Table 1. Operational definitions of variables

Variable		Operational definition	Reference
Risk perception	Severity	The seriousness of the consequences of the health problem.	Rimal et al. (2009);Turner et al. (2006)
	Susceptibility	The likelihood that one would experience a certain health problem.
Efficacy beliefs	Self-efficacy	The extent to which people believe they are capable of performing specific behaviors to attain certain goals.	Rimal and Real (2003);Turner et al. (2006)
	Response efficacy	The extent to which people believe that a recommended response is effective at deterring or alleviating a health threat.
Subjective norms		Individuals’ awareness about the beliefs and action of others.	Fishbein and Ajzen (1977);Greene, Hale, and Rubin (1997)
Information seeking		Intention to seek information, behavioral intention, and knowledge acquisition.	Rimal and Real (2003)