Risk perception and control regarding COVİD-19 for overweight individuals with chronic diseases

Aim: The aim of this study, was to assess the risk and control perceptions of Covid 19 related in overweight individuals with chronic disease. Introduction: The Covid 19 pandemic is known to have physical and psychological consequences. The presence of chronic disease and being overweight are factors related to influence perceptions of this disease's severity. Material and Method: For this cross-sectional and descriptive study, 280 volunteer patients were recruited from a university hospital's internal medicine outpatient clinics in Manisa. Data, the sociodemographic form was obtained using the perceived Covid 19 risk scale (cognitive risk and emotional risk sub-dimensions) and the perceived Covid 19 control scale (macro control, micro control, controllability sub-dimensions). Descriptive statistical analyses with t test, Mann Whitney U test, one-way variance, and Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the research data. Results: The participants were female in 54.6% and hypertensive in 31.1%. The Body Mass Index of 48.2% of the participants ranged between 25 and 29,9. In the study, the mean score of the Covid 19 disease perception scale was 42,13±11,88, and the mean score of the Covid 19 control perception scale was 3,23±0,57. The relationship between having a chronic disease and taking regular medication, as well as the Covid 19 disease perception scale, was statistically significant. (p<0.05). The relationship between marital status and macro and micro control sub-dimensions was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). The total risk perception scale and the control perception scale had a positive correlation (p<0.05). Cronbach alpha reliability was in the range of 0,71- 0,70. Conclusion: As a result, participants had high Covid 19 risk perceptions; however, disease control perceptions were found to be moderate. Key Words: Covid 19 Risk Perception, Covid 19 Control Perception, Chronic Disease, Being Overweight, Nursing.