Background The early days of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States brought uncertainty in the knowledge about COVID-19 and what to do about it. It is necessary to understand public knowledge and behaviors if we are to effectively address the pandemic. Objective The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that knowledge about COVID-19 influences participation in different behaviors including self-reports of purchasing more goods than usual, attending large gatherings, and using medical masks. Methods This study was funded and approved by the Institutional Review Board on March 17, 2020. The cross-sectional online survey of 1034 US residents aged 18 years or older was conducted on March 17, 2020. Results For every point increase in knowledge, the odds of participation in purchasing more goods (odds ratio [OR] 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.95), attending large gatherings (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81-0.93), and using medical masks (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.50-0.62) decreased by 12%, 13%, and 44%, respectively. Gen X and millennial participants had 56% and 76% higher odds, respectively, of increased purchasing behavior compared to baby boomers. The results suggest that there is a politicization of response recommendations. Democrats had 30% lower odds of attending large gatherings (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.50-0.97) and 48% lower odds of using medical masks (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.34-0.78) compared to Republicans. Conclusions This survey is one of the first attempts to study determinants of knowledge and behaviors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. A national, coordinated effort toward a pandemic response may ensure better compliance with behavioral recommendations to address this public health emergency.

Since the mid-1960s, many scholars have characterized Western Christianity as at odds with environmentalism and ecological values. Yet since the mid-1990s, many observers claim there has been a “greening of Christianity” in the United States. Using nationally representative data from the 2010 General Social Survey, we analyzed how pro-environmental self-identified Christians in the U.S. general public are in their self-reported environmental attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Using structural equation modeling, we find that self-identified Christians report lower levels of environmental concern than do non-Christians. Among Christians, religiosity relates positively to pro-environmental behaviors but not to pro-environmental attitudes or beliefs. These results suggest that this presumed greening of Christianity has not yet translated into a significant greening of pro-environmental attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of rank-and-file Christians in the U.S. general public.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that knowledge of COVID-19 influences participation in different behaviors including self-reports of purchasing more goods than usual, attending large gatherings, and using medical masks. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey of 1,034 U.S. residents age 18+ conducted on March 17, 2020. Results: For every point increase in knowledge, the odds of participation in purchasing more goods (OR=0.88, 95% CI:0.81-0.95), attending large gatherings (OR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.81-0.93), and using medical masks (OR=0.56, 95% CI:0.50-0.62) decreased by 12%, 13%, and 44%, respectively. Gen X and Millennial participants had 56% to 76% higher odds, respectively, of increased purchasing behavior, compared to Baby Boomers. Results suggest politicization of response recommendations. Democrats had 30% lower odds of attending large gatherings (OR=0.70, 95% CI:0.50-0.97), and 48% lower odds of using medical masks (OR=0.52, 95% CI:0.34-0.78), compared to Republicans.

Although postoperative atrial fibrillation remains a common complication of cardiac surgery, there was a significant decrease in the incidence of postoperative cerebrovascular accidents since routine ligation of the left atrial appendage was undertaken. This has been found to be a safe adjunct to a wide variety of cardiac procedures and therefore deserves further study by a larger randomized controlled trial.

The aims of this study are to confirm disparities in diabetes mortality rates based on race, determine if race predicts combinations of diabetes and multiple chronic conditions (MCC) that are leading causes of death (LCD), and determine if combinations of diabetes plus MCC mediate the relationship between race and mortality. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 443,932 Medicare beneficiaries in the State of Michigan with type 2 diabetes mellitus and MCC. We applied Cox proportional hazards regression to determine predictors of mortality. We applied multinomial logistic regression to determine predictors of MCC combinations. Results: We found that race influences mortality in Medicare beneficiaries with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and MCC. Prior to adjusting for MCC combinations, we observed that Blacks and American Indian/Alaska Natives have increased risk of mortality compared to Whites, while there is no difference in mortality between Hispanics and Whites. Regarding MCC combinations, Black/African American beneficiaries experience increased odds for most MCC combinations while Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics experience lower odds for MCC combinations, compared to Whites. When adjusting for MCC, mortality disparities observed between Whites, Black/African Americans, and American Indians/Alaska Natives persist. Conclusions: Compared to Whites, Black/African Americans in our cohort had increased odds of most MCC combinations, and an increased risk of mortality that persisted even after adjusting for MCC combinations.