Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Risk Perceptions and Motivations for COVID-19 Preventive Measures Based on EPPM—A Polish Qualitative Pilot Study

Katarzyna Domosławska-Żylińska, Magdalena Krysińska-Pisarek, Katarzyna Czabanowska and Giulia Sesa ()
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Katarzyna Domosławska-Żylińska: Department of Education and Communication in Public Health, National Institute of Public Health NIH—National Research Institute, Chocimska 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland
Magdalena Krysińska-Pisarek: Department of Education and Communication in Public Health, National Institute of Public Health NIH—National Research Institute, Chocimska 24, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland
Katarzyna Czabanowska: Department of International Health, Care and Public Health Research Institute CAPHRI, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Duboisdomain 30, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands
Giulia Sesa: Department of International Health, Care and Public Health Research Institute CAPHRI, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Duboisdomain 30, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: COVID-19 has been a “major interrupting event” during which individuals largely relied on intuitive risk perceptions as precursors of COVID-19 health behaviors. Given the strong correlation between risk perceptions and the adoption of preventive measures, this pilot study attempts to explore how Polish society perceives COVID-19 health risks from the point of view of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) constitutes the basis for this research. Two focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted, one with participants who had received COVID-19 vaccinations and the other with participants who had not. Conventional and directed content analyses were used to examine the data from the FGDs. Five categories emerged from the data: COVID-19 risk perceptions, coping with the pandemic, sources of knowledge, distrust, and pandemic fatigue. All categories fit into the theoretical constructs of the EPPM. Both groups have a high-perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 infection and recognize its seriousness. Individuals also have a high perceived response self-efficacy, given their awareness of COVID-19 preventive measures and how these should be applied. Nonetheless, particularly the unvaccinated, are skeptical about the effectiveness of the implemented measures, showing low perceived response efficacy. Future communication strategies should target the effectiveness of COVID-19 preventive measures, and one’s perceived response efficacy, to improve adherence to public health measures.

Keywords: COVID-19; risk perceptions; COVID-19 preventive measures; qualitative research; extended parallel process model; risk communication; Poland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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