Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2021 Jan 18;76(2):e17-e23. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa068.
The case fatality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is higher among older adults than younger adults and is also higher among men than women. However, worry, which is a key motivator of behavioral health changes, occurs less frequently for older than younger adults, and less frequently for men than women. Building on this, we tested whether older adults-and particularly older men-would report the least amount of COVID-19 worry and also fewer COVID-19 behavior changes.
From March 23-31, 2020, we administered an online questionnaire assessing COVID-19 perceptions, worries, and behavior changes. Participants were a convenience sample of U.S. residents, who were community-dwelling younger adults (18-35) or older adults (65-81). Analyses included 146 younger adults (68 men, 78 women) and 156 older adults (82 men, 74 women). Participants were predominately white, living in suburban/urban areas, and had completed some college.
During the early phase of the outbreak in the United States, older adults perceived the risks of COVID-19 to be higher than did younger adults. Despite this, older men were comparatively less worried about COVID-19 than their younger counterparts. Compared with the other participants, older men had also implemented the fewest behavior changes.
Interventions are needed to increase COVID-19 behavior changes in older men. These results also highlight the importance of understanding emotional responses to COVID-19, as these are predictive of their behavioral responses.
与年轻人相比，老年人感染 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的病死率更高，男性的病死率也高于女性。然而，担忧是促进行为健康改变的关键因素，老年人的担忧频率比年轻人低，男性的担忧频率比女性低。在此基础上，我们测试了老年人，尤其是老年男性，是否报告的 COVID-19 担忧最少，COVID-19 行为改变也最少。
从 2020 年 3 月 23 日至 31 日，我们进行了一项在线问卷调查，评估 COVID-19 的认知、担忧和行为变化。参与者为美国居民的便利样本，包括年轻成年人（18-35 岁）和老年人（65-81 岁）。分析包括 146 名年轻成年人（68 名男性，78 名女性）和 156 名老年成年人（82 名男性，74 名女性）。参与者主要是白人，居住在郊区/城市地区，并且完成了一些大学学业。
在美国疫情爆发的早期阶段，老年人认为 COVID-19 的风险高于年轻人。尽管如此，老年男性对 COVID-19 的担忧却比年轻男性相对较低。与其他参与者相比，老年男性采取的行为改变也最少。
需要采取干预措施来增加老年男性对 COVID-19 的行为改变。这些结果还强调了了解对 COVID-19 的情绪反应的重要性，因为这些反应可预测其行为反应。
