TY - JOUR
T1 - We are all in this together
T2 - Rurality, Social cohesion, and COVID-19 prevention behaviors
AU - Sood, Radhika
AU - Entenman, Juliette
AU - Kitt-Lewis, Erin
AU - Lennon, Robert P.
AU - Pinto, Casey N.
AU - Moss, Jennifer L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. The Journal of Rural Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Rural Health Association.
PY - 2024/1/1
Y1 - 2024/1/1
N2 - Background: Social cohesion refers to an individual's sense of belonging to their community and correlates with health outcomes. Rural communities tend to have higher social cohesion than urban communities. Social cohesion is relatively understudied as a factor impacting COVID-19 prevention behaviors. This study explores the associations between social cohesion, rurality, and COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Methods: Participants completed a questionnaire assessing rurality; social cohesion (subscales of (1) attraction to neighborhood, (2) acts of neighboring, and (3) sense of community); COVID-19 behaviors; and demographics. Chi-square tests were used to characterize participant demographics and COVID-19 behaviors. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and rurality, social cohesion, and demographics. Results: Most participants (n = 2,926) were non-Hispanic White (78.2%) and married (60.4%); 36.9% were rural. Rural participants were less likely than urban participants to practice social distancing (78.7% vs 90.6%, P<.001) or stay home when sick (87.7% vs 93.5%, P<.001). Social distancing was more common among participants with higher “attraction to neighborhood” scores (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.26-3.47) but was less common among participants with higher “acts of neighboring” scores (aOR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.40-0.88). Staying home when sick was also more common among participants with higher scores on “attraction to neighborhood” (aOR = 2.12; 95% CI = 1.15-3.91), and less common among participants with higher scores on “acts of neighboring” (aOR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.33-0.86). Conclusions: Efforts to maximize COVID-19 behavioral prevention, particularly among rural communities, should emphasize the importance of protecting the health of one's neighbors and how to support one's neighbors without face-to-face interactions.
AB - Background: Social cohesion refers to an individual's sense of belonging to their community and correlates with health outcomes. Rural communities tend to have higher social cohesion than urban communities. Social cohesion is relatively understudied as a factor impacting COVID-19 prevention behaviors. This study explores the associations between social cohesion, rurality, and COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Methods: Participants completed a questionnaire assessing rurality; social cohesion (subscales of (1) attraction to neighborhood, (2) acts of neighboring, and (3) sense of community); COVID-19 behaviors; and demographics. Chi-square tests were used to characterize participant demographics and COVID-19 behaviors. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and rurality, social cohesion, and demographics. Results: Most participants (n = 2,926) were non-Hispanic White (78.2%) and married (60.4%); 36.9% were rural. Rural participants were less likely than urban participants to practice social distancing (78.7% vs 90.6%, P<.001) or stay home when sick (87.7% vs 93.5%, P<.001). Social distancing was more common among participants with higher “attraction to neighborhood” scores (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.26-3.47) but was less common among participants with higher “acts of neighboring” scores (aOR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.40-0.88). Staying home when sick was also more common among participants with higher scores on “attraction to neighborhood” (aOR = 2.12; 95% CI = 1.15-3.91), and less common among participants with higher scores on “acts of neighboring” (aOR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.33-0.86). Conclusions: Efforts to maximize COVID-19 behavioral prevention, particularly among rural communities, should emphasize the importance of protecting the health of one's neighbors and how to support one's neighbors without face-to-face interactions.
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U2 - 10.1111/jrh.12781
DO - 10.1111/jrh.12781
M3 - Article
C2 - 37430390
AN - SCOPUS:85164722329
SN - 0890-765X
VL - 40
SP - 154
EP - 161
JO - Journal of Rural Health
JF - Journal of Rural Health
IS - 1
ER -
