Identifying potential factors associated with PCR testing for COVID-19 among Australian young people: cross-sectional findings from a longitudinal study

BMC Public Health

Research

Verity Chadwick¹  Md Irteja Islam²  Alexandra Martiniuk³ 

[1] Royal North Shore Hospital, Reserve Rd, St Leonard’s, 2065, Sydney, NSW, Australia;Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Edward Ford Building, A27 Fisher Road, 2006, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, Australia;Centre for Health Research and Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences, The University of Southern Queensland, West Street, Darling Heights, 4350, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia;Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Edward Ford Building, A27 Fisher Road, 2006, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, Australia;Office of the Chief Scientist, The George Institute for Global Health, Level 5/1 King Street, 2042, Newtown, Sydney, NSW, Australia;Dalla Lana School of Public Health, The University of Toronto, 155 College St Room 500, M5T 3M7, Toronto, ON, Canada;

关键词: COVID-19;    Coronavirus;    COVID testing;    Australia;    Adolescents;    Young adults;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-022-14892-1

 received in 2022-07-01, accepted in 2022-12-19,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTesting has played a crucial role in reducing the spread of COVID-19. Though COVID-19 symptoms tend to be less severe in adolescents and young adults, their highly social lifestyles can lead to increased transmission of the virus. In this study, we aimed to provide population-based estimates of polymerase chain reaction testing (PCR) for the COVID-19 pandemic and identify factors associated with PCR testing in Australian youth using the latest survey data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC).MethodsWe used the latest wave (9C1) of the LSAC, collected from 16 to 21-year-old Australians via an online survey between October and December 2020. In total, 2291 youths responded to the questions about COVID-19 testing including factors related to the coronavirus restriction period (CRP) in Australia. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify variables (sociodemographic factors and factors related to CRP) associated with COVID-19 testing.ResultsDuring the study period, 26% (n = 587) of Australian youth aged between 16 and 21 years were tested for COVID-19. The strongest predictor of COVID-19 testing was living in major cities (aOR 1.82, 95% CI:1.34–2.45; p < 0.01). Increased age (aOR 1.97, 1.00–3.89; p < 0.05) and having a pre-existing medical condition (aOR 1.27, 1.02–1.59; p < 0.05) were also significantly associated with a higher likelihood of COVID-19 testing.ConclusionAge, remoteness and having a pre-existing medical illness were associated with PCR COVID-19 testing among Australian youth aged between 16 and 21 years in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. More research is warranted to identify factors associated with other COVID-19 testing methods and address the specific barriers that may limit COVID-19 testing in this age group.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

【 图 表 】

40708_2022_178_Article_IEq7.gif

Fig. 3

Fig. 1