ABSTRACT
In late 2019 and 2020, the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus spread worldwide and resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic, the second deadliest pandemic in modern history since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Since the virus was novel, no therapeutics and vaccines existed. Effective implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions was essential to reducing the transmission of the disease until the discovery of effective therapeutics and vaccines. This study explores the influence of the facilitating protective action attribute on adopting mask-wearing as a protective action in Ya'an, Sichuan Province, China. The study found that perceptions of mask effectiveness to reduce the probability of contracting and spreading the disease, positive social influences, and the influence of an alert emotion shaped the facilitating protective action attribute and the adoption of mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research also revealed a significant positive correlation between the expected consequences from contracting COVID-19, the influence of both the alert and positive emotions, and information sources on the adoption of mask-wearing as a protective action. Lastly, expected consequences from exposure, indirectly affected by age, and information from authorities directly affected the adoption of the recommended protective action. The significance of both expected consequences and information from authorities affected the adoption of the recommended action. The finding suggested what actions public health, public policy, and emergency management leadership can take to enhance the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the spread of disease during future pandemics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)