COVID-19 preventive behaviors and digital health communication media usage model

More than two years have passed, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is yet to be completely resolved. Campaigns on COVID-19 preventive behaviors have become crucial in tackling this issue among the public. Persuading the public to practice COVID-19 preventive behaviors remains to be a challenge. The current research aims to develop and test a model that can explain COVID-19 preventive behaviors by considering two factors: digital communication and psychological factors. This study employed a quantitative approach, wherein data were collected through an online survey. The sample consisted of 358 participants. Samples were selected using the purposive sampling method. SEM-PLS was used as an analytical tool in this study. The results of this research indicate that COVID-19 preventive behaviors are directly and positively influenced by behavioral intentions, digital media platforms, and communication exposure. Furthermore, COVID-19 preventive behaviors are indirectly influenced by perceived threat, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, awareness, knowledge, attitude, and message characteristics. Meanwhile, source credibility was proven to have neither direct nor indirect influence on COVID-19 preventive behaviors.