Search results

The purpose of this paper is to appraise the possible response outcomes (no response, fear control or danger control) of a fear-based message on falling behind current medical knowledge among health-care professionals (HCPs).

This study was conducted using a quantitative research design. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2,873 health-care facilities across 36 districts of Punjab. The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) provided a theoretical framework for this study. The important components to EPPM such as threat, efficacy and outcomes were used to collect the data. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.

HCPs perceived high susceptibility and threat of falling behind current medical knowledge. A majority of the HCPs were at the danger control process and engaged in a behavior that is recommended for adaptive behavioral changes. Clinical experience and enrollment in post-graduation programs (e.g. FCPS, MCPS) were significant factors as to HCPs’ perceived response efficacy.

The responses were obtained using a structured questionnaire, which is always subject to respondents’ personal biases and ability to understand the question’s statement.

This study has important implications in terms of introducing promotional, educational and logistical interventions that could help in HCPs overcoming the fear of falling behind current medical knowledge and develop productive and adoptive information behavior thus improving patient care and outcome.

This is the first large-scale empirical study in Pakistan that measured the level of threat and efficacy among HCPs using the EPPM. It proposes a framework for developing long-lasting adaptive information behavioral changes that may result in informed patient care and better decision-making.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of level of graphic threat (weak and strong) and the amount of information (low and high) on message effectiveness for an unfamiliar (a muscle disorder due to lack of physical exercise) vs a familiar (injuries as a result of traffic accidents due to drunk driving) issue.

The method employed was experimental 2 (issue familiarity: unfamiliar, familiar issue)×2 (amount of information: low, high)×2 (graphic threat level: weak, strong) full factorial between‐subjects design. Data are collected from a sample of 206 Belgians.

It was found that a strong graphic threat message has a greater effect for an unfamiliar than for a familiar issue. For a familiar issue, adding information to a weak threat appeal increases perceived severity. For an unfamiliar issue, adding information to a strong graphic threat appeal has a similar effect. Perceived severity of threat, perceived probability of occurrence, evoked fear and perceived coping efficacy have a significant effect on the intention to adopt the recommended behavior. For an unfamiliar issue, perceived efficacy and perceived probability of occurrence primarily have the greatest impact on coping intention. For a familiar issue, perceived severity, evoked fear and perceived efficacy determine coping intention.

The results substantially support the use of different message tactics for health threats that are either new or familiar for the target group.

Most studies have limited themselves to studying the impact of threat strength on perceived threat and response efficacy, on evoked fear and on message acceptance. The present study adds the contextual and message elements, namely issue familiarity and amount of information provided, the link of which with threat appeal has – as far to the authors' knowledge never been studied before in one integrated analysis.

Cyclone preparedness activities can significantly reduce household-related property damage and the negative knock-on effects. Research has found, however, that many people do not perform these behaviours. It is, therefore, important to understand why some people do, and others do not, perform such behaviours. This paper aims to investigate whether a commonly applied psychological theory of behaviour change can explain cyclone-specific preparedness behaviour.

This study used a cross-sectional survey design to examine the relationship between demographic factors, cyclone experience, psychological factors and preparedness behaviour. Informed by the protection motivation theory (PMT), it was hypothesised that perceived efficacy, perceived cost and self-efficacy would be the strongest predictors of preparedness behaviour. Data from 356 respondents living in a cyclone-prone region were analysed using multiple regression and mediation analysis with the PROCESS macro in SPSS.

In support of the hypothesis, it was found that perceived efficacy and perceived cost were the strongest psychological predictors of preparedness behaviour. Contradicting the hypothesis, however, self-efficacy was not a significant predictor of preparedness behaviour. Subsequent analysis indicated that people who have experienced cyclone damage perceive that preparedness measures are more effective for reducing damage, which, in turn, increases preparedness behaviour.

This paper provides empirical support for the application of the protective motivation theory for explaining cyclone-specific preparedness behaviour. More specifically, the results indicate that people are more likely prepare for cyclones if they perceive that preparedness activities are effective for reducing damage and are relatively inexpensive and easy to perform. The findings suggest that to promote cyclone preparedness, risk communicators need to emphasise the efficacy of preparedness and downplay the costs.

This study investigates the effect of protection motivation theory (PMT) constructs on Arab women's feelings while seeking information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study has adopted a mixed-method approach using semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire to explore PMT constructs' impact on women's feelings while seeking information on COVID-19. Several tests, such as standard deviation, mean, skewness, kurtosis and persons, were used to check the reliability of data and inter-relationships between constructs.

The study results show a significant positive correlation between PMT constructs (perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, response efficacy, self-efficacy and response cost) with the feelings of Arab women during information seeking on COVID-19. However, the relationship between threat appraisal and feelings during information seeking was more substantial than coping appraisal and feelings during information seeking. The researchers hope that this study creates a baseline of cross-cultural studies on PMT constructs' effect on women's feelings while seeking health information.

The current study was conducted on female participants only. While the study intended to examine Arab women's feelings during information seeking with PMT's application, the results may be affected by other factors that were not considered in the current study. Furthermore, the questionnaire was distributed in three Arab countries, which means that the results cannot be generalized in other geographical contexts. Therefore, similar studies need to be conducted in larger geographical areas as cultural factors may produce different results.

This study explores women's feelings while seeking COVID-19 information using the PMT constructs. As far as we know, this study is the first study to investigate Arab women's feelings while seeking health information during pandemics. PMT utilization is considered a new approach to discover and measure informational needs and feelings associated with it during pandemics.

Protection motivation theory (PMT) explains that the intention to cope with information security risks is based on informed threat and coping appraisals. However, people cannot always make appropriate assessments due to possible ignorance and cognitive biases. This study proposes a research model that introduces four antecedent factors from ignorance and bias perspectives into the PMT model and empirically tests this model with data from a survey of electronic waste (e-waste) handling.

The data collected from 356 Chinese samples are analyzed via structural equation modeling (SEM).

The results revealed that for threat appraisal, optimistic bias leads to a lower perception of risks. However, factual ignorance (lack of knowledge of risks) does not significantly affect the perceived threat. For coping appraisal, practical ignorance (lack of knowledge of coping with risks) leads to low response efficacy and self-efficacy and high perceptions of coping cost, but the illusion of control overestimates response efficacy and self-efficacy.

First, this study addresses a new type of information security problem in e-waste handling. Second, this study extends the PMT model by exploring the roles of ignorance and bias as antecedents. Finally, the authors reinvestigate the basic constructs of PMT to identify how rational threat and coping assessments affect user intentions to cope with data security risks.

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that affect managers’ ethical decision-making in export-oriented readymade garments in Bangladesh.

This is an empirical study based on the quantitative approach undertaking a cross-sectional survey method where a convenience sampling technique was applied. The analysis was done using partial least square structural equation model applying Smart-PLS version 3.0.

This study confirmed that all the components of cognitive appraisal processes, including perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, response efficacy and self-efficacy, have a significant influence on attitude. Attitude, in turn, mediates the relationship between these variables and the behavioural intention of ethical practice, except for perceived vulnerability. Besides, moral obligation is found to mediate the relationship between attitude, self-efficacy and the behavioural intention of ethical decision-making. The study also found that ethical climate and subjective norms have a direct influence on behavioural intention. Furthermore, behavioural intention, ethical climate and self-efficacy are positively related to actual decision-making behaviour. However, this study did not find any direct effect of subjective norms on moral obligation.

The organization should include an emphasis on building ethical culture and setting an ethical code of conduct within the organization to sustain ethical practice within employees. However, the practitioner should work on enhancing self-efficacy to curb unethical practices by individuals.

This research contributes to the management of garments manufacturers by a practical and theoretical understanding of what influences the ethical behavioural decision-making process. Valuable guidelines are provided on the ethical decision-making process in the garments manufacturing companies for future researchers.

To cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing mobile apps (CTMAs) have been developed to trace contact among infected individuals and alert people at risk of infection. To disrupt virus transmission until the majority of the population has been vaccinated, achieving the herd immunity threshold, CTMA continuance usage is essential in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. This study seeks to examine what motivates individuals to continue using CTMAs.

Following the coping theory, this study proposes a research model to examine CTMA continuance usage, conceptualizing opportunity appraisals (perceived usefulness and perceived distress relief), threat appraisals (privacy concerns) and secondary appraisals (perceived response efficacy) as the predictors of individuals' CTMA continuance usage during the pandemic. In the United States, an online survey was administered to 551 respondents.

The results revealed that perceived usefulness and response efficacy motivate CTMA continuance usage, while privacy concerns do not.

This study enriches the understanding of CTMA continuance usage during a public health crisis, and it offers practical recommendations for authorities.

The factors that motivate Generation Z individuals to use the Internet of Things for security purposes have yet to be explored. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to close a research gap by verifying the protection motivation theory using gender as a moderator.

The authors used a purposive sampling approach to collect data from Dhaka city, in which 370 valid responses were selected. Additionally, the quantitative and cross-sectional survey used a seven-point Likert scale. Afterward, the evaluation approach included three phases: a measurement model, a structural model and multi-group analysis.

Vulnerability, self-efficacy and response-efficacy were discovered to be critical predictors with a variance of 60.4%. Moreover, there was a significant disparity between males and females in two relationships, response efficacy and intention as well as response cost and intention.

This research expands our understanding of Generation Z consumers' behavioral intentions to take measures against household threats, allowing preventative programs to be improved. Further, in the case of applying coping strategies, a practical difference between males and females has been found that must be bridged through awareness campaigns.

This study has made a unique contribution to the information system literature. First, the role of protection motivation theory factors in addressing security concerns in homes has been assessed. Second, the coping evaluation process has a greater impact on users' intentions than the threat appraisal process. However, males and females use slightly different approaches to defending themselves against the threat.

The purpose of this study is to integrate the theory of planned behavior and the protection motivation theory to propose a theoretical framework for examining the influence of attitude, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms on international tourists’ intentions to select restaurants with contactless dining services (CDSs) as a protective behavior against COVID-19. This study further tested the moderation effects of subjective norms on attitude and perceived behavioral control links with intention.

In all, 344 international tourists completed questionnaires via QR-coded Google forms in Phuket Old Town and Patong Beach in Thailand. Data analysis was conducted by SPSS and Smart-PLS (partial least square).

Intention to select a restaurant with CDSs was influenced by attitude, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms. Subjective norms had a significant negative moderating effect on attitude and intention links. However, the moderation effect of tourists’ subjective norms on the connection between their perceived behavioral control and intention toward restaurant dining was not proved.

Providing CDSs could be a quick solution to decrease the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry.

This study incorporated CDSs to expand the application of the integrated model of theory of planned behavior and protection motivation theory as a theoretical basis in the restaurant industry to explain how international tourists’ behavioral choices may change during the pandemic in Thailand. This study also contributes to the travel risk literature by highlighting the influence of attitude anchored on risk and efficacy beliefs (perceived vulnerability, severity and response efficacy) in predicting protective behavioral intention.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of a senior service advertising campaign designed to increase volunteerism and financial donations among bystanders.

A cross-sectional mail survey was administered to 2,500 adults; 384 usable responses were obtained. Survey responses were analyzed by level of exposure and involvement in senior care.

High-involvement individuals viewed the ads more favorably and exhibited stronger senior caretaking intentions. Low-involvement consumers were less likely to see their own potential contributions to senior care services as effective.

Characterizing involvement in terms of awareness, awareness involvement, perceived severity and perceived susceptibility, provides a starting point for future examinations of the relationship between involvement, perceived efficacy and various forms of promotion.

From a practitioner’s standpoint, this study identifies specific features of campaign design and audience profiling that might increase the effectiveness of bystander interventions. This study offers not only constructs that can be used for identifying particular audience subsets but also illustrates the practical ways in which perceived susceptibility and perceived response efficacy to a given issue can be addressed through a mass media campaign.

Snowballing healthcare costs coupled with an avalanche of baby boomers entering the elderly phase of the life cycle make the need for bystander involvement in the lives of seniors increasingly important.

With limited theoretical and practical guidance on how to motivate bystanders to engage in prosocial behaviors, health communicators and marketers are challenged to address a vast range of public health issues that require citizen engagement. The research reviewed and presented here indicates the hope for engaging the public to become active players in making the nation a safer and healthier place.