Determinants of Beijing Residents’ Intentions to Take Protective Behaviors against Smog: An Application of the Health Belief Model

ABSTRACT

Severe smog, a form of air pollution, has become a threat to public health in Beijing, China. To examine Beijing residents’ protective behavioral intentions against smog, we proposed a conceptual model, which applies the health belief model (HBM) and specifies the roles of three distal predictors: exposure to news, discussion, and worry. The proposed model was tested in the context of protective behavioral intentions (i.e., intention to wear facemask & intention to use air purifier). Data were collected from Beijing residents during the period from 2/27 to 3/7 in 2017. Structural-equation-modeling (SEM) analyses of valid cases (N = 523) found support for the health belief model regarding the positive effects of perceived threat, perceived benefit, and perceived self-efficacy on intention to wear facemask or intention to use air purifier. Perceived barrier has a negative effect on intention to use air purifier, but is not related to intention to wear facemask. Neither exposure nor discussion is related to perceived threat. The effect of worry on intention to wear facemaskor intention to use air purifier is mediated by perceived threat. This proposed mediating mechanism is superior to the reverse mechanism (that worry mediates perceived threat). Implications of findings were discussed.

Notes

1. It is considered “Very Unhealthy” when the 24-hour average level of PM_2.5 (tiny particles or droplets in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in width; NYS Department of Health, 2018) is over 150 µg/m³; it is considered “Hazardous” when the 24-hour average level of PM_2.5 is over 250 µg/m³ (Aqicn.org, 2013).

2. A bilingual researcher translated the original English questionnaire into Chinese. Then the second bilingual researcher translated the Chinese version back into English, without having access to the original English version. Both English versions were compared, then the first researcher modified the Chinese and the second researcher translated the modified Chinese back into English again. This procedure was repeated until no inconsistency was found in the meaning between the two versions.

3. It is plausible that any two of the variables in this study are correlated with each other, although some correlations may be stronger than others. Methodologically, SEM analysis only allows exogenous (i.e., independent) variables to be correlated with each other; SEM analysis does not allow an endogenous (i.e., dependent) variable to be correlated with any other variable (either exogenous or endogenous; Pitblado, 2013). However, the error variable of an endogenous variable (which is itself exogenous) is allowed to be correlated with any exogenous variable.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China under Grant (15CGL063) and Grant (17ZDA288); the Beijing Social Science Fund under Grant (16JDGLB026).