ABSTRACT
During the pandemic, people around the world were invited to adopt a number of specific self-protection behaviours. These included regular and thorough washing hands, avoidance of face touching, and the use of face masks or other coverings. In this chapter, evidence is reviewed from around the world about the efficacy of nudge theory, social identity and group processes theory, the theory of planned behaviour and the COM-B approach as models for understanding this behaviour and encouraging public compliance. All four approaches were found to offer some useful insights into how to get people to adopt these behaviours, but none represented a perfect fit or could unilaterally provide explanations of all the potential reasons why people might or might not adhere to these health behaviour recommendations.
