Health Beliefs, Protective Behaviors, and Information-Seeking

Background The outbreak of COVID-19 caused severe damage to public health globally and served as a stark reminder of the potential for future pandemics. Promoting protective behaviors to prevent the spread of any contagious disease thus remains a priority. Although research has shown that health beliefs can affect protective behaviors, few studies have examined the role of information-seeking in this relationship. Objectives On the basis of the health belief model, this research focused on whether health beliefs affect personal protective behaviors through health information-seeking behaviors. Methods This cross-sectional study with a causal–comparative design used an online questionnaire to investigate the Taiwanese public's health beliefs, protective behaviors, and information-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Results Between September 2021 and January 2022, 322 valid questionnaires were collected. The results revealed that the effects of two health beliefs—self-efficacy and perceived benefits—on handwashing, social distancing, practicing good cough etiquette, and keeping one's environment clean and well ventilated were partially mediated by the frequency of official information-seeking. Discussion Results of this study support the regular and timely promotion of pandemic prevention measures through official sites. Promoting official information-seeking can help enhance protective behaviors.