The use of self-protective measures to prevent COVID-19 spread: an application of the health belief model.

This study uses a health belief model to examine the preventive behavioral orientation or self-protective measures adopted by people in the face of the current COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 603 participants were selected from the city of Bangalore, India. The data was collected through an online survey with participants' age varying between 17 and 54 and mean as 23 years (SD = 4.32). The findings revealed that perceived barrier has significant negative impact, while perceived threat, perceived consequences, perceived benefits, community and individual self-efficacy, and general health cues have a positive influence on an individual's intention to follow self-protective measures against COVID-19. Based on the constructs of the health belief model, this study proposes multiple health-related interventions to reduce the spread of COVID-19.