Would Older Adults Perform Preventive Practices in the Post-COVID-19 Era? A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Survey in China

Meijun Chen, Xiaoqi Wang, Qingping Yun, Yuting Lin, Qingqing Wu, Qinghua Yang, Dezhi Wan, Dan Tian and Chun Chang
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Meijun Chen: School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Xiaoqi Wang: National Immunization Program, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China
Qingping Yun: School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Yuting Lin: School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Qingqing Wu: Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310006, China
Qinghua Yang: Provincial Health Education Center, Chongqing 401120, China
Dezhi Wan: Provincial Patriotic Health and Health Promotion Center, Nanchang 330006, China
Dan Tian: Provincial Health Service Center, Shenyang 110005, China
Chun Chang: School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: During the post-COVID-19 era, preventive practices, such as washing hands and wearing a mask, remain key measures for controlling the spread of infection for older adults. This study investigated the status of preventive practices among older adults and identified the related influencing factors. Participants who were ?60 years old were recruited nationwide. Data were collected through self-designed questionnaires, including demographic variables, knowledge, perceived vulnerability, response efficacy, anxiety and preventive practices. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were performed. Hierarchical logistic regression was conducted to determine the predictors. A total of 2996 participants completed this study. Of them, 2358 (78.7%) participants reported washing hands regularly in the last two weeks, and 1699 (56.7%) always wore masks outside this year. Knowledge (hand washing: OR = 1.09, p < 0.01; mask wearing: OR = 1.17, p < 0.01) and response efficacy (hand washing: OR = 1.61, p < 0.01; mask wearing: OR = 1.70, p < 0.01) were positively associated with preventive practices, whereas perceived vulnerability had a negative effect (hand washing: OR = 0.54, p < 0.01; mask wearing: OR = 0.72, p < 0.01). Knowledge, response efficacy and perceived vulnerability were found to be significant predictors of the preventive practice among older adults in the post-COVID-19 era. This study provides new insights into preventive suggestions after the peak of the pandemic and also has significant implications in improving the life quality of older adults.

Keywords: older adults; post-COVID-19 era; preventive practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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