Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: May 1, 2020
Date Accepted: Jun 4, 2020
Date Submitted to PubMed: Jun 5, 2020
Internet Use, Risk Awareness, and Demographic Characteristics Associated with Engagement in Preventive Behaviors and Testing: A Cross-sectional Survey on COVID-19 in the U.S.
ABSTRACT
Background:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, engagement in preventive behaviors and getting tested for the virus play a crucial role in protecting people from contracting the 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, employment status), as well as their engagement in preventative behaviors and testing were assessed.
Results:
Our data included 979 valid responses from the U.S. 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 (β = 0.18, t = 5.59, p < .001), washing hands (β = 0.19, t = 6.28, p < .001), covering nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing (β = 0.24, t = 7.76, p < .001), keeping social distance with others (β = 0.131, t = 4.19, p < .001), staying home (β = 0.13, t = 3.96, p < .001), avoiding using public transportation (β = 0.15, t = 4.82, p < .001), and cleaning frequently used surfaces (β = 0.19, t = 5.86, p < .001). Compared with participants who did not have positive cases in their social circles, those who had immediate family members (Exp(B) = 1479.70%, 95%CI = 828.26%, 2643.50%, p < .001), or close friends and relatives (Exp(B) = 252.11%, 95%CI = 157.71%, 403.03%, 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 individuals’ engagement in various preventive behaviors and testing for COVID-19.
Citation
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