Factors associated with preventive behaviors for COVID-19 among adolescents in South Korea.
Sunhee Park, Sumi Oh
PMID 34301442WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents who believed COVID-19 could infect them and disrupt school, friends, and family reported more preventive behavior.
Masking was common, distancing was lowest, and intention and perceived control were linked to behavior.
Key findings
01Perceived susceptibility and severity were positively associated with preventive behavior, and the model explained 61.3% of reported behavior.
02Mask-wearing was the highest-scoring preventive behavior (4.53), while distancing was the lowest (2.97).
03Students who had received COVID-19 education had significantly higher preventive behavior scores than those who had not (t=3.095, p<0.01).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that beliefs, education, or intention caused preventive behavior. All participants were second-year middle school students from one school in Jeju, so findings may not apply to other ages, schools, or regions. Preventive behavior was self-reported, not observed, and the questionnaire was developed for this study rather than standardized. The perceived susceptibility measure had low internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.46) and was reduced to a single item, so associations involving it need careful interpretation. The model included individual beliefs and norms but not country or community quarantine measures.
Declared interests
Funding came from the College of Nursing, Jeju National University in 2020. The authors declared no competing financial interests or personal relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a school-nurse education programme will increase preventive behavior. The study was a one-time survey of associations in one school, and no intervention was tested.