The effect of education, age, and gender on disease risk perception and disease severity perception at a community college during the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this study was to measure the correlation between knowledge of viral disease and disease risk perception, disease severity perception, and mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic by level of education, age, and gender at a community college in Phoenix, Arizona. Participants were recruited by an email sent to all students, faculty, and staff at PVCC using an all-college email distribution list. Disease risk and severity perception were assessed with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire 5, which was modified to include questions measuring participant age, education level, and whether they had ever taken a college biology course. Two additional question sets measured compliance of willingness to wear a face mask. Analysis showed a significant relationship between gender and mask wearing behavior and between knowledge of viral disease in combination with education level and the combined variables of disease risk perception, disease severity perception, and mask wearing behavior. No significant difference from having taken a biology course was found in risk perception, disease severity perception, and mask wearing behavior by age. The results suggest that formal higher education that includes a knowledge of viral disease influences how individuals perceive the severity and risk of COVID-19 and modify their mask wearing behavior accordingly. Gender influences people's willingness to wear a mask, even though it has no effect of risk perception or severity perception. The results can be used to modify existing health education strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The effect of education, age, and gender on disease risk perception and disease severity perception at a community college during the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this study was to measure the correlation between knowledge of viral disease and disease risk perception, disease severity perception, and mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic by level of education, age, and gender at a community college in Phoenix, Arizona. Participants were recruited by an email sent to all students, faculty, and staff at PVCC using an all-college email distribution list. Disease risk and severity perception were assessed with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire 5, which was modified to include questions measuring participant age, education level, and whether they had ever taken a college biology course. Two additional question sets measured compliance of willingness to wear a face mask. Analysis showed a significant relationship between gender and mask wearing behavior and between knowledge of viral disease in combination with education level and the combined variables of disease risk perception, disease severity perception, and mask wearing behavior. No significant difference from having taken a biology course was found in risk perception, disease severity perception, and mask wearing behavior by age. The results suggest that formal higher education that includes a knowledge of viral disease influences how individuals perceive the severity and risk of COVID-19 and modify their mask wearing behavior accordingly. Gender influences people's willingness to wear a mask, even though it has no effect of risk perception or severity perception. The results can be used to modify existing health education strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The best is the earliest: a reflection of vaccination uptake amidst the pandemic in Vietnam

Purpose: Vaccination is widely conceded as a pivotal measure to achieve community immunization and eradicate COVID-19. The purpose of this paper is to understand vaccination behavior based on the association between the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and health belief model (HBM). Design/methodology/approach: A self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect data from 438 participants through social media in Vietnam and later analyzed using SPSS and AMOS to examine the research model. Findings: The results indicated that attitude toward vaccination is positively influenced by perceived risk and perceived benefits. Additionally, background constructs of TPB (i.e. social norms, attitude and perceived behavioral control) and HBM (i.e. perceived risk, response efficacy, perceived benefits and knowledge about COVID-19) are underlying motivations for individual intention to receive vaccine. Moreover, age is a demographic predictor of vaccination intention. Finally, vaccination intention facilitates COVID-19 vaccination. Practical implications: The findings will assist health-care bodies and authorities to understand public perceptions, attitude and behaviors and encourage their participation in vaccination campaigns. Originality/value: To date, this is the first investigation of how disease knowledge and perceived benefits drive vaccination intention in Vietnam. Moreover, this study may be initially successful in adding current health-care behavior literature by combining TPB with HBM. With most studies on vaccination intention at the early stage of COVID-19 outbreak in developed nations, this work provides new insights by testing vaccination behavior in the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreak and in a developing nation. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Unknown Enemy and Psychopathological Responses: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Study Assessing the Knowledge About COVID-19.

There is evidence that a lack of appropriate knowledge regarding global changes might be associated with various psychopathological responses. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that knowledge about COVID-19 correlates with the severity of psychopathological symptoms as measured by standardized questionnaires. The questionnaires were obtained using the Computer Assisted Web Interviews (CAWI) method during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland using the original COVID-19 knowledge questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). A series of bivariate tests and linear regression analyses were performed with a p < 0.05. All analyses were performed in Statistica 13.3. We enrolled 1,002 respondents. The rate of correct answers in the original questionnaire ranged from 44.6 to 84.1%, and the average was 60.1%. Four hundred and twenty participants (42%) met the criterion for the presence of relevant psychopathological symptoms. A significant negative correlation was found between the number of points obtained in the COVID-19 knowledge questionnaire and the GHQ-28 scores, both in relation to the total score and all its subscales. The following factors in the linear regression model were correlated with severity of somatic symptoms: knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic (B = -0.12, P = 0.000), sex (B = 0.12, P = 0.000), use of psychiatric or psychological care (B = 0.20, P < 0.000) and chronic diseases (B = 0.09, P = 0.002). In this study, we observed a negative correlation between the knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic and the severity of psychopathological symptoms. The results clearly indicate that the complexity of the global problem of the current pandemic is related to the development of psychopathological symptoms. However, longitudinal studies are needed to identify the direction of causality.

How did individual differences in neurocognition and health literacy influence the initial uptake and use of health-related information about COVID-19?

Introduction: The rapid development of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into a pandemic required people to quickly acquire, evaluate, and apply novel complex health-related information about the virus and transmission risks. This study examined the potentially unique and synergistic roles of individual differences in neurocognition and health literacy in the early uptake and use of COVID-19 public health information.Method: Data were collected between April 23 and 21 May 2020, a period during which 42 out of 50 states were under a stay-at-home order. Participants were 217 healthy adults who completed a telephone-based battery that included standard tests of neurocognition, health literacy, verbal IQ, personality, and anxiety. Participants also completed measures of COVID-19 information-seeking skills, knowledge, prevention intentions, and prevention behaviors.Results: A series of hierarchical multiple regressions with data-driven covariates showed that neurocognition (viz, episodic verbal memory and executive functions) was independently related to COVID-19 knowledge (e.g. symptoms, risks) at a medium effect size, but not to information-seeking skills, prevention intentions, or prevention behaviors. Health literacy was independently related to all measured aspects of COVID-19 health information and did not interact with neurocognition in any COVID-19 health domain.Conclusions: Individual differences in neurocognition and health literacy played independent and meaningful roles in the initial acquisition of knowledge related to COVID-19, which is a novel human health condition. Future studies might examine whether neurocognitive supports (e.g. spaced retrieval practice, elaboration) can improve COVID-19-related knowledge and health behaviors in vulnerable populations.

The influencing factors of discrimination against recovered Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in China: a national study.

BACKGROUND: Over 26 million recovered COVID-19 patients will suffer from discrimination in work, education and social interactions. We analyzed the determinants of discrimination against recovered COVID-19 patients and suggest policy recommendations to reduce such discrimination. METHODS: Twenty-seven Chinese cities were selected randomly based on their geographical location and GDP rank. One hundred adults were interviewed in each city with an equal number of men and women and three urban residents for every two rural residents. A multiple ordered logistic regression model was used to assess the associations between potential determinants and the COVID-19 discrimination level. RESULTS: Of 2377 participants, 79.76% displayed discrimination toward recovered COVID-19 patients. The female discrimination level was 1.25 times that of males; the discrimination level increased with age; and was occupation-specific, with physicians' (OR = 0.352) and students' (OR = 0.553) discrimination level lower than that of farmers. The discrimination level of participants from the central regions was 1.828 times, and the eastern region 1.504 times, that of participants from western region. The participants' discrimination level was lower when they scored higher in transmission knowledge, prevention knowledge and other COVID-19 knowledge, treatment methods and quarantine time. CONCLUSION: Sex, age, occupation, infections of relatives and friends, regions and scores on COVID-19 knowledge were determinants of discrimination level against recovered COVID-19 patients. In contrast with qualitative studies, our quantitative study recommends targeted education campaigns, focusing on physicians, women, older people and certain occupations. Only the COVID-19 vaccination program for the whole population will resolve the COVID-19 discrimination problem.

Social Media Use, eHealth Literacy, Disease Knowledge, and Preventive Behaviors in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study on Chinese Netizens.

BACKGROUND: Since its outbreak in January 2020, COVID-19 has quickly spread worldwide and has become a global pandemic. Social media platforms have been recognized as important tools for health-promoting practices in public health, and the use of social media is widespread among the public. However, little is known about the effects of social media use on health promotion during a pandemic such as COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to explore the predictive role of social media use on public preventive behaviors in China during the COVID-19 pandemic and how disease knowledge and eHealth literacy moderated the relationship between social media use and preventive behaviors. METHODS: A national web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted by a proportionate probability sampling among 802 Chinese internet users ("netizens") in February 2020. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical multiple regressions were employed to examine and explore the relationships among all the variables. RESULTS: Almost half the 802 study participants were male (416, 51.9%), and the average age of the participants was 32.65 years. Most of the 802 participants had high education levels (624, 77.7%), had high income >¥5000 (US $736.29) (525, 65.3%), were married (496, 61.8%), and were in good health (486, 60.6%). The average time of social media use was approximately 2 to 3 hours per day (mean 2.34 hours, SD 1.11), and the most frequently used media types were public social media (mean score 4.49/5, SD 0.78) and aggregated social media (mean score 4.07/5, SD 1.07). Social media use frequency (ß=.20, P<.001) rather than time significantly predicted preventive behaviors for COVID-19. Respondents were also equipped with high levels of disease knowledge (mean score 8.15/10, SD 1.43) and eHealth literacy (mean score 3.79/5, SD 0.59). Disease knowledge (ß=.11, P=.001) and eHealth literacy (ß=.27, P<.001) were also significant predictors of preventive behaviors. Furthermore, eHealth literacy (P=.038) and disease knowledge (P=.03) positively moderated the relationship between social media use frequency and preventive behaviors, while eHealth literacy (ß=.07) affected this relationship positively and disease knowledge (ß=-.07) affected it negatively. Different social media types differed in predicting an individual's preventive behaviors for COVID-19. Aggregated social media (ß=.22, P<.001) was the best predictor, followed by public social media (ß=.14, P<.001) and professional social media (ß=.11, P=.002). However, official social media (ß=.02, P=.597) was an insignificant predictor. CONCLUSIONS: Social media is an effective tool to promote behaviors to prevent COVID-19 among the public. Health literacy is essential for promotion of individual health and influences the extent to which the public engages in preventive behaviors during a pandemic. Our results not only enrich the theoretical paradigm of public health management and health communication but also have practical implications in pandemic control for China and other countries.