Predicting preventive travel behaviors under the COVID-19 pandemic through an integration of Health Belief Model and Value-Belief-Norm

How COVID-19 has changed tourists' behaviour

As one of the fastest-growing sectors in many economies, tourism plays a key role in shaping national economic conditions and growth. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound impacts on tourist behaviour and psychology. Understanding tourists' behavioural and psychological responses to the pandemic is crucial for tourism businesses to manage and sustain post-COVID-19 tourism recovery. To address whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced tourists' thoughts and behaviours and the extent to which these changes might persist, we provide a narrative Review of the research on tourist behaviours and the psychological impacts of the pandemic. This Review delves into three themes: tourists' decision-making behaviour; the psychological impacts of the pandemic on tourists; and tourists' responses to crisis communication strategies. We argue that crisis communication strategies across sectors, pandemic-induced uncertainties and risks and psychological impacts were the predominant influences on tourists' travel decisions during the pandemic. We conclude by discussing which changes are likely to be sustained.

Effects of physical health beliefs on college students' physical exercise behavior intention: mediating effects of exercise imagery

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the relationship between physical health beliefs and physical exercise behavior intention of college students and constructs a mediation model through the mediation role of exercise imagery.

METHODS

Using the stratified cluster sampling method, 1356 college students were measured in group psychology by using the Physical Health Beliefs Scale, Exercise Imagery Inventory, and Physical Exercise Behavior Intention Scale. The statistical software Mplus 8.1, SPSS 22.0 and SPSS PROCESS 3.3 were used for statistical processing. The common method deviation test was carried out by Harman single-factor control method. Finally, the bootstrap sampling test method and process plug-in were used to test the significance of intermediary effect.

RESULTS

(1) physical health beliefs have a significant predictive effect on physical exercise behavior intention (β = 0.32, p < 0.001); (2) exercise imagery (β = 0.13, p < 0.001) mediate the relationship between physical health beliefs and physical exercise behavior intention (physical health beliefs → exercise imagery → physical exercise behavior intention (95% Cl: 0.14, 0.32)).

CONCLUSION

physical health beliefs can directly improve the physical exercise behavior intention of college students, which can also affect college students' physical exercise behavior intention indirectly through exercise imagery. The findings suggest that exercise imagery are important variables that mediate the effect of the college students' physical health beliefs on their physical exercise behavior intention.

Exploring the factors influencing the intention to clothing and textiles recycling among Chinese college students': a study based on TPB and VBN

Recycling apparel and fabrics is essential for preserving resources and protecting the environment, providing considerable global advantages for ecology and society. This study sought to explore the participation of Chinese college students in the recycling of clothing and fabrics by combining the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Value-Belief-Norm theory (VBN), self-identity, school education, and perceived policy effectiveness to create a comprehensive model. A total of 1,027 valid samples were obtained through stratified sampling and random sampling, primarily sourced from Eastern China, and analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) utilizing AMOS. The results of the research suggested the following: (1) College students' biospheric values emerged as the most influential factor in predicting their inclination to participate in recycling behavior. (2) VBN (encompassing biospheric and altruistic values) and self-identity significantly contributed to shaping attitude and perceived behavioral control, which in turn impacted individuals' intention to participate in recycling. (3) School education exerted a stronger moderating influence than perceived policy effectiveness on the relationship between attitude, perceived behavioral control, and intention. The comprehensive model proposed in this study demonstrated superior predictive capability in explaining college students' willingness to participate in clothing and textiles recycling. It has been proven to be practical and effective. Lastly, schools should promote the practice of clothing and textiles recycling, cultivate good values, and utilize the power of social influence to encourage college students to participate in clothing and textiles recycling. The government should improve relevant laws and regulations, collaborate with academia, and adopt measures like incentives to create a pro-environment atmosphere.

Modelling the mass consumption potential of organic food: Evidence from an emerging economy

The deterioration of the environment, shortage of resources, and frequent occurrence of food safety issues have made people increasingly concerned about themselves while maintaining their health and protecting the environment through food. Organic food, as a healthy and eco-friendly option, is gradually gaining attention. Based on the value-belief-norm theory, this study explores why individuals consume organic food and the range of factors that lead to this consumer behavior. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and collected quantitative data from conveniently selected 300 youth participants in Bangladesh using an online survey. The findings revealed that health values and motivation have a significant positive effect on healthy eating beliefs, which, together with the awareness of the consequences, affect personal norms toward organic food consumption. Personal norms also have a significant positive effect on organic food consumption behavior among Bangladeshi youth. Finally, trust on organic food positively moderates the effect of personal norms on organic food consumption. The findings of this study are expected to foster the development of a comprehensive framework to promote programs and policies focused on organic and healthy food consumption culture among youth in developing nations.

Linking Cultural Tightness, Components of Norm Activation and COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors among University Students: Evidence from Beijing, China

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has imposed greater challenges and more stringent requirements on higher education institutions (HEIs). However, limited empirical research has been devoted to identifying external and internal factors that may promote individual preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic within the higher education context. This study proposed and examined an extended norm activation model (NAM) concerning the relationships among cultural tightness, original NAM components, and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 3693 university students from 18 universities in Beijing, China. The results showed that cultural tightness was positively associated with respondents' COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Three original NAM variables, namely, awareness of consequences, the ascription of responsibility, and personal norms, played a chain mediating role in the relationship between cultural tightness and COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications regarding the findings of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

What Factors Will Influence Chinese International Traveling for Leisure in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Role of Health Priorities and Health-Related Information Literacy

China used to be the world's leading nation in terms of international (outward) tourism till the COVID-19 outbreak. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis, several new macro and micro-level factors might affect their international (outward) traveling behavior. The purpose of the current research was to examine the avoidance of international traveling for leisure in the Chinese population. The goal of the study was to highlight the importance of information self-efficacy and digital literacy as the key factors influencing tourists' traveling readiness. To achieve the goal, the study adapted the quantitative instruments from existing sources to map media exhaustion, information overload, and perceived health concerns, i.e., perceived effectiveness of health-protective measures, fear of new possible outbreaks, and pandemic crisis at source and destination. Chinese citizens' opinions were collected during the third quarter of the year 2022. Specifically, the quantitative survey from China collected a total number of 1308 respondents. This study used the statistical analysis software SPSS to analyze collected data. The findings conclude that the role of media is pivotal to shaping and predicting future trends in tourism preferences, perception of protective measures against COVID-19, and perceived seriousness of the pandemic crisis in the Chinese population. In addition, technology readiness (as hard self-efficacy) and health-related information literacy (soft self-efficacy) are critical to cope with the dark aspects of information exhaustion, overload, and pandemic seriousness in the post-truth era. The study is unique, as it examines the role of the seriousness of the pandemic at its source and destination and fear of new outbreaks simultaneously, underlining the potential future of immersive tourism (i.e., virtual reality, augmented reality, or mixed reality-based tourism). This study has drawn interesting theoretical and practical implications for researchers, policymakers, and academicians.