Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Public Health, Yonsei University Graduate School, Seoul, Korea.
Epidemiol Health. 2021;43:e2021085. doi: 10.4178/epih.e2021085. Epub 2021 Oct 19.
Identifying determinants of prevention behaviours during the emergence of a new infectious disease is important. We investigated the associations between information-seeking and prevention behaviours during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and mediating effects of psychiatric factors.
In total, 1,970 participants from the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Etiology Research Center cohort participated in an online survey 55 days after the first COVID-19 case in Korea was diagnosed. Time spent seeking information related to COVID-19; information sources; psychiatric factors, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and the fear of COVID-19; and prevention behaviours were examined. The mediating effect of psychiatric factors was estimated using mediation analysis.
Time spent seeking information and information sources affected several behavioural responses. In men, anxiety mediated associations between information-seeking and prevention behaviours, including purchasing sanitary supplies (effect size [ES], 0.038; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.002 to 0.095) and hoarding (ES, 0.029; 95% CI, 0.002 to 0.068). The fear of COVID-19 also mediated associations between information-seeking and prevention behaviours including refraining from going out (men: ES, 0.034; 95% CI, 0.009 to 0.068; women: ES, 0.052; 95% CI, 0.030 to 0.080), wearing face masks (men: ES, 0.085; 95% CI, 0.031 to 0.184), avoiding public transportation (men: ES, 0.020; 95% CI, 0.000 to 0.044; women: ES, 0.031; 95% CI, 0.015 to 0.051), hoarding (women: ES, 0.051; 95% CI, 0.029 to 0.792), and trying alternative remedies (men: ES, 0.024; 95% CI, 0.004 to 0.053). Depressive symptoms and PTSS did not have any mediating effects.
While the availability of information related to COVID-19 can help prevent infections, it can also promote anxiety and fear, leading to negative behaviours such as hoarding and trying unverified alternative treatments.
识别新发传染病出现时预防行为的决定因素很重要。我们研究了在 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间信息搜索与预防行为之间的关联，并探讨了精神因素的中介作用。
共有 1970 名来自心血管和代谢病因研究中心队列的参与者在韩国首例 COVID-19 病例确诊后 55 天参加了在线调查。调查了与 COVID-19 相关的信息搜索时间、信息来源、包括焦虑、抑郁、创伤后应激症状（PTSS）和对 COVID-19 的恐惧在内的精神因素，以及预防行为。使用中介分析估计精神因素的中介效应。
信息搜索时间和信息来源影响了几种行为反应。在男性中，焦虑症中介了信息搜索与预防行为之间的关联，包括购买卫生用品（效应量 [ES]，0.038；95%置信区间 [CI]，0.002 至 0.095）和囤积（ES，0.029；95%CI，0.002 至 0.068）。对 COVID-19 的恐惧也中介了信息搜索与预防行为之间的关联，包括避免外出（男性：ES，0.034；95%CI，0.009 至 0.068；女性：ES，0.052；95%CI，0.030 至 0.080）、戴口罩（男性：ES，0.085；95%CI，0.031 至 0.184）、避免使用公共交通工具（男性：ES，0.020；95%CI，0.000 至 0.044；女性：ES，0.031；95%CI，0.015 至 0.051）、囤积（女性：ES，0.051；95%CI，0.029 至 0.0792）和尝试替代疗法（男性：ES，0.024；95%CI，0.004 至 0.053）。抑郁症状和创伤后应激症状没有任何中介作用。
虽然与 COVID-19 相关的信息的可获得性有助于预防感染，但它也可能引发焦虑和恐惧，导致囤积和尝试未经证实的替代疗法等负面行为。
