tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Medicine (Baltimore)
. 2022 Jun 17;101(24):e29376.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000029376.
Trajectories of perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 over a year: The COVID-19 & chronic conditions (C3) cohort study
Lauren A Opsasnick[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Laura M Curtis[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mary J Kwasny[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Rachel O'Conor[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Guisselle A Wismer[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Julia Yoshino Benavente[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Rebecca M Lovett[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Morgan R Eifler[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Andrea M Zuleta[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Stacy Cooper Bailey[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Michael S Wolf[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The U.S. public health response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been widely criticized as having downplayed the potential implications COVID-19 could have on one's personal health. Despite the unprecedented threat of COVID-19, many individuals still believed that it was not at all likely that they would become infected. We sought to investigate trends in adults' perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 over the first year of the pandemic, whether distinct trajectories emerged, and if these trajectories differed by participant socio-demographic characteristics.This was a longitudinal cohort study with 5 time points of data collection (March 13, 2020-March 3, 2021). Subjects included 627 adults living with ≥1 chronic conditions, who completed a baseline interview and at least one follow-up interview. In addition to collecting relevant socio-demographic characteristics, participants' perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 across time was assessed and classified into distinct trajectories.Nearly two-thirds (62.2%) of participants perceived themselves to be highly susceptible to COVID-19 from the onset of the pandemic ("early responders") and sustained this over a year, a third (29.0%) eventually perceived themselves to be highly susceptible ("late responders"), and 8.8% maintained a low likelihood of susceptibility throughout the pandemic ("non-responders"). In multivariable analyses, compared to White participants, Latinx participants were significantly more likely to be non-responders and report low likelihood of perceived susceptibility (Risk Ratio [RR]: 3.46; 95% confidence interval: 1.19, 10.1), as were Black participants (RR: 5.49; 95% confidence interval: 2.19, 13.8).A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 out of 11 participants persistently did not think they might be susceptible and potentially infected. Future studies are needed to understand reasons why certain individuals, particularly those of racial/ethnic minorities, did not perceive themselves at risk for infection.
. 2022 Jun 17;101(24):e29376.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000029376.
Trajectories of perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 over a year: The COVID-19 & chronic conditions (C3) cohort study
Lauren A Opsasnick[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Laura M Curtis[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mary J Kwasny[SUP] 2 4 [/SUP], Rachel O'Conor[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Guisselle A Wismer[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Julia Yoshino Benavente[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Rebecca M Lovett[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Morgan R Eifler[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Andrea M Zuleta[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Stacy Cooper Bailey[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Michael S Wolf[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35713441
- DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000029376
Abstract
The U.S. public health response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been widely criticized as having downplayed the potential implications COVID-19 could have on one's personal health. Despite the unprecedented threat of COVID-19, many individuals still believed that it was not at all likely that they would become infected. We sought to investigate trends in adults' perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 over the first year of the pandemic, whether distinct trajectories emerged, and if these trajectories differed by participant socio-demographic characteristics.This was a longitudinal cohort study with 5 time points of data collection (March 13, 2020-March 3, 2021). Subjects included 627 adults living with ≥1 chronic conditions, who completed a baseline interview and at least one follow-up interview. In addition to collecting relevant socio-demographic characteristics, participants' perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 across time was assessed and classified into distinct trajectories.Nearly two-thirds (62.2%) of participants perceived themselves to be highly susceptible to COVID-19 from the onset of the pandemic ("early responders") and sustained this over a year, a third (29.0%) eventually perceived themselves to be highly susceptible ("late responders"), and 8.8% maintained a low likelihood of susceptibility throughout the pandemic ("non-responders"). In multivariable analyses, compared to White participants, Latinx participants were significantly more likely to be non-responders and report low likelihood of perceived susceptibility (Risk Ratio [RR]: 3.46; 95% confidence interval: 1.19, 10.1), as were Black participants (RR: 5.49; 95% confidence interval: 2.19, 13.8).A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 out of 11 participants persistently did not think they might be susceptible and potentially infected. Future studies are needed to understand reasons why certain individuals, particularly those of racial/ethnic minorities, did not perceive themselves at risk for infection.