The purpose of this study is to test one of the theories of persuasive health communication that have been applied to COVID-19 in a different cultural context in order to understand this model needs to be adapted for a global pandemic. By utilizing a survey, this study used the health belief model (HBM) to test whether using the components of HBM cues affect behavioral intentions to follow government-enforced health policies to contain COVID-19. The results of this study led to conclude that cultural differences do exist, but the tools to theorize about these differences need to be developed and refined. The findings reported in this study highlight contributions to the use of the HBM in non-Western contexts in both research and practice.
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