Psychological Antecedents of the Intention to Open the Windows at Home and Exposure to a Ventilation Recommendation

Abstract

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ObjectiveThe psychological antecedents of the intention to open the windows at home were explored through the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), supplemented with Habits regarding the behavior and contextual factors.DesignA four-treatment design compared the effect of an exposure to a recommendation about home ventilation and the effect of one’s own awareness odors (negative vs. positive) as a manipulated variable. Two quasi-experimental online surveys were conducted. A student sample (Study 1; N = 159) was replicated with a general population sample (Study 2; N = 338).ResultsMultiple hierarchical regression models were conducted (3 for Study 1; 3 for Study 2). The extended TPB model provided stable predictors explaining around sixty percent of variance. Attitude and Habits were the main predictors of window openings, Perceived Behavioral control as a secondary predictor. Perceived Behavioral Control contributed significatively with a negative interaction with Attitudes. Odor awareness decreased Intention to manually ventilate. No effect of recommendation was observed.DiscussionThe results filled a gap in the literature about the willingness to manually ventilate at home and efficacy of a recommendation. Practical implications argue that beyond a generic recommendation, effective messages need to be tailored regarding the determinants of willingness to open the windows.

Keywords

• indoor air quality
• odor awareness
• habits
• health recommendations
• window-opening
• theory of planned behavior (TPB)