Abstract
Early information on public health behaviors adopted to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) may be useful in controlling the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. The objective of this study was to assess the role of income level (IL) and the perception of older adults, regarding COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, on adopting stay-at-home preventive behavior during the first week of the outbreak in Mexico. Participants in this cross-sectional study were urban community dwellers, aged ≥ 65 years from Mexico City. A total of 380 interviews were conducted over the phone. The mean respondent age was 72.9 years, and 76.1% were women. Over half (54.2%) of the participants perceived their susceptibility to COVID-19 as very low or low. Similarly, 33.4% perceived COVID-19 severity as being very low or low, and 57.6% had decided to stay at home: this behavior was associated with IL (β = 1.05, p < 0.001), and its total effect was partially mediated (15.1%) by perceived severity. Educational attainment was also associated with staying at home (β = 0.10, p = 0.018) and its total effect was partially mediated (15.0%) by perceived susceptibility. Interventions aimed at low income and less educated older adults should be developed to improve preventive behaviors in this vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) Chinese Office on 31 December 2019
This study aimed to assess how socioeconomic status, as determined by income level (IL), and the perception of susceptibility and severity of COVID-19 by older adults affected their adoption of stay-at-home preventive behavior, at the beginning of the outbreak in Mexico
** 1 (Reference): Reference category for odds ratio calculation; Reference category for each symptom: not mentioning fever a, not mentioning cough b, not mentioning tiredness c, not mentioning breathing difficulties d, not mentioning flue/sore throat e, not mentioning headache f, not mentioning any of the above symptoms g ; * sd = standard deviation, *** IL = Income level, OR = odds ratio, 95% CI = 95% confidence intervals
Summary
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) Chinese Office on 31 December 2019. WHO called an international health emergency on 30 January and requested global collaboration to control the spread of the virus [1]. The epidemic rapidly spread to Asian and European countries. On 26 February 2020, SARS-CoV-2 was introduced to the United States and Latin American countries from China and Europe. Mexico confirmed its first coronavirus (COVID-19) case, a 35-year-old male who had spent time in Italy in the previous weeks [3]. The Mexican Ministry of Health provided standardized guidelines for epidemiological and laboratory surveillance for the detection of COVID-19 cases in early February [4]
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