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Published on: March 15, 2019
Psychosocial correlates of face-touching mitigation behaviors in public and private
Jiahua Yang1, Andy J King2, Deena Kemp3
1The Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations, Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Center for Health Communication, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TXs, USA.
Abstract:
This study investigates psychosocial factors that influence people's face-touching mitigation behaviors. A nationwide survey was conducted online, and the results showed that perceived risk severity of touching face, and barriers and self-efficacy of not touching face were stable predictors. COVID-19 was related to a higher likelihood of mitigation behavior in public spaces. This study provides important implications to health communication and promotion for COVID-19 and general infection control.
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