Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1439749

Perceived Protective Behavioral Changes in Chinese Residents Post-Dynamic Zero-COVID Policy Lifting: A Cross-Sectional Study

Provisionally accepted
Yuan-Yuan Song Yuan-Yuan Song 1Ling Xu Ling Xu 2*Dan Liu Dan Liu 3Mei Feng Mei Feng 2*Cui Yang Cui Yang 2Yan Jiang Yan Jiang 4Ying Wu Ying Wu 2*
  • 1 Department of Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 4 Department of Nursing/Evidence-based Nursing Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To investigate how Chinese residents perceived changes in their protective behaviors in the early stage after the lifting of the dynamic zero-COVID policy, and to explore the associations between the overall perceived change and factors such as demographic and health-related information, COVID-19 related perceptions, negative emotions, and coping styles. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 798 Chinese residents who completed an online questionnaire between 16 and 25 December 2022. The questionnaire covered demographic and health-related information, COVID-19 related perceptions, negative emotions, coping styles, and perceived changes in protective behaviors. Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the overall perceived change in protective behaviors. Results: The mean score for perceived protective behavioral change among participants was 61.38 (SD = 10.20), which was significantly higher than the hypothesized no-change value of 49 (p < 0.001). The mean scores for the two vaccination-related items were significantly greater than the hypothesized no-change value of 2 (p < 0.001). The mean scores for the remaining 15 behaviors were significantly greater than the hypothesized no-change value of 3 (p < 0.001). Among all behaviors, avoiding dining out or gathering with friends had the highest mean score (Mean = 4.16), while engaging in regular physical activity had the lowest (Mean = 3.32). Avoiding dining out or gathering with friends had the highest percentage of individuals reporting an increase (71.3%), whereas maintaining a social distance of more than one meter had the highest percentage of individuals reporting a decrease (17.5%). Regression analysis indicated that age, worry, positive coping, female sex, negative coping, and perceived severity were associated with the overall perceived change in protective behaviors, with worry being the most predictive variable. Conclusions: This study suggested that Chinese residents perceived an increase in their protective behaviors during this period, with varying magnitudes across behaviors. We identified some potentially modifiable factors associated with perceived protective behavioral change, with worry emerging as the strongest predictor, followed by positive coping, negative coping, and perceived severity. These insights offer valuable information for developing effective communication strategies, psychological support, and comprehensive models in health behavior research.

    Keywords: COVID-19, Public Policy, Perceived behavioral change, Coping styles, Negative emotions, Risk Perception, Protective behaviors

    Received: 28 May 2024; Accepted: 16 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Song, Xu, Liu, Feng, Yang, Jiang and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ling Xu, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
    Mei Feng, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
    Ying Wu, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.