Factors influencing post-COVID-19 protective behaviors: a retrospective study in Indonesia

Background The study examined the factors influencing post-COVID-19 health-related protective behaviors and their association with risk perception, government trust, and protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Method A retrospective, cross-sectional, proportional telephone survey was conducted for data collection between 2 November and 10 November 2024, involving 1200 participants (N = 1200). Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the influence and association between post-COVID-19 protective behaviors and risk perception, government trust, and protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results The Spearman correlation revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between each construct (P < .05). Risk perception showed a statistically significant correlation with all other constructs, including government trust, COVID-19 protective behaviors, and post-COVID-19 protective behaviors. Among these constructs, the correlation between during and post-COVID-19 protective behaviors was the strongest (r = 0.47, P < .05), and the odds ratio for increasing post-COVID-19 behaviors was 74% (95% confidence interval 1.96–2.9), P < .05. Furthermore, risk perception, government trust, and COVID-19 protective actions were significant predictors of post-COVID-19 protective behaviors (P < .05). Conclusion This study showed that all the factors examined—risk perception, trust in government, and protective behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic—were significant predictors of protective behaviors in the post-COVID-19 era.