Characteristics Associated with the Dual Behavior of Mask Wearing and Vaccine Acceptance: A Pooled Cross-Sectional Study among Adults in Saskatchewan

Abstract

While the dual behavior of consistent mask wearing and vaccine acceptance represents an effective method of protecting oneself and others from COVID-19, research has yet to directly examine its predictors. A total of 3347 responses from a pooled cross-sectional survey of adults living in Saskatchewan, Canada, were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression model. The outcome variable was the combined behavior of mask-wearing and vaccine intention in four combinations, while covariates consisted of socio-demographic factors, risk of exposure to coronavirus, mitigating behaviors, and perceptions of COVID-19. Those who were 65 years and older, financially secure, consistently practiced social distancing and had no or very few contacts with people outside their households, were concerned about spreading the virus, and perceived they would be seriously sick if infected were likely to engage in both mask wearing and vaccine acceptance, rather than one or the other, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 2.24 to 27.54. Further, within mask wearers, these factors were associated in a graded manner with vaccine intent. By describing the characteristics of those who engage in both mask wearing and vaccine acceptance, these results offer a specific set of characteristics for public health authorities to target and, therefore, contribute to the rapidly evolving body of knowledge on protective factors for COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Saskatchewan; consistent mask wearing; dual-behavior; vaccine acceptance; vaccine refusal.

Figure 1

The odds ratios of covariates associated with the dual behavior, consistent mask wearing and vaccine acceptance. Green = protective effect; red = negative effect; purple = not statistically significant.