Abstract
Examine COVID-19 knowledge, concerns, behaviors, stress, and sources of information among patients in a safety-net health system in Louisiana. Research assistants surveyed participants via structured telephone interviews from April to October 2020. The data presented in this study were obtained in the pre-vaccine availability period. Of 623 adult participants, 73.5% were female, 54.7% Black, and 44.8% lived in rural small towns; mean age was 48.69. Half (50.5%) had spoken to a healthcare provider about the virus, 25.8% had been tested for COVID-19; 11.4% tested positive. Small town residents were less likely to be tested than those in cities (21.1% vs 29.3%, p = 0.05). Knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms and ways to prevent the disease increased from (87.9% in the spring to 98.9% in the fall, p < 0.001). Participants indicating that the virus had ‘changed their daily routine a lot’ decreased from 56.9% to 39.3% (p < 0.001). The main source of COVID-19 information was TV, which increased over time, 66.1–83.6% (p < 0.001). Use of websites (34.2%) did not increase. Black adults were more likely than white adults (80.7% vs 65.6%, p < 0.001) to rely on TV for COVID-19 information. Participants under 30 were more likely to get COVID-19 information from websites and social media (58.2% and 35.8% respectively). This study provides information related to the understanding of COVID-19 in rural and underserved communities that can guide clinical and public health strategies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 437-445 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Community Health |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2022 |
Funding
Dr. Wolf reports grants from NIH during the conduct of the study, grants from Merck, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and personal fees from Sanofi, Pfizer, and Luto outside the submitted work. Drs. Davis, Arnold, and Horswell report grants from NIH outside the submitted work. Dr. Vanchiere reports clinical research contracts detailed above unrelated to the content of this work. Drs. Davis, Arnold, and Horswell are supported by 2 U54 GM10490, The National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health which funds the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Center. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the office views of the NIH. Dr. Wolf reports grants from the NIH, Merck, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Eli Lilly outside the submitted work. Dr. Vanchiere reports clinical research contracts with Merck, Pfizer, GSK, Enanta, and Biocryst.
Keywords
- COVID-19 behavior
- COVID-19 knowledge
- Disparities
- Sources of information
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health