Social Media as a Catalyst for Sustainable Public Health Practices: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of Protective Behaviors in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite the widespread use of crisis communication on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, the mechanisms with which social media influence crisis-related behavioral coping have been insufficiently explored. By integrating the Social-Mediated Crisis Communication (SMCC) model with the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM), this study investigates how individuals’ protective actions are influenced by crisis-related information disseminated through social media, particularly focusing on the mediating effects of risk perception and emotional responses. This study examines two special periods: the initial outbreak (January–April 2020) and the subsequent period (May–December 2020). The results indicate that the dissemination of crisis-related information on social media platforms has significant positive associations with individuals’ risk perception, information sharing, and protective actions throughout the public health crisis. Notably, information gathering showed a positive relationship with protective actions during the initial outbreak. The study identified a chain mediation effect of emotional response and risk perception in the relationship between information dissemination and information sharing during and after the initial outbreak. Additionally, risk perception emerged as a partial mediator between information dissemination and information gathering during the subsequent period. This study enhances our understanding of the psychological mechanisms through which social media crisis communication influences collective coping responses in China, providing valuable insights for practitioners aiming to optimize crisis information dissemination strategies that promote sustainable protective behaviors on social media platforms.