The impact of health risk communication on self-perceived health and worry of targeted groups: Lessons from the Swedish COVID-19 response.

The impact of health risk communication on self-perceived health and worry of targeted groups: Lessons from the Swedish COVID-19 response.

Publication date: Jan 17, 2025

The Swedish COVID-19 strategy aimed to protect vulnerable groups through targeted measures, categorizing individuals aged 70 and above as high-risk. This study examines the impact of such group-based risk assessments on subjective health and virus-related concerns among older adults. We analyzed survey data from the SOM Institute for 68- to 71-year-olds in 2019 (N = 684) and 2020 (N = 726). Using ordered logit regression, we compared perceived health and virus-related concerns between individuals just below (68-69 years) and just above (70-71 years) the high-risk age threshold, controlling for demographic factors. In 2020, 70-year-olds reported significantly lower perceived health compared to their 69-year-old peers, a difference not observed in 2019. Furthermore, 70-year-olds exhibited significantly higher virus-related concerns than their slightly younger counterparts. These patterns persisted when expanding the analysis to include individuals aged 68 and 71. Our findings suggest that the Swedish COVID-19 strategy, while aimed at protecting individuals aged 70 and over, may have inadvertently increased perceived vulnerability and health concerns within this group. Conversely, those just below the high-risk age threshold reported better health and lower virus-related concerns, highlighting potential unintended psychological consequences of age-based risk communication.

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Concepts Keywords
Demographic Aged
Old Anxiety
Swedish COVID-19
Virus Female
Health Communication
Health Status
Humans
Male
Risk Assessment
SARS-CoV-2
Self Concept
Surveys and Questionnaires
Sweden

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease MESH COVID-19
drug DRUGBANK Tropicamide
drug DRUGBANK Cysteamine
drug DRUGBANK Fenamole
pathway REACTOME Reproduction
disease MESH infection
drug DRUGBANK Indoleacetic acid
disease IDO role
disease MESH anxiety
disease IDO quality
disease MESH general health
disease MESH marital status
drug DRUGBANK L-Valine
drug DRUGBANK Coenzyme M
drug DRUGBANK Ranitidine

Original Article

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