Compliance with recommended protective actions during an H7N9 emergency: a risk perception perspective |
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| Authors: | Fei Wang PhD Jiuchang Wei PhD Xing Shi |
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| Institution: | 1. Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, China;2. Professor, School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, and Research Fellow, Center for Crisis Management Research, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, China;3. PhD Candidate, Economics Business School, University of Western Australia, Australia |
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| Abstract: | This study investigates the factors determining an individual's response to official recommended protective measures, based on the Health Belief Model and the Protective Action Decision Model, to understand the adoption of protective behaviour during an H7N9 (Avian Influenza A) emergency. A public survey involving 1,375 respondents was conducted in Anhui Province, China, during the 2013 H7N9 outbreak to test the research model and hypotheses. The results indicate that protective, stakeholder, and risk perceptions influence positively an individual's willingness to take recommended actions. Protective and stakeholder perceptions also have a positive bearing on lay people's risk perceptions. A stakeholder perception is a vital determinant of a protective perception. More importantly, the effects of protective and stakeholder perceptions on behavioural responses to recommendations are mediated in part by risk perception. These findings can help public health officials to develop messages to encourage members of the population to protect themselves effectively during an influenza crisis. |
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| Keywords: | Avian Influenza A behavioural response H7N9 emergency protective perception recommended preventive action risk perception stakeholder perception |
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