The Association of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Risk Perception, County Death Rates, and Voluntary Health Behaviors Among United States Adult Population

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to adversely impact the United States socially, culturally, and economically. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between COVID-19 county death rates, risk perception, and US adults' voluntary behaviors-particularly physical distancing.

Methods: Data were collected from CloudResearch/Qualtrics, Johns Hopkins University, the American Community Survey, and SafeGraph.

Results: Our results indicated that higher COVID-19 county death rates were associated with higher risk perceptions, leading to greater time spent at home.

Conclusions: These findings will help public health officials identify strategies that best encourage voluntary health behaviors to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; death rate; risk perception; time spent at home.