Do Attitudes, Mental Health Status, and Interpersonal Factors Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy at the Early Phase of the Pandemic? A Longitudinal Study in Chinese College Students

Purpose

The present study examined whether and how attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., safety, efficacy, and price), mental health statuses (i.e., perceived stress and depression), and interpersonal factors (i.e., online social support, perceived social support) would predict COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Patients and methods

The two-wave longitudinal surveys were conducted in December 2019 and 2020 in Chinese medical college students (N = 194). Well- validated measures were used, including the Perceived Stress Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Online Social Support Questionnaire, and the Perceived Social Support Scale. Perceived safety, efficacy, price of COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine hesitancy, and actual intake were also measured.

Results

Only 2.1% of participants had been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic; 13.4% intended to get vaccinated in the next 3 months, and 66% intended to have it in the next 12 months upon follow-up. Multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived stress (βm = -0.15, p < 0.05) and depression (βm = -0.15, p < 0.05) were risk factors for positive attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine; online social support (ORm = 1.41, p < 0.01) and positive attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine (ORm = 1.83, p < 0.01) were protective factors of intention to get vaccinated in future.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that intervention efforts should be made to reduce negative attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine among people with poor mental health and enhance online social support to promote COVID-19 vaccination.

Social support, perceived risk and the likelihood of COVID-19 testing and vaccination: cross-sectional data from the United Kingdom

Two samples of 227 and 214 adults completed surveys of social support, perceived risk of COVID-19 and COVID-19 preventive activity - in Study 1 likelihood of testing was examined and in Study 2 likelihood of both testing and vaccination were examined during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Path analysis showed, in Study 1, that access to help (as an indicator of social support) had a direct effect on likelihood of testing and indirect effects through self-efficacy, perceived risk and preventive behavior; and, in Study 2, that neighborhood identification (as an indicator of social support) had a direct effect on likelihood of testing and indirect effects on likelihood of both testing and vaccination through the mediators of strength of social network, loneliness, perceived risk of COVID-19, and preventive activity. Both studies suggest that level of social support (conceptualized in different ways) is an important determinant of COVID-19 testing and Study 2 shows it is also a determinant of likelihood of vaccination. As resurgences of COVID-19 occur, it will be necessary to monitor the likelihood of COVID-19 testing and vaccination behaviors and, especially, to promote confidence in the latter in individuals with decreased access to social support.

Camine Con Nosotros: Connecting Theory and Practice for Promoting Physical Activity among Hispanic Women

Despite the popularity and widespread use of theory in health education, practitioners still find it difficult to design and implement theory-based interventions. This is especially true when working with ethnic/racial minority groups, including Hispanic groups. Practitioners working with Hispanic communities face additional barriers that may often discourage them from using theories when planning interventions. These barriers include the diversity that exists within the Hispanic population, lack of reliable data, and issues related to cross-cultural applicability of current behavior theories. However, the use of theory constitutes a valuable tool for developing more effective programs, and theorist researchers should be more sensitive to practitioners’ needs. By explaining the processes for selecting and applying theory in the same detail as outcome results, researchers will contribute to increasing practitioners’ interest in theory. This article describes Camine con Nosotros, a theory-based physical activity program for Hispanic women, and explains the process of selecting the theoretical framework of the program and connecting theory and practice.

Perceptions of traditional information sources and use of the world wide web to seek health information: findings from the health information national trends survey

As medical information becomes increasingly available and individuals take a more active role in managing their personal health, it is essential for scholars to better understand the general public's information-seeking behavior. The study reported here explores the use of the World Wide Web to seek health information in a contemporary information-media environment. Drawing from uses and gratifications theory and the comprehensive model of health information seeking, perceptions of traditional information sources (e.g., mass media, one's health care provider, etc.) are posited to predict use of the Web to seek health information and perceptions of information acquired from searches. Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS; N = 3982) were analyzed to test study hypotheses. Trust in information-oriented media, entertainment-oriented media, and one's health care provider all predicted Web use behavior and perceptions. The implications of the findings for research on information seeking and the role of the Web in patient empowerment are discussed.

Social capital and health: civic engagement, community size, and recall of health messages

OBJECTIVES

We explored the effects of community integration and pluralism on recall of cardiovascular disease health information messages.

METHODS

With 1980-1983 data from the Minnesota Heart Health Program, we examined whether ties to community groups were associated with recall of health messages, and whether this relation was modified by size and degree of differentiation of the community.

RESULTS

A higher level of civic engagement through ties to community groups was associated with better recall of health messages. Ties to community groups independently contributed to better message recall even after control for gender, education, and other variables. The moderating role of community size was non-significant but intriguing.

CONCLUSIONS

Community group membership could increase exposure to health messages, providing a critical pathway for social capital to influence health promotion and, thus, public health outcomes.

Health and the information nonseeker: a profile

Despite increased information-seeking by the public, a significant percentage of those diagnosed with a serious disease such as cancer report that they do not seek or receive health information beyond that given by health care providers. This study attempts to profile these nonseekers and study possible determinants of nonseeking behaviors. Data come from the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey, a national survey of American adults conducted by the National Cancer Institute ( N = 6,133; Nelson et al., 2004). Individuals were categorized as nonseekers or seekers and then further classified based on cancer history to yield 4 groups: nonseeker patients, the nonseeker public, seeker patients, and the seeker public. Compared to other groups, nonseeker patients came from the lowest income and education groups, and scored lower on attention to health in the media and trust in mass media health information. Nonseekers also scored lower on preventative health behaviors.

The relation of communication to risk judgment and preventive behavior related to lead in tap water

More and more communities are becoming concerned about health risks posed by lead and other health hazards in their drinking water. Our study, applying the model of innovation diffusion to the adoption of preventive health behaviors, found that reliance on health professionals for information about lead in tap water was associated with residents perceiving risk from this hazard, their sense of efficacy in dealing with it, and their adoption of preventive behaviors. Mass media and pamphlets mailed directly to residents were relatively ineffective. Results suggest that interpersonal channels may be the best way to reach individuals who live in areas of highest risk from tap water lead.

What can you teach about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in 30 seconds? Evaluation of a television campaign

This study evaluated an 8-month media campaign, implemented in western Washington, to educate people on the basic steps of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for cardiac arrest. A telephone survey was conducted with a total of 384 adults randomly selected from two towns, one that had been exposed to the campaign (intervention town) and one that had not been exposed to the campaign (comparison town). Results showed that respondents in the intervention town were more likely than respondents in the comparison town to report (a) having heard messages on CPR in the past month, (b) having seen the CPR media campaign, and (c) knowing the three basic steps of CPR. Respondents who had seen the campaign evaluated it very favorably. There were no differences between respondent groups in self-reported CPR training or intentions to perform CPR, suggesting that the campaign had a greater impact on knowledge and awareness than on intentions and behavior.