An application of the extended parallel process model to protective behaviors against COVID-19 in South Korea

Abstract

This study applied the extended parallel process model (EPPM) to investigate the factors affecting people’s preventive behaviors against COVID-19, and thereby, draw relevant policy implications for current and future other epidemics. The EPPM was used to examine the danger control and fear control responses, along with the separate effects of their sub-factors (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, response efficacy, and self-efficacy) on personal hygiene behaviors, social distancing measures, and fatalism. In total, data from an online survey of 813 adults were analyzed. The results of multiple regression analysis showed a strong effect of self-efficacy on danger control (ß = 0.23 for personal hygiene behaviors, β = 0.26 for social distancing) and fear control responses (ß = -0.13 for fatalism). However, based on the type of control response, the effect of perceived susceptibility and perceived severity, which were the main factors in threat appraisal, was insignificant or marginally significant. Further, a higher perceived severity was associated with higher fatalism in the fear control response (ß = 0.09). Those who were currently employed performed fewer social distancing measures compared to those who did not (ß = -0.11), whereas there was no difference in personal hygiene behaviors. These results suggest that risk communication in emerging infectious disease crises should provide customized information on people who are hard to comply with social distancing. Besides delivering the message of self-efficacy, policies should be implemented to create a social environment in which individuals can practice social distancing without constraints.

Impact of Social Media, Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) on the Intention to Stay at Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The Extended Parallel Process Model (the EPPM model) is also a core concept we assess that is commonly used to account for how reasonable cognitions and emotional responses play into coherent decision making on the most suitable course of action (i.e., the behavioral intention) [77,78]. It is one of the most widely accepted models for health-related studies due to the validity supported across a variety of cautionary campaigns, such as those concerning cancer, drinking, smoking, and HIV [79][80][81][82].…”

Risk Awareness and Impediments to Disaster Preparedness of Foreign Residents in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, Japan

“…Perceived susceptibility here refers to evaluating the respondents’ perception of the likelihood of a threat in the context of the definition quoted by [ 24 ].…”

“…Such responses often generate positive results in the sense that people might not give answers opposite to the recommended actions because no alternative actions are proposed. For instance, earlier studies [ 24 ] assessed the response efficacies of recommended actions for COVID-19 prevention in the Republic of Korea using questions such as, “how helpful do you think the following actions are in preventing the spread of COVID-19?”, for which outlined actions such as wearing a mask, washing hands, cough etiquette, etc., were provided. Under no alternative recommendations to such measures, responses are bound to sway positively; hence, responses from the study were nearly 80% affirmative from the respondents.…”

“…Although these models are implemented in similar fashions, the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) is widely used in behavioral change simulations due to its incorporation of the fear factors in its theoretical assumptions [ 24 ]; hence, it has been adopted to understand the fear factor of the COVID-19 pandemic threat, the fear factor associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases due to tobacco smoking [ 23 ], the fear of contracting influenza from working in hazardous conditions [ 25 ], and the fear of developing colorectal cancer as a method of enhancing cancer screening [ 26 ]. Per this model, in order to initiate actions towards unforeseen dangers, risk communication should consist of information composed of two elements such that, one portrays a fear factor in a bid to convince the recipients of the intensity of the threat (threat component), while the other places convincing countermeasure approaches or interventions to instigate confidence (efficacy component) [ 25 ].…”

Knowledge, risk perception and uptake of COVID-19 vaccination among internally displaced persons in complex humanitarian emergency setting, Northeast Nigeria

“…In Nigeria, there is hardly any published study that assessed COVID-19-related knowledge among IDPs in complex emergency situation. Moreover, several studies have explored COVID-19 risk perception among the general population [ 19 – 21 ]. However, there is a dearth of similar research conducted among IDPs in humanitarian situations.…”