Impact Of Covid-19 Hard Lockdown Measures On Sexual Behaviour In Victoria, Australia: Findings From A National Online Survey

Background The residents of Victoria (Australia’s second most populous state), were subject to a hard lockdown for several months as they experienced a second wave of COVID-19. Victorians could only leave their homes for essential activities, were required to wear facemasks, remain within 5km of their homes and were subject to a nightly curfew. Elsewhere in Australia, COVID numbers remained low with no lockdown in place. We examined the impact of the lockdown on the sexual behaviour of Victorians compared with elsewhere in Australia. Methods Our online survey was open for 2.5 weeks during the lockdown (August 13th to 31st). Participants aged 18+ were recruited via social media and asked to report on their current sexual practices. Logistic regression was used to calculate the difference in the proportion of practices between Victorians and non-Victorians. Results 976 people completed the survey: 71% identified as female, 75% were aged 18–29 years, 61% resided in Victoria. Compared with elsewhere in Australia, Victorians were less likely to report sex in the last 4 weeks (54.8% vs 68.0%, diff=-13.3%, 95%CI -19.6, -6.9). Victorians were also less likely to report casual hook-ups (10.6% vs 17.3%; diff=-6.7%, 95%CI -12.5, -0.8) and sex with a fuckbuddy (10.6% vs 16.9%; diff=-6.2%, 95%CI-12.1,-0.4). There was no difference in dating app use in the last 4 weeks between Victorians and others (27.0% vs 26.6%; diff=0.4; 95%CI -5.2,6.1), but Victorians were more likely to report using apps for virtual dates (15.7% vs 2.9%, diff=12.8%, 95%CI 6.2,19.3) and chatting (83.0% vs 72.5%; diff=10.5; 95%CI 0.0,20.9) and less likely to use them for face-to-face dates (15.1% vs 56.9%; diff=-41.8%, 95%CI -52.9,-30.7). Conclusions Hard lockdowns impact sexual behaviour and practices. However, sexual activity did not stop completely, highlighting the importance of ensuring accessibility of sexual and reproductive health services during periods of restriction.