Examining disparities in the early adoption of Covid-19 personal mitigation across family structures

Casey T. Harris; Kevin Fitzpatrick; Michael Niño; Priya Thelapurath; Grant Drawve; Casey T. Harris; Kevin Fitzpatrick; Michael Niño; Priya Thelapurath; Grant Drawve

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2022041

AIMS Public Health

2022, Volume 9, Issue 3: 589-605. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2022041

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Research article Topical Sections

Examining disparities in the early adoption of Covid-19 personal mitigation across family structures

1.
University of Arkansas, Department of Sociology and Criminology, 211 Old Main, Fayetteville, AR 72701
2.
Harvard University, Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Received: 01 April 2022 Revised: 09 July 2022 Accepted: 13 July 2022 Published: 19 July 2022

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.
- coronavirus,
- family,
- gender,
- risk,
- mitigation
Citation: Casey T. Harris, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Michael Niño, Priya Thelapurath, Grant Drawve. Examining disparities in the early adoption of Covid-19 personal mitigation across family structures[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2022, 9(3): 589-605. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2022041

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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.

Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the National Science Foundation (RAPID #2027148).

Conflict of interest

All authors declare no conflicts of interest in this paper.

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