Role of knowledge, behavior, norms, and e-guidelines in controlling the spread of COVID-19: evidence from Pakistan
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ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND THE EPIDEMICS OF COVID-19
Role of knowledge, behavior, norms, and e-guidelines in controlling the spread of COVID-19: evidence from Pakistan Ali Raza 1 & Qamar Ali 2 & Tanveer Hussain 3 Received: 8 May 2020 / Accepted: 20 September 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic is straining public health systems and the global economy, triggering unprecedented measures by governments around the globe. The adoption of a preventive measure is required to control the spread. This research explores the impact of influencing factors like COVID-19 knowledge, behavioral control, moral and subject norms, preventive e-guidelines by the government, and environmental factors on the intention to prevent COVID-19 and risk aversion. A cross-sectional study was performed of 310 respondents about different COVID-19 related influencing factors in Pakistan. The partial least squarestructural equation modeling was applied to estimate the path coefficient. Moral and subject norms (0.359) had a comparatively higher path coefficient. Other influencing factors/drivers were preventive e-guideline by the government (0.215) followed by COVID-19 knowledge (0.197), and behavioral control (0.121). The intention to prevent COVID-19 showed a positive and significant impact (0.705) on risk aversion. The indirect analysis also confirmed that the positive influence of moral and subject norms, COVID-19 knowledge, preventive e-guideline by the government, and behavioral control on risk aversion. However, the path coefficient of environmental factors was negative but insignificant, which implies than environmental factors do not influence the intention to prevent COVID-19. It is suggested to provide clear guidelines using print, social, electronic media. It is also suggested to provide e-guidelines in local languages. The COVID-19 knowledge about its transmission, symptoms, and precautions is also useful. It is suggested to include the causes, symptoms, and precaution of viral diseases in the educational syllabus. The government should ensure the availability of preventive medical items like surgical masks and sanitizers to meet the demand of the public. Keywords Behavior . Environment . COVID-19 knowledge . Pandemic . PLS-SEM . SARS-CoV-2
Introduction
Responsible Editor: Lotfi Aleya * Tanveer Hussain [email protected] Ali Raza [email protected] Qamar Ali [email protected] 1
Department of Molecular Biology, Virtual University of Pakistan-Faisalabad Campus, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
2
Department of Economics, Virtual University of Pakistan-Faisalabad Campus, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
3
Department of Molecular Biology, Virtual University of Pakistan, -54000, Lahore, Pakistan
The epidemiological dynamics of many infectious diseases depend upon environmental factors (Shi et al. 2020). The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was linked with environmental factors (Sobral et al. 2020). Epidemiological research explored the association between coron
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