Factors Associated with COVID-19 Mitigation Behavior among US Adults

Lemke, D.; Lemke, K.

In January 2020, the US declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency and subsequently the CDC issued guidelines for personal mitigation behavior, such as mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social-distancing. We examine individual socio-economic factors that potentially predict mitigation compliance using public data. We hypothesize that health risk factors, presence of symptoms, and psychological wellbeing predict mitigation behavior. Understanding what factors are associated with mitigation behavior will be important for policy makers in their efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic prompted strong mitigation behavior by adults, especially among females, non-whites, urban dwellers, and the psychological unwell. Other positive predictors were post-secondary education and higher income. Health symptoms and clinical risk factors did not predict increased mitigation practices, nor did age 65+ and proximity to infected persons. Our study findings are congruent with a report that pointed to a lack of increased pandemic mitigation practices in households with confirmed infections and health risks. Our results also point to lower levels of psychological resilience, lower socio-economic status, and non-urban location as potential explanatory factors for lack of mitigation behavior.