America, Masks, Seat Belts, and Risk.

A constant thorn in the side during this epidemic has been a group of people, particularly in America, who willingly choose not to follow safety guidelines. Fundamentally, this is an issue of risk perception. Some individuals, possibly as much as 24% of the population if a recent CDC report is accurate, do not wish to follow the directive to wear face masks when outside(1). One must assume that they do not see themselves as at risk to the virus, or themselves as a risk to others. So in their mind they must be weighing the pros and cons of not following these procedures. On one hand there is the risk of catching, or spreading Covid-19, and on the other is any discomfort, inconvenience, or fear related to the safety measures, and in these cases the cons win out for this group.

I see this as connected to the issue of seat belts in cars. Most Americans will wear them, but some either believe the risk of car related fatality is low, or believe that the discomfort of a seat belt, or  injuries as a result of them are of greater concern. Various studies, and authorities have insisted on the effectiveness of both masks, and seatbelts, but small groups still refuse to partake.

The factors that contribute to the risk analysis of the groups are unclear, numerous, and likely interrelated. There are studies which link non-seat belt users to other non-standard risk assessments, such as seeing greater risks in vaccination, which is obviously related to the threat the anti-vaxx movement has posed in recent months(2). Another study links non-seat belt use to regional differences, possibly indicating that it’s a part of wider cultural trends, with differences based on race, gender, age, and status (3).

 However, most relevant to the crisis at hand, is a study in retrospect on the SARS epidemic of the early 2000’s, which lists factors that could affect individual risk analysis in relation to preventative measures against disease. It includes what many think the outcome of catching the disease will be, which is relevant given those who believed it was just going to be like a bad flu. A major factor that will increase risky behavior is uncertainty in information, which we have seen a lot of, especially with the mixed messages given by different levels of government and media since the pandemic began(4).

Sources-

(3)-Birru, Hellina, et al. “A Comparison of Self-Reported Seat Belt Usage among the Appalachian and Non-Appalachian United States.” Annals of Epidemiology, vol. 26, no. 3, 2016, pp. 227–230., doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.02.001.

(1)-“CDC Calls on Americans to Wear Masks to Prevent COVID-19 Spread.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 July 2020, www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0714-americans-to-wear-masks.html.

(2)-Eiser, J. Richard, and Christina M. Harding. “Smoking, Seat-Belt Use and Perception of Health Risks.” Addictive Behaviors, vol. 8, no. 1, 1983, pp. 75–78., doi:10.1016/0306-4603(83)90060-6.

(4)-Smith, Richard D. “Responding to Global Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Lessons from SARS on the Role of Risk Perception, Communication and Management.” Social Science & Medicine, vol. 63, no. 12, 2006, pp. 3113–3123., doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.08.004.