Public reactions to the 2013 Chinese H7N9 Influenza outbreak: perceptions of risk, stakeholders, and protective actions

Abstract

This study used the Protective Action Decision model to guide a survey of 762 respondents in Anhui province, China during the 2013 Avian Influenza A (H7N9) outbreak. The data suggest that three types of psychological variables – risk perceptions, protective action perceptions, and stakeholder perceptions – influenced people’s behavioral expectations of adopting protective actions. In addition, the effects of demographic variables on behavioral expectations were quite variable, with some being unrelated to behavioral expectations, some being related but unmediated by the psychological variables, and others being either partially or completely mediated by the psychological variables. These results can help public health officials to communicate more effectively when encouraging people to protect themselves during an influenza emergency.