URBANA, Ill. – As we move into the third year of the COVID-pandemic, we still face a multitude of information and it can be hard to know what guidelines to follow. Understanding what motivates individual behaviors can provide greater insight into mitigating the pandemic’s consequences and crafting effective public health messages.
A new case study from the University of Illinois spotlights the trajectory of a young woman who was infected with COVID-19 twice in fall 2020. The researchers concluded that while she adhered to preventive measures such as masking and social distancing, she did so inconsistently, impacted by implicit social pressure, desire for normalcy, and the feeling of invincibility.
While a case study of one individual isn’t generalizable to the larger population, it provides in-depth, exploratory insights into the lived experience of a serious public health issue.
Read more at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.