COVID-19 Sources of Information, Knowledge, and Preventive Behaviors Among the US Adult Population

Abstract

CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in more than 20 million cases and 350 000 deaths in the United States. With the ongoing media coverage and spread of misinformation, public health authorities need to identify effective strategies and create culturally appropriate and evidence-based messaging that best encourage preventive health behaviors to control the spread of COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between COVID-19 sources of information and knowledge, and how US adults' knowledge may be associated with preventive health behaviors to help mitigate COVID-19 cases and deaths. DESIGN AND SETTING: For this cross-sectional study, survey data pertaining to COVID-19 were collected via online platform, Qualtrics, in February and May 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Data responses included 718 US adults from the February survey and 672 US adults from the May survey-both representative of the US adult population. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 knowledge score, COVID-19 reliable sources of information, and adherence to COVID-19 preventive health behaviors. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The main findings showed that disseminating COVID-19 information across various sources, particularly television, health care providers, and health officials, to increase people's COVID-19 knowledge contributes to greater adherence to infection prevention behaviors. Across February and May 2020 survey data, participants 55 years and older and those with higher educational background reported a higher average COVID-19 knowledge score. In addition, among the racial and ethnic categories, Black/African American and Native American/Alaska Native participants reported a lower average COVID-19 knowledge score than white participants-signaling the need to establish COVID-19 communication that is culturally-tailored and community-based. Overall, health care authorities must deliver clear and concise messaging about the importance of adhering to preventive health behaviors, even as COVID-19 vaccines become widely available to the general public. Health officials must also focus on increasing COVID-19 knowledge and dispelling misinformation.

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