April 1, 2021

Association Between Risk Factors for Complications From COVID-19, Perceived Chances of Infection and Complications, and Protective Behavior in the US

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

Keywords (Tags): non-pharm interventions, risk factors

• US adults with more medical risk factors associated with COVID-19 adverse outcomes perceived they had a higher chance of hospitalization or death if they were infected compared to those without risk factors in a nationally representative cross-sectional study conducted from November to December 2020 (n=5,910). Respondents with 3 or more medical risk factors perceived a 42% chance of hospitalization if infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared to an 18% perceived chance among those without medical risk factors. Perceived chance of hospitalization ranged from 24% among those with high blood pressure to 40% among those with chronic lung disease. Fewer potentially higher risk activities were also undertaken by adults with 3 or more risk factors. Most respondents did not consistently wear masks according to risk of infection. Mask-wearing across risk factor groups was similar except when visiting a grocery store or pharmacy, where mask wearing was more common among those with 3 or more medical risk factors.

Schoeni et al. (Mar 31, 2021). Association Between Risk Factors for Complications From COVID-19, Perceived Chances of Infection and Complications, and Protective Behavior in the US. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.3984