Social Comparisons for Following Health Recommendations and Their Relation to Worry and Intentions During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Jason P. Rose ◽  
Keith A. Edmonds
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Protective Action ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Abstract. Background: During uncertain threatening situations, people make social comparisons that influence self-evaluations, inform decisions, and guide behavior. In 2019, an emerging infectious disease (COVID-19) became a pandemic and resulted in unparalleled public health recommendations (e.g., social distancing, wear masks in public). Aims: The current research examined people’s beliefs about how their own compliance to recommendations compared to others and explored the unique associations between social comparisons, worry, risk perceptions, and intentions for health-protective action. Method: An adult sample of US residents ( N = 452) completed an online, cross-sectional survey about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: First, participants reported better-than-average compliance beliefs. Second, comparative beliefs were positively (and uniquely) associated with intentions for future compliance-related behaviors and general risk-reduction behaviors (e.g., information seeking) – particularly for participants who viewed COVID-19 as threatening. Finally, the relation between comparative beliefs and intentions was indirect through worry (but not risk), though alternative models also achieved support. Limitations: Our findings are limited by our use of a cross-sectional design, methodological choices, and our lack of behavioral measures. Conclusions: Overall, results demonstrate that people are attentive to their comparative levels of compliance behaviors during an infectious disease pandemic. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications and the relevance of social comparisons for self-protective action during a pandemic.

Health information seeking in the postpartum period: A cross-sectional survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Dol ◽  
Brianna Richardson ◽  
Megan Aston ◽  
Douglas McMillan ◽  
Gail Tomblin Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Postpartum Period ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

COVID-19 and health information seeking behavior: Digital health literacy survey amongst university students in Pakistan (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubeena Zakar ◽  
Sarosh Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Zakria Zakar ◽  
Florian Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Seeking Behavior

BACKGROUND Amid to the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health literacy (DHL) has become a significant public health concern. OBJECTIVE This research aims to assess information seeking behavior, as well as the ability to find relevant information and deal with DHL among university students in Pakistan. METHODS An online-based cross-sectional survey, using a web-based interviewing technique, was conducted to collect data on DHL. Simple bivariate and multivariate linear regression was performed to assess the association of key characteristics with DHL. RESULTS The results show a high DHL related to COVID-19 in 54.3% of students. Most of the Pakistani students demonstrated ~50% DHL in all dimensions, except of reliability. Multivariate findings showed that gender, sense of coherence and importance of information were found to be significantly associated with DHL. However, a negative association was observed with students’ satisfaction with information. CONCLUSIONS This led to the conclusion that critical operational and navigations skills are essential to achieve COVID-19 DHL and cope with stress, particularly to promote both personal and community health. Focused interventions and strategies should be designed to enhance DHL amongst university students to combat the pandemic.

scholarly journals Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 2411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinya Ito ◽  
Mie Sasaki ◽  
Satoko Okabe ◽  
Nobuhiro Konno ◽  
Aya Goto
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Radiation Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Female Students ◽  
World Health ◽  
Nuclear Radiation ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

Young women in their late teens and early 20s are at the highest risk for depression onset. The present study aimed to assess depressive symptoms among female college students in Fukushima. More specifically, it aimed to clarify factors predicting possible symptom profiles, with an emphasis on determining how nuclear radiation risks affect the reporting of depression symptoms. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 310 female students at a college in the Fukushima prefecture, Japan, in December 2015, and 288 participants submitted valid questionnaires. In total, 222 (77.1%) participants lived in Fukushima at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The measures included the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index, the Fukushima Future Parents Attitude Measure, and risk perception of radiation health effects. A total of 46.5% of participants reported depressive symptoms. Path analysis revealed that higher radiation risk perceptions and reduced efficacy with reproduction related to a decline in self-esteem and self-efficacy, which was subsequently associated with increased depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of radiation education among children and young adults, both after a nuclear accident and during disaster preparation, particularly in the context of reproductive and mental health.

scholarly journals Electronic cigarette marketing and smoking behaviour in adolescence: a cross-sectional study

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 00155-2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Hansen ◽  
Reiner Hanewinkel ◽  
Matthis Morgenstern
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Smoking Behaviour ◽  
Electronic Cigarette ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Tobacco Control Policies ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between exposure to electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) advertisements and use of e-cigarettes, combustible cigarettes and hookahs.A cross-sectional survey of 6902 German students (mean age 13.1 years, 51.3% male) recruited in six German states was performed. Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements was measured with self-rated contact frequency to three advertising images. Multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression models were used to assess associations between exposure to e-cigarette advertisement and use of e-cigarettes, combustible cigarettes and hookahs (ever and past 30 days).Overall, 38.8% of the students were exposed to e-cigarette advertisements; ever-use of e-cigarettes was 21.7%, of combustible cigarettes was 21.8% and of hookahs was 23.2%, and poly-use of all three products was 12.4%. Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements was positively related to ever and past 30-day use of e-cigarettes, combustible cigarettes, hookahs and combined use.We concluded that a considerable number of German teenagers are exposed to e-cigarette advertisement. There was a clear exposure–behaviour link, indicating that advertising contact was associated with different kinds of “vaping” and also smoking behaviour. Although causal interpretation is not possible due to the cross-sectional design, findings raise concerns about the current tobacco control policies.

scholarly journals The four weeks before lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: a weekly serial cross-sectional survey on risk perceptions, knowledge, public trust and behaviour, 3 to 25 March 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (42) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Betsch ◽  
Lars Korn ◽  
Tanja Burgard ◽  
Wolfgang Gaissmaier ◽  
Lisa Felgendreff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Trust In Institutions

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, public perceptions and behaviours have had to adapt rapidly to new risk scenarios and radical behavioural restrictions. Aim To identify major drivers of acceptance of protective behaviours during the 4-week transition from virtually no COVID-19 cases to the nationwide lockdown in Germany (3–25 March 2020). Methods A serial cross-sectional online survey was administered weekly to ca 1,000 unique individuals for four data collection rounds in March 2020 using non-probability quota samples, representative of the German adult population between 18 and 74 years in terms of age × sex and federal state (n = 3,910). Acceptance of restrictions was regressed on sociodemographic variables, time and psychological variables, e.g. trust, risk perceptions, self-efficacy. Extraction of homogenous clusters was based on knowledge and behaviour. Results Acceptance of restrictive policies increased with participants’ age and employment in the healthcare sector; cognitive and particularly affective risk perceptions were further significant predictors. Acceptance increased over time, as trust in institutions became more relevant and trust in media became less relevant. The cluster analysis further indicated that having a higher education increased the gap between knowledge and behaviour. Trust in institutions was related to conversion of knowledge into action. Conclusion Identifying relevant principles that increase acceptance will remain crucial to the development of strategies that help adjust behaviour to control the pandemic, possibly for years to come. Based on our findings, we provide operational recommendations for health authorities regarding data collection, health communication and outreach.

scholarly journals Psychological contract profiles among permanent and temporary agency workers

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J Chambel ◽  
Laura Lorente ◽  
Vânia Carvalho ◽  
Isabel Maria Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Temporary Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Permanent Workers ◽  
Temporary Agency Workers

Purpose – Based on the psychological contract (PC) theory, the purpose of this paper is to identify PC profiles, differentiating between permanent and temporary agency workers (TAW). Moreover, the authors analyzed whether different profiles presented different levels of work engagement. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional survey data analysis of 2,867 workers, of whom 1,046 were TAW, was analyzed using latent profile analyses. Findings – Four PC profiles were identified, which differed quantitatively in terms of the overall dimension levels (i.e. balanced, relational and transactional) for PC (i.e. content and fulfillment). ANCOVAs showed that the relational/balanced dominant and transactional dominant profiles presented similar engagement levels for TAW, but for permanent workers the former profile showed higher engagement than the latter. However, for both permanent and TAW the fulfillment profile showed higher engagement than the unfulfillment profile. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design and the reliance on self-report measures are the limitations of this study, although no causality was claimed and method biases were controlled. Practical implications – Actions that increase PC fulfillment positively affect the employment relationship of TAW with the client organization. Originality/value – Few studies have addressed PC typologies. Furthermore, most studies have focussed on temporary workers, but not on TAW and their contract with the client organization. Finally, this study emphasizes the crucial role played by the PC in the levels of work engagement.

scholarly journals Use of information sources regarding medicine side effects among the general population: a cross-sectional survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadine O’Donovan ◽  
Ruth M. Rodgers ◽  
Anthony R. Cox ◽  
Janet Krska
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Side Effect ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Information Leaflets ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Use Of Information Sources

Abstract Aim: To determine the use and perceived value of different information sources that patients may use to support identification of medicine side effects; to explore associations between coping styles and use of information sources. Background: Side effects from medicines can have considerable negative impact on peoples’ daily lives. As a result of an ageing UK population and attendant multi-morbidity, an increasing number of medicines are being prescribed for patients, leading to increased risk of unintended side effects. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of patients who use medicine, recruited from community pharmacies. The survey sought views on attributes of various information sources, their predicted and actual use, incorporating a shortened Side Effects Coping Questionnaire (SECope) scale and the abbreviated Miller Behavioural Style Scale (MBSS). Findings: Of 935 questionnaires distributed, 230 (25.0%) were returned, 61.3% from females; 44.7% were retired and 84.6% used at least one medicine regularly. 69.6% had experienced a side effect, resulting in 57.5% of these stopping the medicine. Patient information leaflets (PILs) and GPs were both predicted and actually most widely used sources, despite GPs being judged as relatively less accessible and PILs less trustworthy, particularly by regular medicine users. Pharmacists, considered both easy to access and trustworthy, were used by few in practice, while the internet was considered easy to access, but less trustworthy and was also little used. SECope sub-scales for non-adherence and information seeking showed positive associations with stopping a medicine and seeking information from a health professional. More high monitors than low monitors stopped a medicine themselves, but there were no differences in use of information sources. Information seeking following a side effect is a common strategy, potentially predicted by the SECope, but not the MBSS. Limited GP accessibility could contribute to high internet use. Further research could determine how the trustworthiness of PILs can be improved.

Risk perceptions in localized breast cancer (BC).

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 9534-9534
Author(s):  
Pallavi Kumar ◽  
Karen Sepucha ◽  
Yuchiao Chang ◽  
Jeffrey Belkora ◽  
Clara N Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Tumor Stage ◽  
Stage I ◽  
Decision Quality ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Absolute Benefit ◽  
The Absolute

9534 Background: Risk perceptions (RP) play an important role in decision making in localized BC. Little is known about RP in the context of adjuvant (adj) therapy decisions. We examined the accuracy of estimate of absolute benefit of adj therapy among patients (pts) with localized BC and sought to identify determinants of accurate RP. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in localized (Stage I-III) BC pts within 3 months after surgery at 4 U.S. cancer centers. Pts completed the Decision Quality Instrument, which includes items on BC knowledge, numerical estimates of benefit of adj therapy, and communication with providers. We analyzed pts with Stage I/II and calculated objective estimates of benefit of adj therapy using Adjuvant! Online. Based on published data, an estimate that was +/- 5% of the calculated risk was considered correct. We used multivariable (MV) regression to identify determinants of accuracy including tumor stage, age, adj treatment, education, total knowledge score, and decision involvement. Results: 192/249 (77.1%) pts completed the survey; analyses were limited to 166 pts stage I/II with complete risk estimate data. Mean age was 56.4 years (SD 12.1), 83% of respondents were white, and 58.5% were college graduates. 56.3% had stage I and 43.7% had stage II disease. Most (95.6%) had some type of adj therapy, either endocrine therapy only (43.2%), chemotherapy only (15.3%), or both (32%). On average, pts estimated the absolute benefit of adj therapy to be 31.8% (SD24.9), and this varied by stage (28.4 and 35.9 for stage I and II, p=0.06). The overall estimate for this sample from Adjuvant! Online was 11.8% (SD 7.67) and this varied by stage (8.6/16.0 for stage I/II respectively, p<0.001). Few pts (18.1%) had accurate estimates and the majority (68.3%) overestimated the benefit. In MV logistic regression analysis, only BC knowledge score was associated with accurate estimate of benefit (OR 1.36 95%CI 1.04, 1.8). No other factors were significantly associated with accuracy. Conclusions: Pts with localized BC overestimated the absolute benefit of adj therapy by an average of 20 percentage points. Some pts may be taking on risks of adj therapy without accurate knowledge of the benefits, calling into question whether these decisions are truly informed.

Coping and Occupational Participation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renuka Roche ◽  
Renee R. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Occupational Participation ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Existing studies have shown that individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome demonstrate functional impairment in several domains related to occupational participation. Researchers have not yet explored whether coping styles may be associated with occupational participation in individuals with this condition. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of coping styles on occupational participation among adults with chronic fatigue syndrome. The authors hypothesized that occupational participation would be associated with coping strategies oriented toward information seeking and maintaining activity, and that this relationship would endure despite individual differences in illness severity. The study used a cross-sectional design to describe the associations between coping and occupational participation for 47 individuals diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome. Findings from linear regression analysis revealed that the coping style of maintaining activity was positively associated with occupational participation, whereas illness accommodation was negatively associated. Implications of the findings for continued research and clinical practice in occupational therapy are discussed.

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