scholarly journals Gender Discrepancies in SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Related Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethann Mangel Pflugeisen ◽  
Jin Mou
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Community Healthcare ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

Objectives: International studies suggest that males may be less likely to adhere to SARS-CoV-2 transmission mitigation efforts than females. However, there is a paucity of research in this field in the United States. The primary aim of this study was to explore the relationship of binary gender identity (female/male) with beliefs, attitudes, and pandemic-related practices in the early stages of the pandemic.Methods: This study is based on a cross-sectional, voluntary response survey. Patients who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 5 and June 7, 2020 were invited to participate. All patients were tested within a large community healthcare system that serves patients through eight hospitals and hundreds of clinics across Washington State. Bivariate associations between gender and various demographics were tested using Chi-squared and Student's t-tests. We examined associations between gender and pandemic-related beliefs, attitudes, and practices using multivariable logistic regression, accounting for potential confounding factors.Results: Females were more likely than males to agree that they (aOR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.14–2.00) or their families (aOR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.31–2.33) were threatened by SARS-CoV-2, or that their own behavior could impact transmission (aOR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.49–3.15). Similarly, females were more likely to agree that social distancing (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.19–2.46), handwashing (aOR = 3.27, 95% CI 2.06–5.21), and masking (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.02–1.94) were necessary to slow SARS-CoV-2 spread. Females were significantly less likely to visit outside of their social distancing circle (aOR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.47–0.81), but among those who did, practices of social distancing (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI 0.89–2.23), remaining outdoors (aOR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.56–1.40), and masking (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI 0.74–1.93) were comparable to males, while females practiced handwashing more than males (aOR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.33–3.34).Conclusions: Our study suggests that gender disparate beliefs, attitudes, and practices existed in the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Efforts should be tailored to encourage males to engage with mitigation efforts in ongoing pandemic-related public health campaigns.

scholarly journals Barriers and Facilitators of Adherence to Social Distancing Recommendations among a Large International Sample of Adults Recruited in April 2020

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adina Coroiu ◽  
Chelsea Moran ◽  
Tavis Campbell ◽  
Alan Geller
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Responsibility To Protect ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Work Study ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

This cross-sectional study collected data from 2013 participants recruited via social media. The study was conducted during a period of well-enforced regulations about social distancing. Adherence to social distancing recommendations was relatively high for most behaviours, but not nearly close to 100%. The study identified key modifiable barriers and facilitators of adherence to social distancing: strongest facilitators included wanting to protect the self, feeling a responsibility to protect the community, and being able to work/study remotely; strongest barriers included having friends or family who needed help with running errands, socializing in order to avoid feeling lonely, and seeing many people in the streets. Future interventions to improve adherence to social distancing measures should couple individual-level strategies targeting key barriers to social distancing identified herein, with effective institutional measures and public health interventions. Public health campaigns should continue to highlight compassionate attitudes towards social distancing.

scholarly journals Knowledge About Dengue Fever Prevention Among People Visiting Benazir Bhutto Hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-26
Author(s):  
Tamanna Fayyaz ◽  
Maria Yasin ◽  
Ahsan Tariq ◽  
Aashi Mughal ◽  
Mujtaba Haider Bukhari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Dengue Fever ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Ethical Review ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

Background: The higher incidence of dengue fever in Pakistan demands additional efforts in order to limit the disease. Despite active public health campaigns, low public awareness is one of the factors facilitating dengue virus transmission. For effective preventive measures, the assessment of the knowledge gap and then taking appropriate steps to fill the gap is required.The objective of this study is to assess knowledge about dengue fever prevention among people visiting Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi.Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study of 6 months duration was conducted with 280 participants selected via nonprobability convenience sampling. After informed consent, an interview was conducted based on a questionnaire that assessed socio-demographic parameters and knowledge about dengue virus transmission and prevention. Data were analyzed through SPSS v. 22. The study was approved by the Ethical Review Board (ERB) of Rawalpindi Medical University and Allied hospitals.Results: Out of 280 respondents, 54.6% were males and 45.4% females and the mean age was 35.0 ± 13.1 years. The respondents having high knowledge scores were 66(23.6%) while those having moderate and low scores were 159 (56.8%) and 55 (19.6%) respectively. Educated respondents (p=0.03) and urban residents (p=0.05) had higher knowledge scores.Conclusion: The majority of the participants know about dengue fever. However, only one out of every four respondents has good knowledge scores for dengue fever prevention.

The role of Science Literacy, Trust, and Impulsivity on Adherence to COVID-19 Recommendations: Cross-sectional Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perla Amalia Vargas ◽  
Nicole M Lee ◽  
Scott Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Science Literacy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Fox News ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Public Health Campaigns ◽  
Perfect Adherence

BACKGROUND To slow down transmission and prevent deaths in the face of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) pandemic, the public needs to adhere to recommendations to limit exposure and the spread of the disease. There is emerging evidence that television viewership choices and partisanship are associated to adherence to COVID-19 -related preventive recommendations. On the other hand, some suggest that believing fake news may be due to impulsivity or a lack of thinking rather than partisanship. OBJECTIVE To test whether 1) individuals with high levels of impulsivity will be less likely to adhere to COVID-19 recommendations; and 2) if the odds of adhering to the recommendations will be higher for those with positive attitudes toward science, higher levels of science literacy, and COVID-19 knowledge, who get their news from scientific/reliable sources. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional online survey administered via Qualtrics (Provo, UT). COVID-related survey items were extracted from recent COVID-19 studies. Respondents completed assessments on impulsiveness, perception of scientists and science literacy. selected their common sources of information including conservative and liberal media (e.g., Fox News or One America News Network – OANN and MSNBC or CNN). The sample was recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and from the student population of a large university in the southwestern U.S. After removing incomplete responses, the final sample included 1223 cases. RESULTS Consistent with previous reports, compared to respondents who got their News from sources other than Fox News or OANN, those who reported Fox News or OANN as their main source of information had significantly lower scores of COVID-19 knowledge. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that impulsivity was associated with adherence: high scores was associated to adherence failure while low scores were associated to perfect adherence. COVID-19 knowledge and trust in scientists showed the same significant associations: high knowledge scores were associated to perfect adherence and low to failure. Contrary to our hypothesis, Science Literacy did not predict adherence. Finally, race was also significantly associated with adherence: being white was associated to adherence failure while being non-white predicted perfect adherence. CONCLUSIONS To increase voluntary adherence to COVID-19 measures, it is critical to implement public health campaigns that foster trust in authorities –Republican and Democrat-- and leverage trustworthy individuals in the community to disseminate information. For individuals with high levels of impulsivity, environmental restructuring, and/or nudging may be necessary to increase adherence to preventive recommendations.

COVIDiots and Cogency

2021 ◽  
pp. 62-85
Author(s):  
Roy Schwartzman ◽  
Jenni M. Simon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Heuristics And Biases ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Broadcast Media ◽  
Attitudes And Behaviors ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Public Health Campaigns ◽  
Health Experts

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States spawns a perplexing polemic. Intransigent coronavirus skeptics who defy public health recommendations often get cast as ideological zealots or as perniciously ignorant. Both characterizations overlook a more fundamental epistemic opposition. The authors recast the conflict between COVID-19 skeptics and public health advocates as the rhetorical incompatibility between the deliberative, scientifically grounded public health experts and the intuitive, emotion-driven mental heuristics of the non-compliant. This study examines the discourse of COVID-19 misinformation purveyors on broadcast media and online. Their main contentions rely on heuristics and biases that collectively not only undermine trust in particular medical experts, but also undercut trust in the institutions and reasoning processes of science itself. The findings suggest ways that public health campaigns can become more effective by leveraging some of the intuitive drivers of attitudes and behaviors that scientists and argumentation theorists routinely dismiss as fallacious.

scholarly journals Tickborne disease awareness and protective practices among U.S. Forest Service employees from the upper Midwest, USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Schotthoefer ◽  
Kathryn Stinebaugh ◽  
Michael Martin ◽  
Claudia Munoz-Zanzi
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Forest Service ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
High Concern

Abstract Background People with occupations that require them to spend time working outdoors in suitable tick habitats are predicted to be at an increased risk for tick-borne diseases (TBDs). However, few studies have assessed the risks of outdoor employees in the United States. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey to collect data on exposure to ticks and TBD infections among U.S. Forest Service employees in a high TBD incidence region of northern Wisconsin, and to examine employee knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding TBDs to help guide future education and prevention programs. Chi-square contingency tables, calculations of odds ratios, and logistic regression models were used to identify associations among self-reported employee factors, the proportion of correctly answered knowledge questions, their ranked concern for TBDs, adherence to practicing preventive behaviors, and willingness to pay for protective measures. Results Ninety-five employees completed the survey. Nearly all respondents (97%) reported recent tick exposure, with 27% reporting encountering 10 or more ticks per week during peak tick season. Employee knowledge of TBD was high (median score: 80% correct). Fifty-nine percent of respondents had high concern for TBDs, and there was high adherence to conducting body checks for ticks (83% reported always doing them), but only moderate use of tick repellents (24% reported always and 60% reported occasionally using). High concern for TBD (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 6.32 [95% confidence intervals, 1.97–20.28]), a history of TBD diagnosis (aOR = 5.88 [1.41–24.55]), and older age (≥ 46 years) (aOR = 3.29 [1.00–10.84]) were positively associated with high practice adherence. Respondents suggested they would be willing to pay for personal protective methods and get a hypothetical vaccine for Lyme disease, but not community-wide efforts to control ticks. Conclusions Our study provides evidence that U.S. Forest Service employees in Wisconsin represent a high risk group for TBD, and despite relatively high TBD knowledge and engagement in tick protection activities, efforts are needed to reduce their risks for tick bites. More generally, our findings suggest that studies to better understand the factors related to the adoption and effectiveness of public health interventions are needed.

scholarly journals A cross-sectional population survey of physicians in Alberta, Canada about a novel provincial contact tracing smartphone app

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Jerome ◽  
M Pietrosanu ◽  
K Dhillon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
English Language ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Smartphone App ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Health Zone ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

Abstract Background The Canadian province of Alberta released the ABTraceTogether smartphone app in May 2020 to assist in contact tracing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Public engagement with this public health tool has been low, limiting the effectiveness of the intervention. This study examines physician knowledge of the app and practice patterns in relation to the app. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional self-administered online English language survey of physicians and medical students in Alberta, Canada. The survey link was sent to all registered members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and was distributed by other provincial physician organizations and health zone leaders. Results The survey received 317 responses. 96% of participants were aware of the app but only 27% had recommended the app to patients. The most common reason provided for not downloading or recommending the app was that participants had security concerns about the app. 23% of participants indicated they did not believe they had a responsibility to recommend the app to others. Conclusions Our study provides insights into participants’ knowledge and beliefs about the ABTraceTogether app. This information may be valuable to public health officials who wish to engage physicians in future public health campaigns.

scholarly journals A thematic analysis of highly retweeted early COVID-19 tweets: consensus, information, dissent and lockdown life

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 945-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Thelwall ◽  
Saheeda Thelwall
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Public Health Campaigns ◽  
Public Reaction

PurposePublic attitudes towards COVID-19 and social distancing are critical in reducing its spread. It is therefore important to understand public reactions and information dissemination in all major forms, including on social media. This article investigates important issues reflected on Twitter in the early stages of the public reaction to COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachA thematic analysis of the most retweeted English-language tweets mentioning COVID-19 during March 10–29, 2020.FindingsThe main themes identified for the 87 qualifying tweets accounting for 14 million retweets were: lockdown life; attitude towards social restrictions; politics; safety messages; people with COVID-19; support for key workers; work; and COVID-19 facts/news.Research limitations/implicationsTwitter played many positive roles, mainly through unofficial tweets. Users shared social distancing information, helped build support for social distancing, criticised government responses, expressed support for key workers and helped each other cope with social isolation. A few popular tweets not supporting social distancing show that government messages sometimes failed.Practical implicationsPublic health campaigns in future may consider encouraging grass roots social web activity to support campaign goals. At a methodological level, analysing retweet counts emphasised politics and ignored practical implementation issues.Originality/valueThis is the first qualitative analysis of general COVID-19-related retweeting.

Factors That Influence Where Babies Sleep in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett ◽  
Zhen Cong ◽  
Thomas Hale
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Parenting Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Age At First Birth ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Safe Sleep ◽  
Sleep Behavior ◽  
Partner Status ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Public Health Campaigns

Overview: Bedsharing is common in the United States in spite of numerous public health campaigns telling parents not to do it. This suggests that generic, never-bedshare messaging does not result in safe-sleep behavior. It also suggests we know little about the characteristics of mothers who bedshare. This study addresses this gap by examining demographic characteristics of mothers including race/ethnicity, income, education, partner status, and maternal age.Sample: The sample was the U.S. cohort (N = 4,789) of the Survey of Mothers’ Sleep and Fatigue.Results: Consistent with previous findings, we found that African American and American Indian mothers were more likely to bedshare, as were lower income and single mothers. We also found that bedsharing mothers were more likely to have lower education levels, be younger age at first birth, and were less likely to be currently employed. There were also striking racial/ethnic differences on location of night feeds, where mothers think babies should sleep, and their reasons for engaging in their nighttime parenting practices.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the mothers’ demographics are related to bedsharing practices. Furthermore, simply describing bedsharing in terms of “cultural differences” oversimplifies a complex set of behaviors and beliefs. Safe sleep messaging, including safe bedsharing, needs to be tailored to address the various subgroups of mothers living in the United States.

scholarly journals Social distancing in America: Understanding long-term adherence to COVID-19 mitigation recommendations

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257945
Author(s):  
Christopher P. Reinders Folmer ◽  
Megan A. Brownlee ◽  
Adam D. Fine ◽  
Emmeke B. Kooistra ◽  
Malouke E. Kuiper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Practical Capacity ◽  
Major Factors

A crucial question in the governance of infectious disease outbreaks is how to ensure that people continue to adhere to mitigation measures for the longer duration. The present paper examines this question by means of a set of cross-sectional studies conducted in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, in May, June, and July of 2020. Using stratified samples that mimic the demographic characteristics of the U.S. population, it seeks to understand to what extent Americans continued to adhere to social distancing measures in the period after the first lockdown ended. Moreover, it seeks to uncover which variables sustained (or undermined) adherence across this period. For this purpose, we examined a broad range of factors, relating to people’s (1) knowledge and understanding of the mitigation measures, (2) perceptions of their costs and benefits, (3) perceptions of legitimacy and procedural justice, (4) personal factors, (5) social environment, and (6) practical circumstances. Our findings reveal that adherence was chiefly shaped by three major factors: respondents adhered more when they (a) had greater practical capacity to adhere, (b) morally agreed more with the measures, and (c) perceived the virus as a more severe health threat. Adherence was shaped to a lesser extent by impulsivity, knowledge of social distancing measures, opportunities for violating, personal costs, and descriptive social norms. The results also reveal, however, that adherence declined across this period, which was partly explained by changes in people’s moral alignment, threat perceptions, knowledge, and perceived social norms. These findings show that adherence originates from a broad range of factors that develop dynamically across time. Practically these insights help to improve pandemic governance, as well as contributing theoretically to the study of compliance and the way that rules come to shape behavior.

scholarly journals Mask Wearing and Control of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Rader ◽  
Laura F White ◽  
Michael R Burns ◽  
Jack Chen ◽  
Joe Brilliant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Transmission Control ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing

Introduction: Cloth face coverings and surgical masks have become commonplace across the United States in response to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. While evidence suggests masks help curb the spread of respiratory pathogens, population level, empirical research remains limited. Face masks have quickly become a topic of public debate as government mandates have started requiring their use. Here we investigate the association between self-reported mask wearing, social distancing and community SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the United States, as well as the effect of statewide mandates on mask uptake. Methods: Serial cross-sectional surveys were administered June 3 through July 27, 2020 via a web platform. Surveys queried individuals' likelihood to wear a face mask to the grocery store or with family and friends. Responses (N = 378,207) were aggregated by week and state and combined with measures of the instantaneous reproductive number (Rt), social distancing proxies, respondent demographics and other potential sources of confounding. We fit multivariate logistic regression models to estimate the association between mask wearing and community transmission control (Rt <1) for each state and week. Multiple sensitivity analyses were considered to corroborate findings across mask wearing definitions, Rt estimators and data sources. Additionally, mask wearing in 12 states was evaluated two weeks before and after statewide mandates. Results: We find an increasing trend in mask usage across the U.S., although uptake varies by geography and demographic groups. A multivariate logistic model controlling for social distancing and other variables found a 10% increase in mask wearing was associated with a 3.53 (95% CI: 2.03, 6.43) odds of transmission control (Rt <1). We also find that communities with high mask wearing and social distancing have the highest predicted probability of a controlled epidemic. These positive associations were maintained across sensitivity analyses. Following state mandates, mask wearing did not show significant statistical changes in uptake, however the positive trend of increased mask wearing over time was preserved. Conclusion: Widespread utilization of face masks combined with social distancing increases the odds of SARS-CoV-2 transmission control. Mask wearing rose separately from government mask mandates, suggesting supplemental public health interventions are needed to maximize mask adoption and disrupt the spread of SARS-CoV-2, especially as social distancing measures are relaxed.

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