Qu Haiyan, Richardson Carole A, Jani Nirav N, Kromtit Naanlop, Karassi Bayan, Vadakkoot Sherly, Terrell Joseph
School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, US.
Int J Environ Health Res. 2023 Dec;33(12):1568-1579. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2022.2108385. Epub 2022 Aug 18.
This study evaluates the impact of preferred information sources on Medicare beneficiaries' perception of COVID-19 severity compared with flu and examines factors influencing preventive health behaviors using the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) winter 2021. Medicare beneficiaries who primarily relied on traditional news, guidance from government officials, and healthcare providers, beneficiaries who were female, older than 65 years, metro residence, or living in the West were more likely to believe that the COVID-19 is more severe than flu and take vaccine than their counterparts. Compared to White, Black and Hispanic were more likely to agree with COVID-19 severity, but less likely to take vaccine. Factors associated with preventive health behavior utilization included perceived severity of COVID-19, primary information source, gender, race, language, annual income, and chronic health conditions. It is crucial to provide accurate information in lay terms to help people understand the importance of taking preventative actions against COVID-19. .
本研究利用2021年冬季的医疗保险当前受益人调查（MCBS），评估了与流感相比，首选信息来源对医疗保险受益人的新冠肺炎严重程度认知的影响，并研究了影响预防性健康行为的因素。主要依赖传统新闻、政府官员指导和医疗服务提供者的医疗保险受益人，以及女性、65岁以上、居住在大都市或西部的受益人，比其他人更有可能认为新冠肺炎比流感更严重，并接种疫苗。与白人相比，黑人和西班牙裔更有可能认同新冠肺炎的严重程度，但接种疫苗的可能性较小。与预防性健康行为利用相关的因素包括对新冠肺炎严重程度的认知、主要信息来源、性别、种族、语言、年收入和慢性健康状况。用通俗易懂的语言提供准确信息，以帮助人们理解采取预防新冠肺炎行动的重要性至关重要。
