Measuring the impact of message format about handwashing on behavioural intentions in the first weeks of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented threat to global health. During times of public health crises, governments and healthcare practitioners must effectively communicate preventive guidelines to the public to reduce viral transmission. Public compliance with recommended health behaviours is essential to the success of the overall pandemic response. This online experiment investigated the persuasiveness of visual message format on COVID-19 handwashing guidelines on people's behavioural intentions. A total of 350 participants, recruited through Amazon's MTurk, were randomly assigned to one of three information format conditions: text, infographic, or video. Results indicated that perceived severity, benefits, self-efficacy, cues to action, and perceived barriers significantly predicted people's intentions to comply with suggested preventive guidelines. There were no significant differences between the three information formats, in terms of behavioural intentions. These results have consequences for identifying and implementing public health strategies for a global health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve higher citizen engagement, and for understanding future emerging infectious disease preparedness.