JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the public has practiced healthy lifestyle behaviors ef-fectively. But as the pandemic subsides, there may be a phenomenon of "behavioral fatigue", where some individuals may not continue to engage in healthy behaviors. However, it is essential to maintain a high level of healthy behaviors in daily life for promoting personal health. Therefore, based on the Multi-Theory Model (MTM) of health behavior change and the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM), this study explores the factors influencing the maintenance of public health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic and after pandemic, to provide targeted advice for improving the maintenance level of public health behaviors. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire, based on the MTM and PADM. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the factors influencing the maintenance level of participants' health behaviors. The correlation analysis results showed a statistically significant relationship between each variable and the maintenance level of health behaviors. The results of SEM revealed that information sources, warning messages, and social cues have a significantly impact on risk perception with path coef-ficients of 0.789, -0.064, and -0.064, respectively. Social cues also significantly affected perceived effica-cy, with a path coefficient of 0.782. Additionally, risk perception, perceived efficacy, emotional transfor-mation, and change in practice have a significantly impact on the maintenance level of health behaviors, with path coefficients of -0.099, 0.386, 0.213, and 0.213, respectively. All the above path coefficients are significant at P<0.05. The study confirms that social cues have an impact on risk perception, efficacy percep-tion, and consequently maintenance of health behavior; warning messages and information sources have an impact on risk perception, and consequently health behavior maintenance. And emotional transfor-mation and practice for change positively influence the maintenance of public health behavior. It is rec-ommended that providing social tips, enlarging information channels, propagating the dangers of un-healthy behaviors and encouraging the public to transform their emotion and actively health practice even-tually promoting better maintain healthy behaviors.