The Association of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Risk Perception, County Death Rates, and Voluntary Health Behaviors Among United States Adult Population.

Elharake, Jad A; Shafiq, Mehr; McFadden, SarahAnn M; Malik, Amyn A; Omer, Saad B · J Infect Dis · 2022

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to adversely impact the United States socially, culturally, and economically. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between COVID-19 county death rates, risk perception, and US adults' voluntary behaviors-particularly physical distancing. Data were collected from CloudResearch/Qualtrics, Johns Hopkins University, the American Community Survey, and SafeGraph. Our results indicated that higher COVID-19 county death rates were associated with higher risk perceptions, leading to greater time spent at home. These findings will help public health officials identify strategies that best encourage voluntary health behaviors to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

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