Risk Protective Behaviors Research Articles

Examining tourists' risk-related hesitation and confidence effects on developing distress and associated behavioral responses during COVID-19

PurposeUtilizing the theoretical foundation of the stimulus-organism-response framework, the present work developed and investigated a conceptual model. The work explores the effects of perceived risk of COVID-19 on tourists' choice hesitation and choice confidence. Furthermore, it examines the impacts of choice hesitation and choice confidence on psychological distress, which, in turn, influences purchase intentions and risk-protective behavior. Additionally, the study assesses the boundary effects of vulnerability on the association between choice hesitation, choice confidence, and psychological distress.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was administered in China during COVID-19 to assess the postulated hypotheses. We collected 491 responses using purposive sampling, and covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) was performed to investigate the relationships.FindingsResults show that the perceived risk of COVID-19 positively influences the choice hesitation and negatively impact choice confidence. It was also found that choice hesitation and choice confidence positively developed psychological distress, which, in turn, negatively triggered purchase intentions and positively developed risk-protective behavior. Additionally, perceived vulnerability had a significant moderating impact on the proposed relationships, strengthening psychological distress.Originality/valueIn the current context, this study measures bipolar behavioral outcomes using the S-O-R model. Because cognitive processes influence participation in health preventative behavior during the spread of diseases, we highlighted how the perception of risk and vulnerability to a pandemic serves as a reliable indicator of certain behaviors. This study advances understanding of how the psychological mindset of tourists copes with such circumstances. Due to the pandemic, tourists face limitations in their choices and are placing greater emphasis on adopting protective measures to mitigate associated risks.

Fight COVID Milwaukee protective behaviors and risk communications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on society, causing significant disruptions to everyday life. Risk communication strategies can play an important role in risk management as they allow individuals to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies appropriately. The aim of this study is to investigate public risk behaviors, perceptions of risk and risk communication, and experiences with COVID-19 to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on our community and to better inform public health decisions about communicating and reducing personal risk. Nine virtual focus groups were conducted with 79 residents of Milwaukee County. Audio transcripts of focus group recordings were qualitatively analyzed using MAXQDA. Predominant themes identified include public risk protective behaviors, the emotional toll associated with lockdown measures, and risk communication. Our findings provide a better understanding of how adults, African American and Hispanic groups in particular, viewed the risk communications and protective behaviors associated with COVID-19, how their lives were impacted by the pandemic, and how to effectively communicate public information about personal risk. These findings can help guide risk communication efforts and public health policy interventions for potential infection outbreaks in the future.

Design and validation of a questionnaire to assess the perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 in the colombian population.

To design and validate an instrument to assess the perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 in the Colombian population. Cross-sectional observational study of psychometric type with a sample of 2350 people between 16 and 65 years of age. The dimensions and items were proposed based the review of previous studies on the evaluation of risk perception of disease and disasters, by integrating the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization regarding self-protection measures and biosecurity protocols to avoid COVID-19 transmission. The validation process was carried out in two stages; the first stage included a review by expert judges who evaluated the clarity, sufficiency, and relevance of each item in relation to the variable and its dimension; in the second stage we carried out a confirmatory factor analysis and estimated internal consistency with the Cronbach's Alpha (α) and McDonald's omega (ω) indexes. The designed instrument had adequate psychometric properties to evaluate the risk perception of contracting COVID-19 (α=0.924), with four dimensions: cognitive vulnerability (α=0.873), emotional vulnerability (α=0.882), severity (α=0.893) and risk-protective behaviors (α=0.941). These findings show that the instrument to evaluate the risk perception of contracting COVID-19 (PCR-CV19) is a valid and reliable tool to assess contagion risk perception and can be adapted to different population groups and contexts.

AN ASSESSMENT OF PERCEPTION OF WASTE-PICKERS AND RISK-PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOUR FROM SELECTED DUMPSITES IN OGUN STATE NIGERIA

Waste-pickers experience situations which place them at high risk of developing morbidities mainly external and internal injuries. The present study investigated the waste-pickers perception of waste-handling and risk-protective behavior from chosen dumpsites in Ogun State, Nigeria. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and a multi-stage sampling technique, this was used to choose 60 waste-pickers. A structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Educated waste-pickers had elementary education. The time interval of waste-picking ranged from 1 to 15 years. The majority of the waste-pickers had a poor perception of waste-handling. The majority of the waste-pickers had poor risk-protective behavior. Only 9(15%) reported using personal protective gears every time. The waste-pickers reported that they used the following PPEs; long sleeve shirt 46(22.0%) and trousers 51(24.4%). However, few used trousers 51(24.4%); boot/shoe 43(20.6%) and cap 24(11.5%). Fifty percent of the waste-pickers reported that they washed up after the day’s job. In conclusion, the waste-pickers had poor perception and poor risk-protective behavior. This study recommends that policy makers and charity organizations should educate waste-pickers on the importance of using protective gears and proper waste-handling.

Travelers’ Health Risk Perceptions and Protective Behavior: A Psychological Approach

Although the significance of travel health risks is well documented, the process through which people assess their vulnerability and ultimately take on preventive measures needs clarification. The purpose of this article is to better understand factors underlying travelers’ health risk perceptions and their protective behavior. Using the health psychology literature, a conceptual model that incorporates multilevel psychological constructs was tested with 830 Australian outbound travelers. Worry was an important antecedent to both travel health risk perceptions and risk-protective behavior. Perceived control over health-related risks was not positively associated with risk perceptions but was positively associated with risk-protective behavior. Sensation-seeking propensity was negatively associated with risk perceptions but positively associated with risk-protective behavior. Travel risk perceptions mediated the relationship between the antecedents and risk-protective behavior. Implications for the design of health communication for industry and government are outlined, and future research avenues are also proposed.

Identifying knowledge–attitude–practice gaps in parental acceptance of adolescent vaccinations in Appalachian Kentucky: Implications for communication interventions

Rural Appalachian Kentucky adolescents are less likely to receive age-appropriate vaccinations compared with other populations and these low vaccination rates represent a major public health risk. This study investigates parental acceptance of adolescent vaccinations by examining their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to vaccinating their adolescents with both state required and recommended vaccines. Using the integrated behavioral model as a guiding framework, the researchers conducted 21 in-depth interviews with parents of 11–18-year-old children in Appalachian Kentucky. Three salient findings emerged. First, knowledge was not strongly related to a parent's behavior, as both vaccinating parents and non-vaccinating parents expressed varying degrees of accurate knowledge. Second, attitudes emerged as an important predictor of behavior, such that parents with positive preventive health attitudes had the desire to protect their children's future through vaccination, indicating risk protection behavior could precede knowledge acquisition. Third, opinion leaders in the community served as important motivators for parents vaccinating their children, contributing to the knowledge–attitude–practice gap in that their influence seemed to be enough to drive behavior. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings and appropriate communication strategies to use with parents of adolescents and local healthcare providers in order to improve both state required and recommended vaccination rates. The implications from this study could provide insights for designing similar interventions in other underserved, rural areas.

Testing the Effects of the Addition of Videos to a Website Promoting Environmental Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Practices: Are Videos Worth It?

Searching for ways to reach wider audiences in more comprehensible ways, health promotion agencies might add videos to their current web offerings. While potentially costly and time consuming to create, the effect of these videos on websites has not received much attention. This study translated research about the potential breast cancer risk for young girls associated with the household chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) into two websites in which mothers with young daughters were randomly assigned to view (website with videos vs. website without videos). Results revealed that participants in the video condition found the advocated risk protective behaviors easier to perform and stated they were more likely to perform them than those in the non-video condition. Approximately 15 days after exposure, those in the video condition performed on average one more protective behavior than those in the non-video condition. Results also suggest that agencies' efforts should focus on creating one quality video to place on a homepage, as video views declined the deeper people navigated into the site. Behaviors advocated should also be ones that can have lasting impacts with one-time actions, as effects wore away over time. Additional strategies are discussed for health promoters seeking to create videos to add to their current websites.

Identifying Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Gaps to Enhance HPV Vaccine Diffusion

To examine differences in knowledge, attitudes, and related practices among adopters and nonadopters of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the researchers conducted 83 in-depth interviews with 18- to 26-year-old women. The study identified knowledge-attitude-practice gaps in the context of the HPV vaccine to explain why diffusion of a preventive innovation (such as the HPV vaccine) requires targeted risk communication strategies in order to increase demand. Salient findings included similarities between vaccinated and unvaccinated women's lack of knowledge and uncertainties about HPV and cervical cancer. Vaccinated women who had no knowledge of HPV or no-risk/low-risk perceptions of HPV reported receiving vaccination, indicating HPV risk protection behavior could precede knowledge acquisition for vaccinated women. These vaccinated women identified an interpersonal network supportive of vaccination and reported supportive social influences. Among unvaccinated women, unsupportive vaccination attitudes included low perceived personal risk of HPV. In contrast, unvaccinated women often cited erroneous beliefs that HPV could be avoided by abstinence, monogamy, and knowledge of their partners' sexual history as reasons that the vaccine was not personally relevant. Unvaccinated women cited interpersonal influences that activated short- and long-term vaccination safety and efficacy concerns. Different levels of fear regarding the HPV vaccine may underlie (a) attitudinal differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated women in perceived vaccination value and (b) attitude-practice gaps.

The Geography of SEC Enforcement and Auditor Reporting for Financially Distressed Clients

We examine if proximity to a regional office of the SEC affects the independence of auditors as measured by their likelihood of issuing going concern audit reports for financially distressed clients. We find that non-Big 4 offices (but not Big 4 offices) are less likely to issue a going concern audit report when the engagement office is farther away from an SEC regional office. This is consistent with more remote offices of non-Big 4 auditors perceiving a lower risk of SEC enforcement actions, and thus being more willing to compromise their independence and report favorably for clients. We also find that both Big 4 auditors and non-Big 4 auditors are more likely to issue going concern reports for clients that are headquartered farther away from an SEC regional office. This finding suggests risk-protection behavior by auditors and is consistent with Kedia and Rajgopal [2010], which finds that clients farther from SEC regional offices are more likely to misreport. Our study contributes to the literature on audit quality and auditor independence by providing evidence that the geography of SEC enforcement is an important factor in explaining cross-sectional differences in the behavior of Big 4 and non-Big 4 auditors.

Perceptions of Sexual Behavior among Urban Early Adolescents

Risk activities for acquisition of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remain prevalent among urban adolescents. Early adolescents represent a particularly vulnerable group, exhibiting high rates of unprotected sexual activity. In spite of a growing recognition of the need to examine cultural, environmental, and developmental variables contributing to both risk and protective behaviors, little such research has been described to date. Guided by the constructs of a model of risk-protective behavior (Protection Motivation Theory) and employing ethnographic techniques, an exploration of the developmental, sociohistorical, and cultural constructs that might influence adolescent sexual behavior was conducted. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted among 64 inner-city youths, 10 to 14 years of age, and their parents. Findings relevant to perceptions of sexual behavior among young adolescents are presented. The methodology employed in this exploratory phase and the strengths and limitations of focus group discussions are discussed