An association between individual’s risk perceptions and delayed or foregone healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea

BACKGROUND: Existing evidence highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a large reduction in healthcare utilization for routine and less-urgent services around the world including Korea. During the COVID-19 pandemic, delayed and foregone healthcare are driven by various factors, and risk perception, a complex psychological construct, is one of them. The aim of this study was to examine how COVID-19 risk perceptions influence delayed and foregone care during the pandemic in Korea. METHODS: The Koreans’ Happiness Survey (KHS) 2020 was used to analyze responses from 13,491 individuals over 19 years of age residing in Korea. To assess delayed and foregone care, self-reported delayed or foregone care after the COVID-19 outbreak was used. COVID-19 risk perceptions were analyzed in terms of fear and severity of the pandemic based on responses from the participants. Logistic regression models, stratified by gender, were used to examine the relationship between COVID-19 risk perception and delayed/foregone healthcare. RESULTS: Among the total 13,491 individuals included in the study, 4.0% (n = 541) reported delayed and foregone care in 2020. The results showed that higher level of fear of COVID-19 was associated with an increased likelihood of reporting delayed and foregone care in Korean adults (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.08–1.73). The gender-stratified model revealed that greater fear of COVID-19 was associated with higher odds of delayed and foregone healthcare (OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.23–2.39) among women while the perceived severity did not have any association. However, the perceived severity was associated with a higher likelihood of delayed and foregone care in men (OR = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.04–1.32), but no association was found between fear of COVID-19 and delayed and foregone healthcare in men. CONCLUSIONS: To ensure the timely use of any needed healthcare services, it is worth considering establishing policy interventions to mitigate unnecessary fear and worries about COVID-19. This can be achieved by providing accurate information on the virus, protective measures, and treatment.