1. How scared are Americans of the Zika virus? The role of threat, efficacy, and third-person perception to induce protective behaviors.
- Author
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Zheng, Nan, Vilela, Alexandra M., and Deshpande, Sameer
- Subjects
CONFIDENCE ,MASS media ,PRESS ,PUBLIC health ,FEAR ,REGRESSION analysis ,SEVERITY of illness index ,SURVEYS ,HEALTH literacy ,PEARSON correlation (Statistics) ,HEALTH behavior ,DISEASE susceptibility ,COMMUNICATION ,ZIKA virus infections ,INTENTION ,INFORMATION-seeking behavior ,STATISTICAL sampling ,DATA analysis software ,PUBLIC opinion ,HEALTH promotion ,PROBABILITY theory ,DISEASE risk factors - Abstract
This study examines how public perception of threat and efficacy (on self and others) influence their tendency to take preventive action against the Zika virus by surveying 1,152 U.S. adults in Texas and Florida. Findings show that individuals were likely to take protective actions when they: (1) saw a high risk of the disease (high threat) and were confident about their ability to reduce the danger (high efficacy); and (2) perceived others as having a high risk (high threat), but lacked the ability to reduce the danger (low efficacy). Further, the study discusses practical implications for the design of public health campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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