Sanders County Ledger - Your Best Source For Sanders County News

A new study conducted by the University of Montana in Missoula, has found rural residents with disabilities are less likely to adhere to public health recommendations. Research began in April and May of this year, as the impact of COVID-19 caused communities to shut down, and people were asked to shelter in place. The study surveyed 4,930 people nationwide, and screened 408 people with disabilities aged 18 and over into the study. The study was conducted by the university’s Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities, a research center of the University of Montana’s Institute for Inclusive Communities.

A news release from the university names Andrew Myers as a co-author of the research. Myers said the study compared people’s likeliness to follow measures, such as frequent hand washing and wearing masks, with who they trusted for health information. “We focused on people with disabilities because they often experience higher rates of secondary health conditions that place them at heightened risk of COVID-19 complications,” Myers said. “We found rural residents reported higher rates of COVID-19 health risk factors, but less adherence to public health recommendations. Overall, individuals with health risk factors reported adopting fewer public health recommendations that individuals without health risk factors.”

People’s trust in health messaging hasn’t always been consistent, and that trust deviates from people who live in urban areas versus people who live in rural areas. “Folks tend to trust people they understand, and so that could be a reason that you see a difference in who folks trust,” Myers explains. The study did take into account that health risks are not distributed evenly across residents and location. “This was evident early in the pandemic when disproportionately high rates of Black Americans and Native Americans experienced COVID-19 complications and death relative to non-Hispanic whites,” the study states.

Trust in service providers surveyed highest, while it was lower in rural areas. “People also tended to trust Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allery and Infectious Diseases, with urban residents having more confidence in his guidance,” Myers stated. In the news release, Myers said high trust in President Donald Trump was linked to people less likely to follow health measures. Myers also stated most health messaging has been urban-centric, such as warning people against joining large crowds.

The study discussed several explanations for the results that were found. Despite higher health risks, people in rural counties have not experienced large numbers of COVID-19 cases, which could possibly contribute to a perception of low risk among rural residents. The findings also state, “health literacy rates tend to be lower in rural areas, which can make it harder to understand health information during a crisis.”

The summary explains how information about COVID-19 from President Donald Trump conflicted with information given by other sources, such as service providers and Fauci. The inconsistent and contradicting information from the different sources, the study finds, could contribute to the different reactions to the pandemic.

Dr. Greg Hanson, CEO of Clark Fork Valley Hospital, thinks the study's outcome fits human behavior in general.

“If a problem’s (COVID-19) impact is not directly on us, we tend to react with less vigilance in address it,” Hanson stated. “As the study indicates, COVID-19 impact is more common and more severe on those with disabilities, underlying health conditions, or advanced age. All of us need to take recommended preventative measures seriously for our own protection and the protection of the more vulnerable around us.”

The study recommends that health messaging should be consistent and based on the best scientific evidence available, service providers should be utilized as a trusted conduit for emerging public health recommendations, health messaging should be tailored to specific populations and geographies, and finally, health information should be accessible to everyone.

The study concludes these findings support the relationship between trust in information and adherence to public health practices.