Love thy Aged? A State-Level Analysis of Religiosity and Mobility in Aging Populations During the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

The Role of Country-Level Availability and Generosity of Healthcare Services, and Old-Age Ageism for Missed Healthcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic Control Measures in Europe

Objectives: The effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on non-COVID-19-related healthcare need further investigation. Methods: Using the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe's COVID-19 module (2020) (N = 57,025), country-level data from the European Social Survey (2008) and OECD (2020), and logistic regressions, this study examines predictors of older Europeans' forgone, postponed, and denied healthcare during the pandemic. Results: Country-level availability of physicians, healthcare systems' generosity, and beliefs that older persons burden healthcare systems all increased forgone healthcare. Healthcare system generosity increased postponed and denied healthcare. Greater medical resources decreased denied healthcare. Furthermore, missed healthcare varied by individual-level gender (higher rates among women), age, education, and health. Discussion: This study reveals predictors of missed healthcare during the pandemic. To decrease unintended health consequences of a pandemic, both individual-level determinants, such as gender and health, and contextual-level determinants, such as healthcare systems' characteristics, should be considered in research and practice.

Rituals of Contagion in Closed Religious Communities: A Case Study of Amish and Mennonite Communities in the USA During the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, government and medical guidelines emphasized social distancing to limit exposure. These guidelines significantly impacted closed religious communities, particularly those opposed to modern technologies, such as Amish and Mennonite communities. How did these religious communities respond to COVID-19 policies in the USA? We draw data from Ohio and Pennsylvania scribe entries published in an Amish/Mennonite correspondence newspaper. While some of these communities altered church rituals to comply with government directives, others maintained communal worship without disruption. Mennonite communities were more likely to conform to guidelines.

Conservatism and infrequent mask usage: A study of US counties during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

OBJECTIVE

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eventually recommended wearing masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the practice has been unevenly distributed in the United States.

METHODS

In this article, we model county-level infrequent mask usage as a function of three pillars of conservatism: (1) Republican political leadership (percentage of votes for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election), (2) conservative Protestantism (percentage evangelical Christian), and (3) right-wing media consumption (Google searches for Fox News).

RESULTS

Our analyses indicate that mask usage tends to be lower in counties with greater support for President Trump (in majority Trump counties), counties with more evangelical Christians, and areas with greater interest in Fox News.

CONCLUSION

Given the effectiveness of masks in limiting the transmission of respiratory droplets, conservative ideological resistance to public health and recommended pandemic lifestyles may indirectly support the spread of the coronavirus.

Validation of the COVID-19 Disbelief Scale: Conditional indirect effects of religiosity and COVID-19 fear on intent to vaccinate

The COVID-19 pandemic uprooted economies, infected millions, and altered behaviors. Yet, the invisible nature of the disease, paralleled symptoms to the common flu, and misinformation generated COVID-19 disbelief. Many believed COVID-19 was a hoax. Many believed case numbers were fabricated. Others claimed it was a ruse for sociopolitical reasons. The construction of the 8-item COVID-19 Disbelief Scale (CDS) measures the false belief COVID-19 was not real and life-threatening. The CDS demonstrated discriminant validity and robust reliability across two studies. Predictive analysis evinced COVID-19 disbelievers feared COVID-19 less and had lower intent to get vaccinated. In the U.S., certain religious organizations spread misinformation. Religiosity associated with greater COVID-19 disbelief. Among disbelievers, conditional indirect effects of religiosity associated with greater COVID-19 fear and higher intent to get vaccinated. The moderated mediation model validated utility of the CDS as a concise instrument to study variable relationships.