SECAUCUS, N.J., Dec. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Quest
Diagnostics Health Trends™ study finds that three in four Americans
who believed they needed a COVID-19 test (74%) chose not to get
one, or delayed getting one, primarily due to concerns about
exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus (30%).
The nationally representative survey was conducted online by The
Harris Poll on behalf of Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) between
November 10-12, 2020, among 2,050
U.S. adults. This survey is believed to be the first to evaluate
attitudes about COVID-19's impact on medical care and testing since
the recent fall-winter wave of COVID-19 cases began to sweep across
the United States.
The findings suggest large numbers of Americans are putting off
medical care they may need – including COVID-19 diagnostic lab
tests as well as preventative and chronic care – due to fears and
other barriers, with likely long-term consequences for patients and
the U.S. healthcare system.
Among the key findings:
- Of those Americans who believed they needed a COVID-19 test,
74% chose not to get or delayed getting one. The primary reason was
concern about exposure to the virus (30%); with others citing that
they thought it was very unlikely they had COVID-19 (21%); concerns
over having to quarantine while waiting for results or if they were
positive (15%); and cost (15%). Lab testing for COVID-19 is an
important tool in preventing COVID-19 disease spread, given that as
many as 40% of infected individuals may lack symptoms and not know
they are infected and able to pass the infection to
othersi
- A larger proportion of Hispanic/Latinx adults (83%) vs. Whites
(non-Hispanic) (72%) and Blacks (72%) chose to avoid or delayed
getting a diagnostic COVID-19 test when they believed they needed
one.
- Black Americans, who are overrepresented among America's
essential workforce, who have been disproportionately affected by
the pandemic and are more likely to be in essential jobs that put
them at exposure risk, found greater access to testing even more
important: specifically, 73% of Blacks compared to 55% of Whites
feel greater access is "absolutely essential" or "very important"
to slow the pandemic.
"Our Health Trends data show that while most Americans
understand the vital role testing plays in helping to control the
COVID-19 pandemic, people are scared of exposure to the virus. This
fear keeps them from getting tested when they believe they needed
it, and out of the doctor's office for routine care and treatment,"
said Harvey W. Kaufman, M.D., Senior
Medical Director, Head of the Health Trends Research Program for
Quest Diagnostics. "Those who are concerned about exposure should
discuss their concerns with their healthcare provider or local
health department, so that they can access a test, if appropriate,
and other important health care services."
Delayed Health Care during Pandemic Could Lead to Surge of
Chronic Disease and Non-COVID-19 Health Conditions and
Emergencies
In the meantime, while they await a vaccine, Americans revealed
deep concerns about undiagnosed and worsening chronic health
conditions during the pandemic. Worries about exposure to the virus
are at the top of the list of reasons why U.S. adults have avoided
or delayed in-person health care (53%), but many of them also
recognize that forgoing this care has now led to other health
problems, like greater stress about a health condition (31%),
delayed treatment (23%) or diagnosis (18%) and worsening symptoms
(17%).
At the same time, Americans' reluctance to maintain routine or
preventive medical visits due to the pandemic could lead to a wave
of non-COVID-19 health conditions once the pandemic abates or a
vaccine is distributed.
According to the findings:
- The majority of U.S. adults (60%) have skipped or delayed some
in-person medical treatments or appointments during the COVID-19
pandemic, in particular, Hispanic/Latinx adults (67%) (compared to
59% White and 58% Black). About one in five Americans (22%) skipped
or delayed blood work or lab testing specifically.
- Over a third of Americans do not plan to resume attending
in-person medical treatments and appointments until the pandemic is
under better control (39%) or until a vaccine is available
(33%).
- One in two Americans (51%) said that only a severe illness or
injury would motivate them to seek in-person medical care during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Nearly one in three Americans who have a chronic health
condition (31%) said their condition had gotten worse since the
pandemic began and two in five Americans (41%) are somewhat/very
concerned that they may currently have an undiagnosed health
condition.
- Current attitudes toward delaying care are also supported by
Quest Diagnostics lab data. According to other Health Trends™
research, the rate of cancer diagnoses across six common cancer
types decreased by 46% between March 1 and
April 18, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.ii
And the rate of diabetes (hemoglobin A1c) testing declined by as
much as 66% during approximately the first two months of the
pandemic, compared with the previous year.iii
Women and Parents Have Borne the Brunt of the Pandemic's
Impact
More women than men say COVID-19 has negatively impacted their
mental (49% of women vs. 36% of men), financial (42% vs. 37%) and
physical health (33% vs. 26%).
Meanwhile, parents of children under 18 years of age are more
likely to have delayed in-person medical treatment or appointments
during the pandemic: 71% have delayed an appointment, compared to
54% of those who don't have children under age 18. Specifically,
parents are more likely than those without children under age 18 to
have delayed or skipped:
- An annual physical exam (31% vs. 22%)
- Blood work/lab testing (30% vs. 18%)
- Preventative vaccinations or screenings (24% vs. 12%)
Dr. Kaufman continued, "With a vaccine likely not making its way
to the general public until spring at the earliest, the healthcare
community needs to do a better job of helping Americans get back to
routine care now. Early diagnosis can save lives and putting off
preventative care and chronic disease treatment could make the
difference between life and death. Chronic diseases take a
toll on the body each day. Delays in diagnosis and treatment will
cause, for many people, irreversible damage, require more
aggressive and less effective treatments, and contribute to a
higher death rate. As Benjamin
Franklin advised, 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure.'"
Methodology
On behalf of Quest, The Harris Poll conducted an online survey
of 2,050 adults 18 years and older across the United States from November 10-12, 2020. The survey sample included
337 Hispanic/Latinx, 265 Black and 1,278 White adults. Harris
weighted figures for age by sex, region, education, household size,
marital status and household income by race/ethnicity where
necessary to make them representative of their actual proportions
in the population. The Harris Poll is one of the longest running
surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social
sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights &
Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that
delivers social intelligence for transformational times.
About Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™
Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ is a series of scientific
reports that provide insights into health topics, based on analysis
of objective clinical laboratory data, to empower better patient
care, population health management and public health policy. The
reports are based on the Quest Diagnostics database of 48 billion
de-identified laboratory test results, believed to be the largest
of its kind in healthcare. Health Trends has yielded novel insights
to aid the management of allergies and asthma, prescription drug
monitoring, diabetes, Lyme disease, heart disease, influenza and
workplace wellness. Quest Diagnostics also produces the Drug
Testing Index (DTI)™, a series of reports on national workplace
drug positivity trends based on the company's employer workplace
drug testing data.
www.QuestDiagnostics.com/HealthTrends
About COVID-19 testing at Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is at the forefront of the response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, working to broaden access to laboratory insights
to help us all lead healthier lives. We provide both
molecular diagnostic and antibody serology tests to aid in the
diagnosis of COVID-19 and immune response. Through our team
of dedicated phlebotomists, air fleet team, couriers and laboratory
professionals, Quest Diagnostics works hard every day to help
patients and communities across the
United States access quality COVID-19 testing.
For more information about the latest developments with our
COVID-19 testing, visit:
newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/COVIDTestingUpdates
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve
health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of
clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to
identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve
health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult
Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United
States, and our 47,000 employees understand that, in the right
hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can
inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com
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i Centers
for Disease Control. COVID-19 Pandemic Planning Scenarios.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html.
Accessed December 2020.
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ii Kaufman
HW, Chen Z, Niles J, Fesko Y. Changes in the Number of US Patients
With Newly Identified Cancer Before and During the Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. JAMA Netw
Open. 2020;3(8):e2017267.
doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.17267
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iii
Fragala MS, Kaufman HW, Meigs JB, Niles JK, McPhaul MJ.
Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: reduced hemoglobin A1c
diabetes monitoring [published online ahead of print June 29,
2020]. Popul Health Manag. doi:10.1089/pop.2020.0134
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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics