Journal article
Cognitive factors influenced physical distancing adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic in a population-specific way
PloS one, Vol.17(5), pp.e0267261-e0267261
05/03/2022
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267261
PMCID: PMC9064111
PMID: 35503754
Abstract
Even early in the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to physical distancing measures was variable, exposing some communities to elevated risk. While cognitive factors from the Health Belief Model (HBM) and resilience correlate with compliance with physical distancing, external conditions may preclude full compliance with physical distancing guidelines. Our objective was to identify HBM and resilience constructs that could be used to improve adherence to physical distancing even when full compliance is not possible. We examined adherence as expressed through 7-day non-work, non-household contact rates in two cohorts: 1) adults in households with children from Minnesota and Iowa; and 2) adults ≥50 years-old from Minnesota, one-third of whom had Parkinson's disease. We identified multiple cognitive factors associated with physical distancing adherence, specifically perceived severity, benefits, self-efficacy, and barriers. However, the magnitude, and occasionally the direction, of these associations was population-dependent. In Cohort 1, perceived self-efficacy for remaining 6-feet from others was associated with a 29% lower contact rate (RR 0.71; 95% CI 0.65, 0.77). This finding was consistent across all race/ethnicity and income groups we examined. The barriers to adherence of having a child in childcare and having financial concerns had the largest effects among individuals from marginalized racial and ethnic groups and high-income households. In Cohort 2, self-efficacy to quarantine/isolate was associated with a 23% decrease in contacts (RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.66, 0.89), but upon stratification by education level, the association was only present for those with at least a Bachelor's degree. Education also modified the effect of the barrier to adherence leaving home for work, increasing contacts among those with a Bachelor's degree and reducing contacts among those without. Our findings suggest that public health messaging tailored to the identified cognitive factors has the potential to improve physical distancing adherence, but population-specific needs must be considered to maximize effectiveness.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Cognitive factors influenced physical distancing adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic in a population-specific way
- Creators
- Gillian A M Tarr - University of MinnesotaKeeley J Morris - University of MinnesotaAlyson B Harding - University of MinnesotaSamuel Jacobs - University of MinnesotaM Kumi Smith - University of MinnesotaTimothy R Church - University of MinnesotaJesse D Berman - University of MinnesotaAustin Rau - University of MinnesotaSato Ashida - University of IowaMarizen R Ramirez - University of Minnesota
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- PloS one, Vol.17(5), pp.e0267261-e0267261
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0267261
- PMID
- 35503754
- PMCID
- PMC9064111
- NLM abbreviation
- PLoS One
- eISSN
- 1932-6203
- Grant note
- name: University of Minnesota OACA, award: COVID-19 Rapid Response Research Grant; name: University of Minnesota Informatics Institute, award: MnDRIVE Updraft Grant; DOI: 10.13039/100000071, name: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award: P2C HD041023; DOI: 10.13039/100006108, name: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, award: UL1TR002494 (REDCap usage)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/03/2022
- Academic Unit
- Occupational and Environmental Health; Injury Prevention Research Center; Public Policy Center (Archive); Community and Behavioral Health
- Record Identifier
- 9984253257902771
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