Health Behaviors – Changes over Time and Patterns within Couples. Preventive Behaviors among Elderly during Different Stages of COVID-19 Pandemic

Marta Styrc , SGH Warsaw School of Economics
Martin Piotrowski, University of Oklahoma

During the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the drivers of health behaviors became crucial for public health. Using SHARE data collected during the pandemic, this study investigated how partners influence each other's compliance with preventive guidelines, and how prior behaviors affect future compliance. Compliance was measured through latent class analysis of safety behaviors in 2020 and vaccination status in 2021. Logistic regression was used to analyze how partner compliance affected individual compliance. Both men and women were less compliant if their partners were non-compliant and more compliant if their partners were compliant, in terms of both safety behaviors and vaccination. These effects were similar for both men and women. Individuals who were more compliant in 2020 were also more likely to be vaccinated in 2021, indicating that prior behaviors predict future compliance. These results suggest that individuals who were reluctant to follow guidelines may also be non-compliant with different measures. Negligence at early stages may have long-term consequences, especially if those who are unconvinced are more easily lost. The analyses could not distinguish whether these results represent individual reluctance or a failure of institutions. With future health threats, identifying and targeting reluctant individuals early may increase the efficacy of public action. This study contributes to the understanding of the drivers of health behaviors during the pandemic. Further research should explore the reasons for compliance, including individual attitudes versus institutional factors

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 Presented in Session 18. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health, Wellbeing and Morbidity