Should we take care of each other? Enhancing COVID-19 protective behaviors, a study in Chile, Mexico, and Colombia

The literature has suggested that social norms and perceptions of risk and severity are critical variables in predicting protective health behaviors. Using an integrative conceptual framework, this study evaluates educational level, socioeconomic status, injunctive pro-care norms, perception of risk...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of Pacific Rim psychology Vol. 17
Main Authors Salazar-Fernández, Camila, Baeza-Rivera, María José, Salinas-Oñate, Natalia, Manríquez-Robles, Diego
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.01.2023
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects
Coronaviruses
COVID-19 vaccines
Health behavior
Immunization
Pandemics
Perceptions
Social norms
Sociodemographics
Threats
Variables
Chile
Colombia
Mexico
coronavirus
social norms
severity perception
compliance
protective behaviors
risk perception
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Summary:The literature has suggested that social norms and perceptions of risk and severity are critical variables in predicting protective health behaviors. Using an integrative conceptual framework, this study evaluates educational level, socioeconomic status, injunctive pro-care norms, perception of risk, and severity of COVID-19 as predictors of hygiene behaviors, mask use, and physical distancing. Participants included 2,075 adults from Chile, Mexico, and Colombia, three countries with the worst pandemic management. A structural equation model including the hypothesized structure of relations among the study variables fitted the data well and was invariant among Chilean, Mexican, and Colombian data. As proposed, injunctive pro-care norms against COVID-19 predicted protective health behaviors directly and indirectly through the perception of the risk and severity of COVID-19, and educational level predicted pro-care norms against COVID-19. These findings are essential in light of the development of prevention campaigns and the promotion of COVID-19 care strategies.
ISSN:1834-4909
1834-4909
DOI:10.1177/18344909231181763