Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Self-reported health behaviors and risk perceptions following the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in the USA: an online survey study.

Thorpe A, Fagerlin A, Drews FA, Shoemaker H, Scherer LD. Self-reported health behaviors and risk perceptions following the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in the USA: an online survey study. Public Health. 2022 Jul 1; 208:68-71.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: Concerns have been raised that mass vaccination campaigns might lead to reduced engagement with other recommended health behaviors. We assessed self-reported behaviors and risk perceptions following the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the USA. STUDY DESIGN: Between December 2, 2020, and March 23, 2021, we conducted three online survey studies with US adult respondents. METHODS: Respondents self-reported their COVID-19 vaccination status, their frequency of engaging in risk-increasing behaviors and wearing a mask when in public places, and their COVID-19 risk perceptions (i.e., perceived likelihood of getting COVID-19 and of being hospitalized if they got COVID-19). RESULTS: Our analytical sample included 832 respondents who had completed the first and final surveys and had received either 0 or 2 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Most respondents were non-Hispanic White (75%), male (77%), and US Veterans (64%), with the median age between 55 and 74 years. Overall, respondents reported frequently wearing masks when in public and rarely engaging in risk-increasing behaviors. Regardless of vaccination status, respondents reported more frequently engaging in risk-increasing behaviors and lower risk perceptions in March 2021 than in December 2020. Mask wearing did not change over the study period, with vaccinated respondents consistently reporting more frequent mask wearing than unvaccinated respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings indicate that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the USA did not result in the rapid abandonment of protective behaviors or dramatic uptake of risk-increasing behaviors. Additional studies are needed to monitor how mass vaccination might impact public behaviors and risk perceptions as coverage widens.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.