scholarly journals Risk Perception and Protective Behavior in the Context of COVID-19: a Qualitative Exploration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma Siddiqui ◽  
Azher Hameed Qamar
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Information Flow ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Related Information ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Media ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

AbstractAs a result of the devastating health effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, the lockdown has been considered a safety measure in many countries. In Pakistan, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in February 2020. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate people’s risk perception and protective behavior during the lockdown. Twenty-two (22) participants from eight big cities across Pakistan were interviewed. A six-step reflective thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The study focused on risk perception and protective behaviors. Our main analytical goal was to understand how risk perception shapes human behavior in the context of lockdown, pandemic-related information flow, and corresponding meaning-making. The study revealed that people influenced by information and advice campaigns form a perception of risk that has shaped their protective behavior. They used familiar means of coping with distress, including the search for strength through religious belief practices and following the precautions recommended by health professionals through the media.

scholarly journals Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccines and Protective Behavior among Adults in Taiwan: Associations between Risk Perception and Willingness to Vaccinate against COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5579
Author(s):  
Feng-Jen Tsai ◽  
Hsiu-Wen Yang ◽  
Chia-Ping Lin ◽  
Jeffrey Zen Liu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
College Level ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
To Receive

This study aims to evaluate acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and the impact of risk perception on vaccine acceptance and personal health protective behaviors in Taiwan. A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted from 19 to 30 October 2020; 1020 participants were included in the final analysis; chi-square and logistic regression analyses were conducted. In total, 52.7% of participants were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines, 63.5% perceived the severity of COVID-19 in Taiwan as “not serious”, and nearly 40% were worried about COVID-19 infection. Participants with higher perceived severity of COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of refusing the vaccine (OR = 1.546), while those worried about infection had lower odds of poor health protective behaviors (OR = 0.685). Vaccine refusal reasons included “the EUA process is not strict enough” (48.7%) and “side effects” (30.3%). Those who had previously refused other vaccinations were 2.44 times more likely to refuse the COVID-19 vaccines. Participants’ age had an influence on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. In general, the Taiwanese public’s acceptance of the vaccine was lower than that in other high-income countries. Elderly participants and those with college-level education and above who had previously refused vaccines had lower willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Risk perception was positively associated with personal health protective behaviors but negatively associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.

scholarly journals Risk perception and behavioral response to COVID-19 in Iraqi Kurdistan Region

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherzad Shabu ◽  
Karwan M Amen ◽  
Kazhan I. Mahmood ◽  
Nazar P. Shabila
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Behavioral Response ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Serious Illness ◽  
Personal Risk ◽  
Iraqi Kurdistan ◽  
Threat Level

Abstract Background Understanding how people perceive the risk of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and its impact on undertaking protective behavior can guide the public health policymakers in taking the required measures to limit the magnitude of this outbreak. This study aimed to understand the risk perception and the behavioral response of the university academics and students towards the COVID-19. Methods A self-administered online survey was conducted among the academic staff and university students in Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The survey questionnaire included eight main questions about the main aspects of personal risk perception and behavioral response to COVID-19 based on a five or nine-point ordinal scale. The eight questions included the number of contacts, the perceived threat level of COVID-19, personal risk perception, ability to avoid infection, frequency of undertaking the protective measures, adherence to the curfew, the negative impact of COVID-19 on life, and sources of obtaining information. Results A total of 976 individuals participated in the study with a mean age ± SD of 25.8±9.7 years. The respondents had the highest perceived threat level towards COVID-19 (mean score = 2.79) in comparison to other medical threats. Around 62% of respondents had no contacts outside their homes. A high percentage of the respondents perceived their risk of getting infection, serious illness, and death as highly unlikely (26.9%, 29.7%, and 41.7%, respectively). The percentage of the respondents who applied these measures frequently or always was high for most of the behaviors, except for wearing masks, wearing gloves, and avoiding touching face. There was a significant ( P <0.001) weak positive correlation between risk perception with protective behaviors; overall risk (beta = 0.080, r=0.189), risk of getting infection (beta=0.066, r=0.179), risk of getting serious illness (beta=0.070, r=0.176) and risk of death (beta=0.058, r=0.154). Conclusion The perceived risk of getting infection with COVID-19 is relatively low. The respondents follow protective behavior measures reasonably. However, the frequency of undertaking some important protective behaviors is relatively low. The risk perception of COVID-19 has a weakly positive impact on following protective behavior. Changing behavior remains a challenge even for the well educated and well aware people.

scholarly journals Risk Perception and Protective Behaviors During the Rise of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Savadori ◽  
Marco Lauriola
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Social Closeness ◽  
Cultural Worldviews

Risk perception is important in determining health-protective behavior. During the rise of the COVID-19 epidemic, we tested a comprehensive structural equation model of risk perception to explain adherence to protective behaviors in a crisis context using a survey of 572 Italian citizens. We identified two categories of protective behaviors, labeled promoting hygiene and cleaning, and avoiding social closeness. Social norms and risk perceptions were the more proximal antecedents of both categories. Cultural worldviews, affect, and experience of COVID-19 were the more distal predictors. Promoting hygiene and cleaning was triggered by the negative affective attitude toward coronavirus and mediated by an affective appraisal of risk. The deliberate dimension of risk perception (perceived likelihood) predicted only avoiding social closeness. Social norms predicted both types of behaviors and mediated the relations of cultural worldviews. Individualism (vs. communitarianism), more than hierarchy (vs. egalitarianism), shaped the affective evaluation of coronavirus. The model was an acceptable fit to the data and accounted for 20% and 29% of the variance in promoting hygiene and cleaning, and avoiding social closeness, respectively. The findings were robust to the effect of sociodemographic factors (age, gender, education, socioeconomic status, and zone of the country). Taken together, our findings confirmed the empirical distinction between affective and deliberate processes in risk perception, supported the validity of the affect heuristic, and highlighted the role of social norms as an account for why individualistic people were less likely to follow the prescribed health-protective behaviors. Implications for risk communication are discussed.

scholarly journals Changes in risk perception and protective behavior during the first week of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toby Wise ◽  
Tomislav Damir Zbozinek ◽  
Giorgia Michelini ◽  
Cindy C. Hagan ◽  
dean mobbs
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Protective Behavior ◽  
Protective Behaviors ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Us Government

By mid-March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread to over 100 countries and all 50 states in the US. Government efforts to minimize the spread of disease emphasized behavioral interventions, including raising awareness of the disease and encouraging protective behaviors such as social distancing and hand washing, and seeking medical attention if experiencing symptoms. However, it is unclear to what extent individuals are aware of the risks associated with the disease, how they are altering their behavior, factors which could influence the spread of the virus to vulnerable populations. We characterized risk perception and engagement in preventative measures in 1591 United States based individuals over the first week of the pandemic (March 11th-16th 2020) and examined the extent to which protective behaviors are predicted by individuals’ perception of risk. Over 5 days, subjects demonstrated growing awareness of the risk posed by the virus, and largely reported engaging in protective behaviors with increasing frequency. However, they underestimated their personal risk of infection relative to the average person in the country. We found that engagement in social distancing and handwashing was most strongly predicted by the perceived likelihood of personally being infected, rather than likelihood of transmission or severity of potential transmitted infections. However, substantial variability emerged among individuals, and using data-driven methods we found a subgroup of subjects who are largely disengaged, unaware, and not practicing protective behaviors. Our results have implications for our understanding of how risk perception and protective behaviors can facilitate early interventions during large-scale pandemics.

scholarly journals Media system dependency and change in risk perception during the COVID-19 pandemic

Tripodos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (47) ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Carlos Muñiz
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Media Consumption ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Media System ◽  
First Case ◽  
Media System Dependency ◽  
The Media ◽  
The One ◽  
Local Transmission

 On February 27, 2020 the first case of COVID-19 contagion was detected in Mexico, and by the end of March phase 2 of the epidemic had been declared in the country when local transmission was detected. In a context of crisis and uncertainty like the one described, a risk perception tends to arise among the population that fears to be affected personally, to a large extent due to the influence exerted by the media by information they provide about the contingency, which derived from the media system dependency that occurs in the population. In order to determine the risk perception present in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the influence that media consumption had on the population’s attitude, an online analytical survey was carried out on 630 Mexican respondents. The results present a population with a relatively low risk perception, but with a moderate dependency when it comes to getting information about everything that has to do with the pandemic. In addition, it is possible to observe that this dependency tends to generate an increase, in an indirect manner, of the risk perception through the consumption of television, the digital press and Facebook.

The Media Effect on Risk Perception in the Workplace

The Synergist ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Jeff Behar
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Media Effect ◽  
The Media

How Do Public Service Professionals Behave in Risky Situations? The Importance of Organizational Culture

2021 ◽  
pp. 027507402110103
Author(s):  
Emily Rose Tangsgaard
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Organizational Cultures ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Subsequent Behavior ◽  
Hospital Wards

Many situations in public service delivery are characterized by uncertainty about the potential negative consequences following decisions. These risky situations make the behavior of frontline professionals particularly important. But what shapes the risk perception and subsequent behavior of frontline professionals in risky situations? This article explores the idea that organizational culture provides part of the answer. To examine this, a comprehensive qualitative study with participant observations and interviews at five public hospital wards was conducted. The findings demonstrate the importance of organizational culture on risk perception and behavior in risky situations. Basic cultural assumptions related to professional discussion, administering medicine, grading of adverse events, and prioritizing follow-up activities matter to behavior in risky situations. In organizational cultures with high levels of trust and dialogue about decision-making, the health professionals rely on each other and ask for second opinions, when making decisions in risky situations. Conversely, in organizational cultures with little trust and professional discussion, the health professionals are less likely to ask for second opinions and follow up on risky situations, which increases the possibility of unintended, negative consequences. In this way, organizational culture can be a driver of risk-reducing and risk-seeking behavior among frontline professionals.

scholarly journals Media Literacy in the Lifeworlds of Malaysian Children

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanthi Balraj Baboo
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
User Experiences ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
School Settings ◽  
The World ◽  
The Media ◽  
Home And School

Many children grow up in contemporary Malaysia with an array of new media. These include television, video games, mobile phones, computers, Internet, tablets, iPads and iPods. In using these new media technologies, children are able to produce texts and images that shape their childhood experiences and their views of the world. This article presents some selected findings and snapshots of the media lifeworlds of children aged 10 in Malaysia. This article is concerned with media literacy and puts a focus on the use, forms of engagement and ways that children are able to make sense of media technologies in their lives. The study reveals that children participate in many different media activities in their homes. However, the multimodal competencies, user experiences and meaning-making actions that the children construct are not engaged with in productive ways in their schooling literacies. It is argued that media literacy should be more widely acknowledged within home and school settings.

scholarly journals The Influence of Social Media use on Practice of Covid-19 Preventive Measures Among Ethiopian Residents: An Online Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Abinet Arega Sadore ◽  
Demelash Woldeyohannes Handiso ◽  
Tekle Ejajo Wontamo ◽  
Dejene Ermias Mekango ◽  
Sisay Moges
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Preventive Practice ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Background: Infection with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a severe public health issue worldwide. A broad amount of information related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was disseminated by social media in Ethiopia. To date, there is limited evidence on the influence of social media use for covid-19 related information on covid-19 preventive practice. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of social media use on the practice of COVID-19 preventive measures in Ethiopia. Methods: This study employed an anonymous internet-based online cross-sectional survey using Google forms to collects the data from the respondents from 15 May to 17 June 2020 in Ethiopia. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between social media usage as a predictor and COVID-19 preventive practice, after adjusting for socio-demographic and risk perception of COVID-19 variables. The data were analysed using SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 372 respondents have participated in the study. From 372, 208(55.9%) respondents in this study were male. Study participants who had good utilization of social media to get COVID-19 related information were 9.5 times engaged in COVID-19 preventive practices compared to study participants who had poor utilization of social media to get covid-19 related information (AOR= 9.59, 95% CI = 5.70 - 16.13). Also, study participants who had a high-risk perception of COVID-19 were 2.6 times engaged in COVID-19 practices compared to study participants who had a low-risk perception of covid-19 (AOR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.58 - 4.38). Study participants who were students at the time of this study were four times more likely to show adequate COVID-19 preventive practice score compared to those who had another occupational status (AOR= 4.07, 95% CI= 1.66 - 9.98) Conclusions: Our results show that the usage of social media networks can have a positive effect on the practice of preventive measures and public safety against COVID-19; high-risk perception contributed to preventive activities against COVID-19. Social networking platforms can be used by public health agencies as an important method to raise public health understanding by disseminating concise messages to targeted audiences.

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