Examining Disparities in the Early Adoption of Covid-19 Personal Mitigation Across Family Structures
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2022
Keywords
coronavirus; family; gender; risk; mitigation
Abstract
The United States' response to the COVID-19 pandemic has relied heavily on personal mitigation behaviors versus centralized governmental prevention strategies, especially early in the virus's outbreak. This study examines how family structure shapes mitigation, focusing on the intersectional effects of gender, marital status, and the presence of children while accounting for differences in worry about infection from the virus. Using data from a national survey of 10,368 United States adults early in the pandemic (March 2020), survey-weighted logistic regression models show important differences in the likelihood of personal mitigation adoption across family structures. Unmarried women with children were most likely to report personal mitigation behaviors, including washing hands more frequently and avoiding social gatherings. Our findings highlight the differential impacts of the pandemic on those living in specific family circumstances.
Citation
Harris, C., Fitzpatrick, K., Nino, M., Thelapurath, P., & Drawve, G. (2022). Examining Disparities in the Early Adoption of Covid-19 Personal Mitigation Across Family Structures. AIMS Public Health, 9 (3), 589-605. https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2022041
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
