From a social-psychological perspective, this paper studies people’s protective behavior in response to health risks posed by air pollution. A questionnaire survey was conducted in Haidian, Chaoyang, Xicheng and Fengtai Districts in Beijing, and a sample of 993 respondents based on quota sampling techniques was collected. Based on Health Belief Model, ordinary least square regression was used for examining determinants of protective behaviors. The key finding is that the predictors of the adaptation behavior are consistent with the basic constructs for explaining health protective behavior in the health domain, which are perceived level of risk, perceived barriers, and perceived effectiveness. The result supports the thought of borrowing knowledge from the health domain to the environmental domain in designing policy instruments to cope with environmental risks.