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
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32501801
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.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Pneumonia Viral
/
Infecções por Coronavirus
/
Internet
/
Comportamento de Redução do Risco
/
Pandemias
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Qualitative_research
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Med Internet Res
Assunto da revista:
INFORMATICA MEDICA
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China