Information Sources, Gender and Risk Perceptions Understanding Health Behavior in Times of Crisis

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to establish whether gender differences influenced the health seeking behavior of Ugandans during the peak of the COVID – 19 Pandemic. The Health Belief Model was used as the theoretical framework. The study used survey method, specifically online and physical questionnaires to collect data. For the online questionnaires, Google Forms were developed and shared through email, on WhatsApp groups and on Facebook. Contrary to the existing literature, the paper discovered that the health behaviors of respondents during the COVID – 19 crises in Uganda were not strictly gendered. Previous research has frequently characterized gendered health behaviors in binary terms, casting women as health-conscious and risk-averse, and men as risk-prone and disengaged. However, the data from this study reveal a more intricate and context-dependent pattern. For instance, both female and male respondents largely rejected conspiracy theories regarding vaccine safety and COVID-19 mortality, indicating a shared skepticism toward misinformation and a collective inclination toward evidence-based interpretations of the pandemic. In sum, although gender continues to play a salient role in shaping health-seeking behavior, particularly in the face of novel health risks, this study underscores that these behaviors cannot be solely or uniformly attributed to gender.