"Using the health action process approach to predict facemask use and hand washing in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in China" by Dr Guangyu Zhou was published in Current Psychology. The paper reveals the determinants of individual hand washing and mask wearing behavior in the early stage of COVID-19 outbreak. During COVID-19 pandemic, wearing masks and hand washing are effective ways to reduce the risk of transmission and infection. Studying the factors and mechanisms that determine these two behaviors is important to promote the adoption and adherence of preventive health behaviors by the public. The health action process approach (HAPA) provides an effective social cognitive framework for modelling the determinants of health behaviors, and few studies have applied HAPA to predict preventive behaviors against COVID-19.

Based on the HAPA, the present study explored the determinants of protective behavior in the early stage of COVID-19 outbreak. The results showed that action self-efficacy had a significant direct effect on intention, intention and action control had a significant direct effect on protective behavior intention, and action control played a significant mediating role in the process of intention having an effect on protective behavior.

This study extends the applicability of the HAPA model, helps to understand the factors influencing the wearing of masks and hand washing among the public, and provides a psychological evidence for improving the public adherence to health protective behaviors during pandemics. The results suggest that individual action self-efficacy, action control and other factors should be considered in the intervention.

The first author is Miss Chao Kei Lao and corresponding author is Dr Guangyu Zhou. This study was co-conducted by Dr Guangyu Zhou from the School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University. The study was supported by National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital). Grant numbers: NCRC2021M10.

Lao, C. K., Li, X., Zhao, N., Gou, M., & Zhou, G. (2021). Using the health action process approach to predict facemask use and hand washing in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Current Psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), , 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01985-0