COVID-19 precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance among older individuals: The role of close kin

Bruno Arpino; Valeria Bordone; Giorgio Di Gessa

doi:10.1073/pnas.2214382120

COVID-19 precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance among older individuals: The role of close kin

Bruno Arpino (Corresponding author)
, Valeria Bordone
, Giorgio Di Gessa

Department of Sociology

Publications: Contribution to journal › Article › Peer Reviewed

Abstract

The family plays a central role in shaping health behaviors of its members through social control and support mechanisms. We investigate whether and to what extent close kin (i.e., partner and children) matter for older people in taking on precautionary behaviors (e.g., wearing a mask) and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Drawing on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we combine its Corona Surveys (June to September 2020 and June to August 2021) with pre-COVID information (October 2019 to March 2020). We find that having close kin (especially a partner) is associated with a higher probability of both adopting precautionary behaviors and accepting a COVID-19 vaccine. Results are robust to controlling for other potential drivers of precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance and to accounting for coresidence with kin. Our findings suggest that policymakers and practitioners may differently address kinless individuals when promoting public policy measures.

Original language	English
Article number	e2214382120
Number of pages	8
Journal	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume	120
Issue number	13
Early online date	20 Mar 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2214382120
Publication status	Published - 28 Mar 2023

Funding

This paper uses data from SHARE Waves 8 and 9 (DOIs: 10.6103/SHARE.w8.800, 10.6103/SHARE.w8ca.800, 10.6103/SHARE. w9ca800), see B\u00F6rsch-Supan et al. (2013) for methodological details. The SHARE data collection has been funded by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001-00360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005-028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006-028812), FP7 (SHARE-PREP: GA No211909, SHARE-LEAP: GA No227822, SHARE M4: GA No261982, DASISH: GA No283646), and Horizon 2020 (SHARE-DEV3: GA No676536, SHARE-COHESION: GA No870628, SERISS: GA No654221, SSHOC: GA No823782, SHARE-COVID19: GA No101015924) and by DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion through VS 2015/0195, VS 2016/0135, VS 2018/0285, VS 2019/0332, and VS 2020/0313. Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the US National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740-13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG_BSR06-11, OGHA_04-064, HHSN271201300071C, and RAG052527A), and various national funding sources is gratefully acknowledged (www.share-project.org). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. This paper uses data from SHARE Waves 8 and 9 (DOIs: 10.6103/SHARE.w8.800, 10.6103/SHARE.w8ca.800, 10.6103/SHARE. w9ca800),see B\u00F6rsch-Supan et al.(2013) for methodological details.The SHARE data collection has been funded by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001-00360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005-028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006-028812), FP7 (SHARE-PREP: GA N\u00B0211909, SHARE-LEAP: GA N\u00B0227822, SHARE M4: GA N\u00B0261982, DASISH: GA N\u00B0283646), and Horizon 2020 (SHARE-DEV3: GA N\u00B0676536, SHARE-COHESION: GA N\u00B0870628, SERISS: GA N\u00B0654221, SSHOC: GA N\u00B0823782, SHARE-COVID19: GA N\u00B0101015924) and by DG Employment,Social Affairs & Inclusion through VS 2015/0195,VS 2016/0135, VS 2018/0285, VS 2019/0332, and VS 2020/0313. Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the US National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740-13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG_BSR06-11, OGHA_04-064, HHSN271201300071C, and RAG052527A), and various national funding sources is gratefully acknowledged (www.share-project.org).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

504006 Demography
509005 Gerontology
504001 General sociology

Keywords

Child
Humans
Aged
COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19/epidemiology
Pandemics
Vaccines
Health Behavior
close kin
COVID-19
vaccine acceptance
precautionary behaviors
family

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10.1073/pnas.2214382120Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:1953285Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Cite this

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title = "COVID-19 precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance among older individuals: The role of close kin",

abstract = "The family plays a central role in shaping health behaviors of its members through social control and support mechanisms. We investigate whether and to what extent close kin (i.e., partner and children) matter for older people in taking on precautionary behaviors (e.g., wearing a mask) and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Drawing on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we combine its Corona Surveys (June to September 2020 and June to August 2021) with pre-COVID information (October 2019 to March 2020). We find that having close kin (especially a partner) is associated with a higher probability of both adopting precautionary behaviors and accepting a COVID-19 vaccine. Results are robust to controlling for other potential drivers of precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance and to accounting for coresidence with kin. Our findings suggest that policymakers and practitioners may differently address kinless individuals when promoting public policy measures.",

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author = "Bruno Arpino and Valeria Bordone and \{Di Gessa\}, Giorgio",

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doi = "10.1073/pnas.2214382120",

language = "English",

volume = "120",

journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",

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COVID-19 precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance among older individuals: The role of close kin. / Arpino, Bruno (Corresponding author); Bordone, Valeria; Di Gessa, Giorgio.
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 120, No. 13, e2214382120, 28.03.2023.

Publications: Contribution to journal › Article › Peer Reviewed

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AU - Bordone, Valeria

AU - Di Gessa, Giorgio

PY - 2023/3/28

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KW - COVID-19/epidemiology

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ER -

COVID-19 precautionary behaviors and vaccine acceptance among older individuals: The role of close kin

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

Keywords

Access to Document

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Cite this