Background: The current study explores how characteristics of individuals, their communities, and their relative exposure to nearby Covid-19 cases are associated with specific fears or perceived threat/risk of the virus itself during the early stages of the pandemic in March 2020. Aims: Drawing from research emphasizing the intersectional relationships between individual social vulnerabilities, community characteristics, and Covid-19 outbreak locales, we test several hypotheses predicting fear. Method: Using data from a large-scale survey of 10,368 U.S. adults from March 2020, we construct a series of hierarchical linear and logistic regression models that nest individuals within their residential counties in order to account for key socio-demographic characteristics of individuals, communities, and each respondent’s geographic proximity to Covid-19 cases. Results: Results show that individual fear and perceived risk to oneself and family is predicted by individual social vulnerabilities, the type of community in which respondents live, and the relative presence of the virus in nearby places. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of understanding fear, particularly as a possible mediator for both mental and physical health outcomes. Likewise, we emphasize ongoing efforts aimed at understanding how different groups and communities respond to fear and/or concern over Covid-19 as the pandemic remains ongoing.
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Place Still Matters: Social Vulnerabilities, Place-Level Disadvantage, and Food Insecurity during COVID-19
COVID-19 variants continue to create public health danger impacting mortality and morbidity across the United States. The spillover effects of COVID-19 on the economy and social institutions pose a significant threat to broader wellbeing, including the food security of millions across the country. We aim to explore whether the context of place matters above and beyond individual and social vulnerabilities for food insecurity. To do so, we employ a multi-level framework using data from a survey of over 10,000 U.S. adults from March 2020 with American Community Survey (ACS) and John Hopkins COVID Dashboard county-level data. We find nearly two in five respondents were food insecure by March of 2020 with disparities across race, nativity, the presence of children in the home, unemployment, and age. Furthermore, we note that individuals living in more disadvantaged communities were more likely to report food insecurity above and beyond individual and social vulnerabilities. Overall, food insecurity is driven by complex, multi-level dynamics that remain a pressing public health concern for the current—but also future—public health crisis.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2027148
- PAR ID:
- 10417737
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nutrients
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 2072-6643
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1430
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Objective The current paper examines the intersection between social vulnerability, individual risk, and social/psychological resources with adult suicidality during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Method Data come from a national sample (
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061430
