Adoption of Non-Technological Health Innovations: The Case of Mask Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil

ABSTRACT The use of masks to prevent COVID-19 infections generated much controversy and disagreements among the population, infectious disease specialists, and government representatives. Western countries were not used to using facial masks, and their adoption can be considered a non-technological innovation. This article explores the determinants of the intention to adopt, the actual use, and the continued intention to use a facemask to prevent COVID-19 infections in Brazil. Through structural equation modeling (SEM), relationships between constructs from the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the construct of trust in the authorities were applied to test the study’s hypotheses. The results suggest that perceived behavior control, subjective norms, and trust in the authorities are significant motivators for the actual use and continued intention to use facial masks in Brazil.

摘要：为预防新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）感染而佩戴口罩的举措，在民众、传染病专家与政府官员之间引发了诸多争议与分歧。西方国家民众平素并无佩戴口罩的习惯，因此口罩的普及可被视为一项非技术类创新。本文以巴西为研究场景，探讨民众采纳口罩以预防COVID-19感染的意愿、实际佩戴行为及持续使用意愿的影响因素。本研究采用结构方程模型（structural equation modeling，SEM），将计划行为理论（theory of planned behavior，TPB）的相关构念与民众对公共权威的信任构念之间的关联纳入分析框架，以此检验本研究提出的各项假设。研究结果表明，感知行为控制、主观规范以及对公共权威的信任，是影响巴西民众实际佩戴口罩及持续使用口罩意愿的重要驱动因素。