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Re-reading this by @JuliaLMarcus, which makes the point that risk-taking often reflects unmet needs, incl work, income, & *social connection.* This point abt connection is often overlooked in public (health) discourse abt COVID, but is critical. https://tinyurl.com/y2kkson3 1/
Research shows that social connections matter tremendously for health. See @MarioLuisSmall's “Someone to Talk To” for a beautiful description of the meaning of connections. My own collaborative work has examined the role of social relationships for a host of health outcomes. 2/
In this paper, we showed that social isolation is associated w increased inflammation in adolescence; the magnitude of the association bt social isolation & hypertension exceeded that of clinical risk factors such as diabetes in old age. https://www.pnas.org/content/113/3/578.short 3/
Using cancer registry data, my coauthors & I found that social support predicted cancer mortality among folks w cancer ( https://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/27/5/541.short). In another paper, we found social support predicted blood pressure increases among older adults ( https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0898264314551172). 4/
Folks are struggling, w loss, economic insecurity & uncertainty, and isolation. Social connections buffer against these struggles & serve to protect both physical & mental well-being. They don’t just make us feel good; they are good for us. For many, they are not dispensible. 5/
This doesn’t mean we abandon social distancing. Instead, officials must acknowledge that for many—including folks struggling w substance misuse & addiction and depression & anxiety—connectedness can be life-saving. 6/
We MUST encourage folks to continue to stay home. We must also make the inevitable gatherings safer by reducing other risks: eviction moratoriums, closures of restaurants & gyms combined w economic relief for individuals & businesses; decarceration; etc etc etc. 7/
Yes, tell people to stay home. Still as this piece by @JuliaLMarcus points out, “public health messaging will not solve structural problems.” For some, isolation just isn’t do-able. So officials make the inevitable gatherings safer. It’s not an either-or approach. 8/8
