Linking Perceived Efficacy of Covid-19 vaccine, Risk Perception and Health Safe Behaviour in the Post-Covid-19 Era

Abstract

Covid-19 came with an unpredictable surge with severe effects on human-beings across the globe, causing both physical, social, economic, and psychological damage. Although safety protocols and restrictions on Covid-19 have been lifted, safety behaviour may be sustained. Using a cross-sectional design, this study examined the effect of perceived efficacy of Covid-19 vaccine, perceived risk likelihood and severity of Covid-19 on health safe behaviour and the mediating role of perceived risk severity and probability on the link between perceived efficacy of Covid-19 vaccine and health safety behaviour in the current post Covid-19 Era. Three hundred and ten teaching and non-teaching university staff members (152 males and 158 females with a mean age of 32.39) randomly sampled from 2 states in the south-east Nigeria, responded to scales measuring perceived efficacy of covid-19 vaccine, perceived risk probability and severity of Covid-19 and health safe behaviour. The results of the study show that higher perception of the efficacy of Covid-19 Vaccine encouraged health safe behaviour. Also Covid-19 perceived risk probability and severity were positively related to health safety behaviour. Implications of the study were discussed accordingly and basically, it was established that improved awareness on the probability and severity of contracting a disease can help improve safety behavior.