Erratum to "Factors that influence Puerto Rican's intention to get the COVID- 19 vaccine" [Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy 5C (2022) 100106].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100106.].

COVID-19 Risk Perceptions and Health Behaviors in Puerto Rico.

Preventative health behaviors were encouraged for all at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as the pandemic continued after 2020, some people stopped implementing all measures. It is unknown if people living in Puerto Rico continued to perform preventive health behaviors throughout the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore if the risk perceptions of COVID-19 were associated with preventative health behaviors among Puerto Ricans during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample from Puerto Rico (N = 285) was recruited from January to March 2021 to participate in a cross-sectional, online survey about health behaviors and risk perceptions of COVID-19. Demographics were reported, and a multivariate logistic regression explored the relationships between health behaviors (e.g., handwashing, staying at home, and not allowing visitors) and fear of COVID-19 (outcome variable) and risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 (outcome variable). Those who reported that they washed their hands more often than usual were more likely (adjusted odds ratios = 6.93) to indicate that they were afraid of COVID-19 compared with those who were not performing this behavior. Also, those who reported not leaving their home as much and who did not receive visitors into their house as much as they did before the pandemic were 2.49 and 2.89 times as likely to report being afraid of the virus, respectively, as their counterparts. Although fear may not effectively change all behaviors, it may encourage Puerto Rican adults to practice healthy behaviors that will prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Factors that influence Puerto Rican's intention to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Despite Latino Americans having been found to be disproportionally affected by COVID-19, they report higher hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine than non-Hispanic whites. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence Puerto Rican's intentions to get the COVID-19 Vaccine. A sample (n = 173) of people who currently lived in Puerto Rico were recruited to complete an online, cross-sectional survey about their intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Demographics and vaccine hesitancy were assessed, and logistic regressions explored relationships between variables and intention to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it became available. When controlling for covariates, 30-49-year-olds (aOR = 0.12) and those who had refused a vaccine in the past (aOR = 0.07) had lower odds of vaccine uptake than those between 18 and 29 years and who had not previously refused a vaccine, respectively. Those who had completed at least a 4-year college degree (aOR = 6.78) had greater odds of intending to get vaccinated than their counterparts. Health education campaigns about COVID-19 in Puerto Rico should be tailored to working-age adults who may mistrust information they have heard about the vaccine. Messages could be tailored to preferred communication channels to decrease vaccination hesitancy.

Gestational Women's Perceptions About the Harms of Cigarette and E-Cigarette Use During Pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine differences between perceived harm of cigarette and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use while pregnant and differences between healthcare providers' communication about these products during pregnancy. METHODS: A convenience sample of gestational women (n = 218; ages 18-45) living in the US completed an online survey between May and December 2017. Participants reported perceived likelihood of adverse health outcomes (e.g., low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome) among infants/children born to mothers who used cigarettes/e-cigarettes. T-tests and two-way ANOVAs examined differences between risk perceptions of using cigarettes/e-cigarettes while pregnant based on pregnancy status (previously pregnant, currently pregnant, future pregnant). Chi-square analyses examined differences between healthcare provider communication about cigarette/e-cigarette use during pregnancy. RESULTS: Overall, participants believed adverse health outcomes were significantly more likely to be caused by maternal use of cigarettes than e-cigarettes. Participants who planned to be pregnant reported higher endorsement that smoking combustible cigarettes would cause a miscarriage (p < .05) or increased blood pressure (p < .05) for a child than currently pregnant participants. Participants reported healthcare providers asked about (p < .05), advised them not to use (p < .001), and talked to them about health effects of smoking combustible cigarettes while pregnant (p < .001) significantly more than e-cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Healthcare providers working with pregnant women should perform the 5As behavioral intervention method to provide pregnant women with tobacco cessation care. They should also discuss the absolute harm nicotine exposure (via cigarettes or e-cigarettes) can have on fetal health and development.