Table of Contents
Abstract
The COVID-19 Applicability Measure (CAM), developed by Wirtz and colleagues (2023), is a specialized psychological instrument designed to quantify the success of individuals in implementing recommended infection prevention measures in their daily lives during the pandemic. The scale’s content was rigorously derived from national German prevention guidelines, public informational materials, and qualitative interviews conducted with the population of interest.
This 20-item instrument was initially evaluated in a German sample comprised of expectant mothers and mothers of infants, a demographic facing unique challenges in adherence to public health mandates. The initial psychometric assessment included Factor analysis and Reliability testing, providing foundational data on the scale’s structure and performance within this specific context.
Keywords
COVID-19 Prevention Measures, Applicability, Apply Hygiene Measures, Avoid Contact with Other People, Avoid Public Transportation, Stay at Home, Check Infection Status, Behavioral Compliance, Public Health.
Authors
Wirtz, Markus Antonius, Heiberger, Andrea, Dresch, Carolin, Schulz, Anja Alexandra.
Purpose
The fundamental purpose of the COVID-19 Applicability Measure is to systematically examine the practical feasibility and execution (applicability) of mandated or recommended COVID-19 prevention measures in the daily routines of participants. The questionnaire seeks to move beyond mere knowledge or attitude regarding prevention and assess the actual successful implementation of these measures.
Construct
The CAM measures the psychological construct of Behavioral Applicability concerning adherence to public health mandates during a major infectious disease outbreak. This construct specifically assesses the perceived ability of individuals to integrate complex and restrictive public health recommendations—such as social distancing, rigorous hygiene, and reduced public interaction—into their real-world environment.
The scale operationalizes this construct across five key latent dimensions (or subscales), reflecting the multifaceted nature of pandemic compliance required of citizens during periods of high infection rates.
Validity
No specific quantitative validity data (such as convergent, discriminant, or criterion validity coefficients) was explicitly reported or available in the initial documentation of the scale.
Reliability
Assessment of the scale’s Internal Consistency utilized Cronbach’s alpha ($alpha$). The results indicated that the internal consistencies of the derived subscales were generally insufficient to moderate, ranging narrowly between $alpha = .562$ and $alpha = .777$. These values suggest that while some subscales achieved acceptable internal reliability, others demonstrated lower homogeneity among their constituent items.
Factor Analysis
An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed on the 20 items concerning the application of COVID-19 protective measures in daily life. A five-factor model was supported by both global fit measures (CFI=.977, TLI = .957, SRMR = .036) and the Kaiser-Gutmann criterion, which yielded five eigenvalues greater than 1 (6.96, 1.61, 1.42, 1.29, 1.09).
The final five factors, which underwent GEOMIN rotation, collectively accounted for 62% of the total variance observed in the data set. This finding supports the multidimensional conceptualization of applicability, suggesting that adherence to prevention measures is not a monolithic construct but rather composed of distinct behavioral domains.
Instrument
Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire
Format: Items are rated on a 6-point ordinal scale indicating the success of implementation: 1 = very good, 2 = good, 3 = rather good, 4 = rather poor, 5 = poor, 6 = very poor.
Language Available: German
Population Group: Human; Female
Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Population Details: Respondents were specifically Expectant Mothers of Infants who resided in Germany.
Test Methodology: Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Ordinal Factor Analysis, Latent Class Analysis.
Keywords
COVID-19, Behavioral Applicability, Pandemic Compliance, Psychometric Scale, Expectant Mothers, Germany, Public Health Policy, Hygiene Measures.
Authors
Wirtz, Markus Antonius:
- Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9392-0484
- Affiliation: University of Education Freiburg, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Research Methods in Health Sciences
- Email Address: [email protected]
- Correspondence Address: University of Education Freiburg, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, Research Methods in Health Sciences, Kunzenweg 21, Freiburg, Germany, 79117
Heiberger, Andrea:
- Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2446-9626
- Affiliation: University of Education Freiburg, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Research Methods in Health Sciences
- Email Address: No data is Available
Dresch, Carolin:
- Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5593-2954
- Affiliation: University of Education Freiburg, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Research Methods in Health Sciences
- Email Address: No data is Available
Schulz, Anja Alexandra:
- Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available
- Affiliation: University of Education Freiburg, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Research Methods in Health Sciences
- Email Address: No data is Available
Permissions & Fee and Test Year
The COVID-19 Applicability Measure (CAM) was published in 2023. Permissions allow its use for Research/Teaching purposes, and there is No Fee required. Commercial use of the instrument is prohibited. The scale is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). The website for permissions is: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Reference’s
Wirtz, M. A., Heiberger, A., Dresch, C., & Schulz, A. A. (2023). Assessment of the importance of COVID-19 prevention measures and their applicability in the daily life of pregnant women and mothers of infants: Ordinal factor analysis and latent class analysis. Diagnostica, 69(1), 14–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1026/0012-1924/a000293.
Items of the COVID-19 Applicability Measure
This is a 20-item scale. The test items are available in the Supplemental Material, Pages 3-4 of the source reference.
Subscales:
- Apply hygiene measures
- Avoid contact with other people
- Avoid public transportation
- Stay at home
- Check infection status
COVID-19 Applicability Measure
Items
We would like to ask you to put yourself back into the situation at the beginning of 2021. There was no vaccine against COVID-19 yet, and the incidence rates were high.
Please indicate how well you managed to implement the following measures in your daily life in January or February 2021:
| Sehr gut | Gut | Eher gut | Eher schlecht | Schlecht | Sehr schlecht | |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to inform yourself about the current legal measures and regulations? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to always maintain the recommended minimum distance of 1.5 m? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to ventilate regularly (approx. every 20 minutes) when you were with other people in closed rooms? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to wear a mouth-nose mask? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to wear a mouth-nose mask when you met an acquaintance on the way and had a short conversation with them? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to wash your hands regularly? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to regularly use disinfectant? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to avoid public transport? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to avoid public places (e.g., city library, restaurant)? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to meet as few people as possible? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to meet only with people who adhered to the Corona measures? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to work from home if possible? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life not to go shopping at peak times? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to use a Corona app? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage to get tested before meeting at-risk patients? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage to avoid grandparents or acquaintances looking after your child? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
COVID-19 Applicability Measure
Items
| Sehr gut | Gut | Eher gut | Eher schlecht | Schlecht | Sehr schlecht | |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to avoid interregional travel? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to use online offers (Skype, Zoom, etc.) for communication? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| How well did you manage in your daily life to use order, pick-up, or delivery services for food and shopping (click and collect)? | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2025). COVID-19 Applicability Measure. Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Retrieved from https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/covid-19-applicability-measure/
Mohammed looti. "COVID-19 Applicability Measure." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 30 Oct. 2025, https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/covid-19-applicability-measure/.
Mohammed looti. "COVID-19 Applicability Measure." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 2025. https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/covid-19-applicability-measure/.
Mohammed looti (2025) 'COVID-19 Applicability Measure', Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Available at: https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/covid-19-applicability-measure/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "COVID-19 Applicability Measure," Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, October, 2025.
Mohammed looti. COVID-19 Applicability Measure. Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. 2025;vol(issue):pages.