Measuring Evidence-Based Viral Respiratory Illness Mitigation Behaviors in Pregnant Populations: Development and Validation of a Short, Single-Factor Scale During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Abstract Objective: Researchers and public health professionals need to better understand individual engagement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation behaviors to reduce the human and societal costs of the current pandemic and prepare for future respiratory pandemics. We suggest that developing measures of individual mitigation behaviors and testing them among high-risk individuals, including pregnant people, may help to reduce overall morbidity and mortality by quickly identifying targets for messaging around mitigation until sufficient vaccination uptake is reached. Methods: We surveyed pregnant people in California over 2 waves of the COVID-19 pandemic to explore mitigation behaviors. We developed and validated a novel Viral Respiratory Illness Mitigation Scale (VRIMS). Results: Seven measures loaded onto a single factor with good psychometric properties. The overall sample scale average was high over both waves, indicating that most pregnant Californians engaged in most of the strategies most of the time. Older participants, minoritized participants, those living in more urban contexts, and those surveyed during a surge reported engaging in these strategies most frequently. Conclusions: Clinicians and researchers should consider using reliable, validated measures like the VRIMS to identify individuals and communities that may benefit from additional education on reducing risk for COVID-19, future respiratory pandemics, or even seasonal flu.