Abstract
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented extraordinary challenges that have tested the resolve of the world and transformed our daily lives. We sought to capture COVID-related attitudes and behaviors of older adults and relate these to views of adolescents from a national study in the USA. Methods: This mixed-methods online survey accepted responses from adult volunteers, age 55+, from April to July 2020 (N = 223). We used a snowball approach to recruitment initiated in the state of Maine (USA). Results: Older respondents tended to report congruent attitudes concerning COVID-19 risks and associated preventative behaviors. Most reported taking Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance seriously. In contrast, adolescents surveyed in a prior study reported similar adherence, but less concern. Thematic review of open-ended responses highlights key intergenerational similarities and differences. Discussion: COVID-19 has changed day-to-day life in myriad ways. Attitudes vary within and between age groups. Further research could focus on intergenerational differences in motivations underlying behaviors as well as differing needs for public health education and support.
Highlights
We developed additional hypotheses about older adults during data collection largely driven by the work of Perrotta et al [4]: 1) Women tend to view COVID-19 as a more serious threat than men; 2) Those who downplay the seriousness of COVID-19 report engaging in fewer preventative health behaviors; 3) Those who view themselves as more conscientious practice more preventative health behaviors; 4) Those who view the pandemic as more serious tend to have more fear concerning the virus; 5) Those who have a higher level of fear about the virus tend to practice more preventative health behaviors
About one-third were working at the beginning of the pandemic, and only 23% of these working respondents reported that their work status continued unchanged
One of the participants had reported being diagnosed with COVID-19, seven reported having contracted the virus, and 29 thought they may have had it
Summary
The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to characterize, and compare, attitudes and behaviors of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a sample of convenience. Our hope was that we could recruit hundreds of respondents. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University of New England (UNE, # IRB 041720-03). We asked for an expedited IRB review due to the time sensitive nature of our research. Respondents were recruited, initially, through the Legacy Scholars Program (N = 500), adults age 55+ years who support research and participate in a lifelong learning community associated with the UNE Center for Excellence in Aging and Health. We recruited through email and word of mouth, resulting in “snowball” recruitment of older adults primarily in the northeast region of the USA
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