Department of Communication, University of Delaware.
Health Commun. 2021 Jan;36(1):32-41. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1847452. Epub 2020 Dec 1.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak poses a substantial threat to public health. Individual efforts to engage in COVID-19 precautionary behaviors are necessary to flatten the pandemic's curve in the waiting period before a vaccine is developed. This study sought to apply the Theory of Motivated Information Management to investigate the relationships among COVID-19 illness uncertainty, information management, and actual precautionary behaviors, both preparatory and preventative. The results of a national opt-in online panel demonstrate that uncertainty discrepancy, anxiety, and information management strategies are key predictors of the adoption of COVID-19 preparation and prevention behaviors. The results further identify diverging associations across age groups with respect to associations between information management and precautionary behaviors. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
冠状病毒(COVID-19)疫情对公众健康构成了重大威胁。在开发疫苗之前的等待期内,个人采取预防 COVID-19 的行为是必要的,以减缓疫情的蔓延。本研究旨在应用动机信息管理理论来调查 COVID-19 疾病不确定性、信息管理与实际预防行为之间的关系,包括预备性预防行为和预防性预防行为。一项全国性的在线自愿参与面板研究结果表明,不确定性差异、焦虑和信息管理策略是采用 COVID-19 预备和预防行为的关键预测因素。研究结果进一步确定了信息管理与预防行为之间的关联在不同年龄组之间存在差异。本文讨论了理论和实践的意义。