PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Understanding health-seeking behaviors and their drivers is key for governments to manage health policies. A growing body of research explores the role of cognitive biases and heuristics in health and care-seeking behaviors, but little is known about how a context of heightened anxiety and uncertainty might influence these behavioral drivers. This study analyzes the association between four behavioral predictors-internal locus of control, impatience, optimism bias, and aspirations-and healthcare decisions among low-income women in El Salvador, controlling for other factors. We find positive associations between internal locus of control and preventive health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, a one standard deviation increase in locus of control is associated with a 10% increase in an index measuring the use of masks, distancing, hand washing, and vaccination. Locus of control was also associated with women\'s use of preventive health services (one standard deviation improves the likelihood of having a hypertension test in the last six months by 5.8 percentage points). In a sub-sample of mothers, we find significant relationships between the four behavioral drivers and the decisions the mothers make for their children. However, we find these associations are less robust compared to the decisions they make for themselves. Some associations were stronger during the pandemic, suggesting that feelings of uncertainty and stress could amplify behavioral drivers\' influence on health-related behaviors. This novel finding is relevant for designing policy responses for future shocks. JEL CODES: I12, D10, D91, I30.
摘要：
了解寻求健康的行为及其驱动因素是政府管理卫生政策的关键。越来越多的研究探索了认知偏见和启发式在健康和寻求护理行为中的作用，但是对于焦虑和不确定的背景如何影响这些行为驱动因素知之甚少。本研究分析了四个行为预测因子-内部控制源之间的关联，不耐烦,乐观偏见，萨尔瓦多低收入妇女的愿望和医疗保健决定，控制其他因素。我们发现在COVID-19大流行期间，内部控制源与预防性健康行为之间存在正相关。例如,控制位点增加一个标准差与测量口罩使用的指数增加10%相关，距离,洗手,和疫苗接种。控制源也与妇女使用预防性保健服务有关（一个标准差使过去6个月进行高血压测试的可能性提高了5.8个百分点）。在母亲的子样本中，我们发现四种行为驱动因素与母亲为孩子做出的决定之间存在重要关系。然而,我们发现，与他们自己做出的决定相比，这些关联并不那么强大。在大流行期间，一些关联更强，这表明不确定性和压力的感觉可能会放大行为驱动因素对健康相关行为的影响。这一新颖的发现与设计未来冲击的政策应对措施有关。果冻代码：I12，D10，D91，I30。
