Application of Public Health Precautionary Guidelines Before Contracting COVID-19: Lessons Learned from a Qualitative Descriptive Study.

The discrepancy found between the participants' reported precautionary measures and their actual behavior, as well as the consistency and specificity with which they implemented some and not all measures raise concerns about existing public health messages. The study findings support the importance of well-structured and detailed communication when designing future public health campaigns and data-driven policies.