Internet Use, Risk Awareness, and Demographic Characteristics Associated With Engagement in Preventive Behaviors and Testing: Cross-Sectional Survey on COVID-19 in the United States.
J Med Internet Res
; 22(6): e19782, 2020 06 16.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-605125
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, engagement in preventive behaviors and getting tested for the virus play a crucial role in protecting people from contracting the new coronavirus.OBJECTIVE:
This study aims to examine how internet use, risk awareness, and demographic characteristics are associated with engagement in preventative behaviors and testing during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.METHODS:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted on Amazon Mechanical Turk from April 10, 2020, to April 14, 2020. Participants' internet use (in terms of the extent of receiving information pertaining to COVID-19), risk awareness (whether any immediate family members, close friends or relatives, or people in local communities tested positive for COVID-19), demographics (sex, age, ethnicity, income, education level, marital status, and employment status), as well as their engagement in preventative behaviors and testing were assessed.RESULTS:
Our data included 979 valid responses from the United States. Participants who received more COVID-19-related health information online reported more frequent effort to engage in all types of preventive behaviors wearing a facemask in public (odds ratio [OR] 1.55, 95% CI 1.34-1.79, P<.001), washing hands (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.35-1.85, P<.001), covering nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.52-2.10, P<.001), keeping social distance with others (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.21-1.65, P<.001), staying home (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.20-1.62, P<.001), avoiding using public transportation (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.32-1.88, P<.001), and cleaning frequently used surfaces (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.34-1.79, P<.001). Compared with participants who did not have positive cases in their social circles, those who had immediate family members (OR 1.48, 95% CI 8.28-26.44, P<.001) or close friends and relatives (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.58-4.03, P<.001) who tested positive were more likely to get tested. Participants' sex, age, ethnicity, marital status, and employment status were also associated with preventive behaviors and testing.CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings revealed that the extent of receiving COVID-19-related information online, risk awareness, and demographic characteristics including sex, ethnicity, age, marital status, and employment status are key factors associated with US residents' engagement in various preventive behaviors and testing for COVID-19.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Internet
/
Risk Reduction Behavior
/
Pandemics
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
J Med Internet Res
Journal subject:
Medical Informatics
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
19782
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