{"title":"Indoor Air Quality: Predicting and Comparing Protective Behaviors in Germany and Portugal","authors":"Inês Veiga, Mijail Naranjo-Zolotov, Ricardo Martins, Tiago Oliveira, Stylianos Karatzas","doi":"10.1155/2024/3006342","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigates the adoption of indoor air quality (IAQ) management technologies in Germany and Portugal, focusing on the common and differentiating factors influencing individuals’ motivations and the perceived health impacts of these technologies. Utilizing a model based on the protection motivation theory, we surveyed 800 participants (400 from each country) to understand how their perceptions of the risks associated with poor IAQ and their evaluations of the effectiveness and costs of technologies like air purifiers and sensors drive the adoption intention of these technologies and well-being of individuals. To estimate the complex relationships in our model, we employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our model explains nearly 50% of the variance in well-being for both countries. The results revealed significant differences in the factors driving technology adoption: Germans are primarily motivated by individual efficacy and personal responsibility with the people close to them. Regarding the similarities, participants from both countries value the technology’s effectiveness in improving IAQ and do not see being vulnerable to health issues derived from poor IAQ as a motivator. These insights highlight the need for strategies that are tailored to specific cultural and national contexts to promote the adoption of IAQ management technologies, aiming to enhance IAQ and public health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":13529,"journal":{"name":"Indoor air","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1155/2024/3006342","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Indoor air","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2024/3006342","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study investigates the adoption of indoor air quality (IAQ) management technologies in Germany and Portugal, focusing on the common and differentiating factors influencing individuals’ motivations and the perceived health impacts of these technologies. Utilizing a model based on the protection motivation theory, we surveyed 800 participants (400 from each country) to understand how their perceptions of the risks associated with poor IAQ and their evaluations of the effectiveness and costs of technologies like air purifiers and sensors drive the adoption intention of these technologies and well-being of individuals. To estimate the complex relationships in our model, we employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our model explains nearly 50% of the variance in well-being for both countries. The results revealed significant differences in the factors driving technology adoption: Germans are primarily motivated by individual efficacy and personal responsibility with the people close to them. Regarding the similarities, participants from both countries value the technology’s effectiveness in improving IAQ and do not see being vulnerable to health issues derived from poor IAQ as a motivator. These insights highlight the need for strategies that are tailored to specific cultural and national contexts to promote the adoption of IAQ management technologies, aiming to enhance IAQ and public health outcomes.
期刊介绍:
The quality of the environment within buildings is a topic of major importance for public health.
Indoor Air provides a location for reporting original research results in the broad area defined by the indoor environment of non-industrial buildings. An international journal with multidisciplinary content, Indoor Air publishes papers reflecting the broad categories of interest in this field: health effects; thermal comfort; monitoring and modelling; source characterization; ventilation and other environmental control techniques.
The research results present the basic information to allow designers, building owners, and operators to provide a healthy and comfortable environment for building occupants, as well as giving medical practitioners information on how to deal with illnesses related to the indoor environment.