Early COVID-19 Attitudes and Behaviors and Their Associations With Later Infection: A Local Perspective From One U.S. City.
Med Care
; 61(6): 409-414, 2023 06 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2316589
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
At the onset of the pandemic, there was poor public awareness and inaction in response to COVID-19; it is less known whether this translated to subsequent infections.OBJECTIVES:
To explore whether adults who perceived COVID-19 as less of a threat and who were not taking early actions were more likely to become infected over the following year. RESEARCHDESIGN:
Survey data from the ongoing (COVID-19 & Chronic Conditions (C3) anonymized for review) cohort study.PARTICIPANTS:
Six hundred forty-two adults with a mean age of 63 and ≥1 chronic condition.MEASURES:
Self-reported attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 were assessed from March 13 to April 3, 2020, and COVID-19 infection status was captured between May 2020 and January 2021. Bivariate and multivariable analyses examined associations between early perceptions and behaviors with later infection.RESULTS:
Approximately 7% reported infection with COVID-19 (N = 46). Adults who perceived the threat of COVID-19 less seriously at the initial outbreak were more likely to test positive over the following year [odds ratio (OR) 0.81, CI 0.70-0.94; P = 0.006]. Those who were less likely to believe their actions would affect whether they would become infected were more likely to test positive (OR 0.87, CI 0.77-0.99; P = 0.03), as were adults who reported not changing their routines (OR 0.45; CI 0.24-0.85; P = 0.01).CONCLUSIONS:
Adults with delayed responses in acknowledging the threat of COVID-19 and in changing behaviors were more likely to contract the virus. This investigation provides insight into the consequences of inadequate public understanding and response to COVID-19, and it highlights the importance of promoting early awareness among high-risk groups during public health crises.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Med Care
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
MLR.0000000000001855
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS