Bechard Lauren E, Bergelt Maximilian, Neudorf Bobby, DeSouza Tamara C, Middleton Laura E
Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Front Psychol. 2021 Apr 15;12:609893. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.609893. eCollection 2021.
COVID-19 severity and mortality risk are greater for older adults whereas economic impact is deeper for younger adults. Using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a framework, this study used a web-based survey to examine how perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and severity and perceived efficacy of recommended health behaviors varied by age group and were related to the adoption of health behaviors. Proportional odds logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between age group and perceived COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, impact, and health behavior efficacy and adoption. Structural equation modeling based on HBM constructs examined the relationships between health beliefs and behaviors. Data from 820 participants (Ontario, Canada) were analyzed (age: 42.7, 16.2 years; 79% women). Middle-aged and older adults reported greater concerns about the personal risk of hospitalization and mortality, economic impact, and social impact of COVID-19 than young adults. Middle-aged adults also reported greatest concern for other age groups. Adoption and perceived efficacy of health behaviors was similar across age groups with few exceptions. Both middle-aged and older-adults were more likely to perceive their own and each other's age groups as responding adequately to COVID-19 compared to young adults. Structural equation modeling indicated perceived benefits of health behaviors were the primary driver of behavior uptake, with socioeconomic factors and perceived severity and susceptibility indirectly associated with uptake through their influence on perceived benefits. Overall, these results suggest adoption of health behaviors is very high with few differences between age groups, despite differences in perceived impact of COVID-19. Public health communications should focus on the benefits of health behaviors to drive adoption.
老年人感染新冠病毒后的病情严重程度和死亡风险更高，而年轻人受到的经济影响更大。本研究以健康信念模型（HBM）为框架，通过网络调查来探究不同年龄组对新冠病毒易感性和严重程度的认知，以及对推荐健康行为有效性的认知如何变化，这些认知又与健康行为的采纳有何关联。采用比例优势逻辑回归分析来研究年龄组与对新冠病毒易感性、严重程度、影响以及健康行为有效性和采纳之间的关系。基于健康信念模型构建的结构方程模型检验了健康信念与行为之间的关系。对来自820名参与者（加拿大安大略省）的数据进行了分析（年龄：42.7岁，标准差16.2岁；79%为女性）。中年人和老年人比年轻人更担心感染新冠病毒后住院和死亡的个人风险、经济影响以及社会影响。中年人对其他年龄组的担忧也最为强烈。各年龄组健康行为的采纳情况和感知有效性总体相似，仅有少数例外。与年轻人相比，中年人和老年人更倾向于认为自己和其他年龄组对新冠病毒的应对足够充分。结构方程模型表明，健康行为的感知益处是行为采纳的主要驱动因素，社会经济因素以及感知到的严重程度和易感性通过对感知益处的影响间接与行为采纳相关。总体而言，这些结果表明，尽管不同年龄组对新冠病毒影响的认知存在差异，但健康行为的采纳率很高，且年龄组之间差异不大。公共卫生宣传应侧重于健康行为的益处，以推动行为采纳。
