School of Psychology, 47890Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Department of Epidemiology, 5631West Virginia University School of Public Health, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Am J Health Promot. 2021 Sep;35(7):977-983. doi: 10.1177/08901171211004249. Epub 2021 Mar 31.
To investigate perceived beliefs, uncertainty, and behavioral responses among Chinese residents toward the COVID-19 outbreak, and explore their relationships amid an incipient pandemic.
A cross-sectional correlational survey with a combination of a convenience and snowball sampling design.
This study was conducted online from February 7 to 14, 2020, the third week after the lockdown of Wuhan city on January 23.
A total of 2,654 residents was contacted, 2,534 agreed to participate, and 2,215 completed valid questionnaires. The sample covered 30 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions of China, and a broader region.
The Uncertainty About COVID-19 Scale was applied to assess perceived public uncertainty. Five dimensions of health beliefs about COVID-19 and 12 health-related response behaviors were measured.
Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression models were used to identify associations. Mediation was assessed by a bootstrapping technique.
Five constructs of health beliefs were found to be significant predictors of multiple response behaviors. Uncertainty about COVID-19 has a direct relationship with general response behaviors (β=-0.119**) and sanitization practices (β=-0.068**). Emergency coping behaviors aside, uncertainty also partially mediated associations between perceived susceptibility, perceived effectiveness, and perceived barriers influencing general response behaviors and sanitization practices, respectively.
Findings provide evidence-based information to government and policymakers for designing effective health communication messages and intervention strategies by targeting the key constructs of the health belief model and reducing perceived uncertainty about COVID-19. They support public health-related response behaviors to prevent COVID-19 spread among the population.
调查中国居民对 COVID-19 爆发的认知信念、不确定性和行为反应，并在疫情初期探索它们之间的关系。
横断面相关性调查，结合便利抽样和滚雪球抽样设计。
这项研究于 2020 年 2 月 7 日至 14 日在网上进行，即 1 月 23 日武汉封城后的第三周。
共联系了 2654 名居民，2534 名同意参加，2215 名完成了有效问卷。样本覆盖了中国 30 个省、市、自治区以及更广泛的地区。
采用 COVID-19 不确定量表评估公众感知的不确定性。测量了对 COVID-19 的五个健康信念维度和 12 个与健康相关的反应行为。
采用单变量分析和多元线性回归模型来识别关联。采用 bootstrap 技术评估中介作用。
发现健康信念的五个结构是多种反应行为的重要预测因子。对 COVID-19 的不确定性与一般反应行为（β=-0.119**）和消毒行为（β=-0.068**）直接相关。除应急应对行为外，不确定性还部分中介了感知易感性、感知有效性和感知障碍对一般反应行为和消毒行为的影响。
研究结果为政府和政策制定者提供了循证信息，通过针对健康信念模型的关键结构和降低对 COVID-19 的感知不确定性，为设计有效的健康传播信息和干预策略提供了依据。这些发现支持了与预防 COVID-19 在人群中传播有关的公共健康相关反应行为。
