increased. Total sleep time shortened in those continuing to work in person (P < .001), whereas it was unchanged in those working from home (P = .73). Those working from home went to bed later, woke up later, and worked fewer hours. Reduced total sleep time and increased screen time before bed were associated with worse mood and screen time. Longer sleep time was associated with better mood. CONCLUSIONS: Health care workers' mood worsened regardless of whether work was in person or remote, although total sleep time was shorter for those working in person. Those working from home may have shifted their sleep time to be more in line with their endogenous circadian phase. Peer or other support services may be indicated to address sleep, mood, and health behaviors among health care workers during these unprecedented times.

A behavioral economic risk aversion experiment in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We investigated what degree of risk of infection with COVID-19 is necessary so that people intend to stay home, even when doing so means losing their salary. We conducted an online survey across Brazil during the initial outbreak, in which 8,345 participants answered a questionnaire designed to identify the maximum tolerated risk (k') necessary for them to disregard social distancing recommendations and guarantee their salaries. Generalized linear mixed models, path analysis structural equation, and conditional interference classification tree were performed to further understand how sociodemographic factors impact k' and to establish a predictive model for the risk behavior of leaving home during the pandemic. We found that, on average, people tolerate 38% risk of infection to leave home and earn a full salary, but this number decreased to 13% when the individual risk perception of becoming ill from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 is considered. Furthermore, participants who have a medium-to-high household income and who are older than 35 years are more likely to be part of the risk-taking group who leave home regardless of the potential COVID-19 infection level; while participants over 45 years old and with good financial health are more likely to be part of the risk-averse group, who stay home at the expense of any salary offered. Our findings add to the political and public debate concerning lockdown strategies by showing that, contrary to supposition, people with low socioeconomic status are not more likely to ignore social distancing recommendations due to personal economic matters.