Dataset Information

If you build it, will they come? Social, economic, and psychological determinants of COVID-19 testing decisions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The efficacy of testing and tracing programs to reduce COVID-19 transmission hinges not only on widespread access to testing, but also on the public's willingness to participate in them. To the extent that testing intentions are patterned by social determinants of health, this constitutes an understudied mechanism of disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.

Design

Using data from a representative household probability sample, the Person to Person Health Interview Study (n = 935), sociodemographic, economic, and psychological determinants of testing considerations were evaluated across six domains: treatment affordability, ability to work if positive, hospital effectiveness, symptom severity, proximity to infected, and risk of transmitting to others.

Results

Findings demonstrated significant differences in testing motivations across race/ethnicity, education level, socioeconomic status, and worry about self and loved ones. Notably, Black (p<0.01) and Latino (p<0.05) respondents and those experiencing financial strain (p<0.001) were disproportionately likely to indicate that resource factors would influence their decision to get tested. Desire to reduce transmission and concern about proximity to the infected were reported among those who expressed COVID-19 worries (p<0.001).

Conclusion

Public health efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic must address social, economic, and psychological factors that enable and constrain individual behavior. Increasing access to preventative interventions and technologies, including vaccines, is unlikely to markedly reduce morbidity and mortality without effective messaging and economic support to improve uptake in vulnerable populations.

SUBMITTER: Perry BL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8279331 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 outbreak and consequent physical distance measures implemented worldwide have caused significant stress, anxiety, and mental health implications among the general population. Unemployment, working from home, and day-to-day changes may lead to a greater risk of poor mental health outcomes.ObjectiveThis paper describes the protocol for a web-based cross-sectional study that aims to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.MethodsIndividuals from the general population aged 18 years or more and living in Portugal were included in this study. Data collection took place between November 10, 2020, and February 10, 2021. An exponential, nondiscriminative, snowball sampling method was applied to recruit participants. A web-based survey was developed and shared on social media platforms (eg, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp groups) and through e-mail lists for recruitment of the seeds.ResultsData analysis will be performed in accordance with the different variables and outcomes of interest by using quantitative methods, qualitative methods, or mixed methods, as applicable. A total of 929 individuals had completed the web-based survey during the 3-month period; thus, our final sample comprised 929 participants. Results of the survey will be disseminated in national and international scientific journals in 2021-2022.ConclusionsWe believe that the findings of this study will have broad implications for understanding the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Portuguese residents, as well as aspects related to the informal economy. We also hope that the findings of this study are able to provide insights and guidelines for the Portuguese government to implement action. Finally, we expect this protocol to provide a roadmap for other countries and researchers that would like to implement a similar questionnaire considering the related conclusions.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/28071.