ABSTRACT
One of the most detrimental side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the needed but not received care. Forgone health care affects the general public, but particularly children with special care needs. Previous research focused on non-modifiable factors, such as demographic background and insurance coverage. Based on Politi and Street's model of collaborative decision-making, we explored how two modifiable communication factors contributed to the prevention of forgone pediatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a nationally representative sample (n = 10845) from the 2020 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) survey, we found that health-care providers' family-centered communication and shared decision-making may reduce the possibility of forgone care through improved satisfaction with providers' communication. For children with mental health needs, providers' family-centered communication may also stimulate family's capacity to openly communicate, leading to better involvement in care and timely health care seeking. This helps to address COVID-related uncertainty, prevent higher health-care expenditures, and reduce negative health outcomes.
ABSTRACT
As China launches its second COVID-19 booster campaign and races to bring new vaccine technologies to protect against severe COVID-19 infections, there is limited research on how Chinese residents search for vaccine-related information. This study examined the factors influencing Chinese residents' information-seeking behaviors regarding COVID-19 boosters with a sample of 616 respondents with a mean age of 31.53 from a research panel. Structural equation modeling was used to report factors that influenced respondents' seeking intent. The results indicated that seeking-related subjective norms (ß = -0.55, p < 0.001), negative affect (ß = 0.08, p < 0.05), positive affect (ß = 0.18, p < 0.001), and perceived knowledge insufficiency (ß = 0.10, p < 0.001) are strong predictors of one's seeking intent. We also discovered that there was an inverse relationship between risk perception and positive affect (ß = -0.55, p < 0.001) and between negative and positive affect (ß = -0.19, p < 0.01), while all measurements were either directly or indirectly related to information-seeking intent. A few more indirect but important relationships were also included in our discussion. In conclusion, the present study helps understand what motivates Chinese residents to seek COVID-19 booster information when limited information is available.
ABSTRACT
Objective: COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing rates of overweight and obesity in the United States. mHealth technologies are gaining in popularity for its potential to reduce obesity, if facilitated by patient-centered communication. This study explores predictors of overweight and obese individuals' exercise levels during COVID-19. Methods: 2191 respondents who visited a doctor in the past year and self-reported being overweight were selected from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Respondents reported their physical activity, beliefs about obesity, health tracking behaviors, and communication with providers during the pandemic. Structural equation modeling was used to explore connections among the variables. Results: Patient-provider (e-)communication was significantly associated with changes in people's obesity-related beliefs and mHealth tracking usage, predicting moderate exercise during the pandemic. Conclusion: The findings illustrate the need for patient-centered communication encounters to include discussions on mHealth technologies and accessible methods of engaging in physical activity.Innovation: This study examined secondary data provided by overweight and obese individuals from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic; this population may benefit from targeted health interventions using mHealth technologies. Our findings suggest that healthcare providers should engage patients through mHealth technology and seek to improve digital health literacy to progress physical activity nationwide.