Table 3.

Health communication strategies for COVID-19 messaging by age group.

Age group	Experience of the pandemic	Noncompliance reasons	Individual-level messaging recommendations	Institution-level messaging recommendations
18-31 years	Highest in anxiety and lowest in positive emotion terms Most focused on themselves	Most likely to cite mental health toll Most likely to cite need to work and to attend school Most likely to cite not having sufficient space to self-isolate	Address negativity by focusing on positive future outlook Emphasize the consequences of their virus-related behaviors on other people Publicize information about available mental health resources and share advice on how to take care of one’s mental health needs while complying with health orders Discuss how to stay safe while at work (eg, wear masks during breaks), at school (eg, sanitize books and computers), or while exercising (eg, maintaining social distancing while running) Provide guidance on minimizing COVID-19 spread within a shared living space (ie, college dorms, apartments)	Provide guidance on minimizing COVID-19 spread within a shared living space (ie, college dormitories, apartments) Discuss how to stay safe while at work (eg, wear masks during breaks), at school (eg, sanitize books and computers), or while exercising (eg, maintaining social distancing while running, prioritizing outdoors exercise) Institutions should clearly communicate the importance of prevention measures for both personal and collective health
32-64 years	Most focused on others Highly focused on family	Most likely to cite childcare as reason for noncompliance	Remind those caring for others to care for themselves	Provide strategies for how to safely social distance while caring for kids or other family members
≥65 years	Most focused on health-related terms Lowest in anxiety and highest in positive emotion terms	Most likely to say they’re already taking sufficient precautions	Recognize efforts and precautions already being taken by older populations Discuss symptomatology of the virus and provide clear instructions for accessing health services Provide information and resources to improve quality of life in isolation	Discuss strategies for how to safely social distance while caring for kids or other family member Discuss symptomatology of the virus and provide clear instructions for accessing health services Provide information and resources to improve quality of life in isolation