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Zhao S, Zhou J, Wang T. Evolving policies, enduring impacts: Cross-sectional surveys of mental health, risk-related perceptions, and coping behaviors throughout China's U-turn in its stringent zero-COVID policy. J Clin Psychol 2024; 80:1528-1551. [PMID: 38488659 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE China's early encounter with COVID-19 and protracted prevention policies, presents an ideal case to study psychological changes during a prolonged and evolving crisis. This study aims to examine the shifts in mental health symptoms, risk-related perceptions, and associated coping behaviors within two large-scale samples of Chinese respondents, spanning from the pandemic's onset to the relaxation of the zero-COVID policy. Moreover, the study strives to identify protective factors that could potentially mitigate the pandemic's impact. METHODS Two online surveys were conducted during China's initial pandemic phase (February 25-28, 2020) and the relaxation of the zero-COVID policy (March 30-April 18, 2023). Participants' mental health indicators, risk-related perceptions, and coping behaviors were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items, the 9-item Bergen Burnout Inventory, and other adopted scales. Multivariable linear models were employed to examine the enduring psychological impact of the pandemic and identify potential protective factors. RESULTS Analysis of two datasets comprising 1946 and 1878 participants from the onset and the remission of China's COVID-19 pandemic revealed an upward trend in various mental health indicators of Chinese respondents between 2020 and 2023. Similarly, risk-related perceptions, encompassing perceived severity, susceptibility, and self-efficacy, and risk-related information sharing witnessed an increase. Being female, single, residing in rural areas, having higher education, and lacking acquaintances with COVID-19 are protective factors against mental health risks. Additionally, being female, married, over 30, living in big cities, having higher education, and lacking personal or acquaintances' infection history are associated with engaging in protective behaviors and reduced information avoidance. CONCLUSION The study investigated the changes in mental health symptoms, risk-related perceptions, and coping behaviors of Chinese respondents between 2020 and 2023 and identified protective factors against the pandemic's impact, including demographic (gender, age), social (education, marital status, residence), and exposure (infection history) elements. Understanding these fluctuations and protective elements is crucial for policymakers, as it can inform the development of targeted strategies to alleviate negative psychological impacts while effectively managing future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuguang Zhao
- Research Center of Journalism and Social Development, School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Jue Zhou
- New Era International Communication Research Institute, Renmin University of China, Beijing
| | - Ting Wang
- New Era International Communication Research Institute, Renmin University of China, Beijing
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Schoultz M, Mcgrogan C, Carolan C, Macaden L, Beattie M. Exploring barriers to care home research recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic: The influence of social media recruitment posts and public sentiment. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303609. [PMID: 38905189 PMCID: PMC11192410 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recruitment of care home staff to research studies is recognised as challenging. This was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated negative media portrayal of care home workers. Social media use has surged since the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, offering a plausible approach to understanding the barriers to care home research recruitment and gaining insight into public perceptions of care home workers. AIM To utilise comments from two Facebook recruitment posts to: 1) gain an understanding of potential barriers to recruitment of healthcare workers (HCWs) in UK care homes, and 2) explore public sentiment towards care home research and care homes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS This cross-sectional study analysed comments from two Facebook posts (available June-October 2021) advertising a separate study on psychological support for care staff during the pandemic. This study was situated within a larger investigation into the mental health and wellbeing of care home staff and employed both qualitative analysis and quantitative methods (word count and correlations between words used and between posts). RESULTS Three themes were identified from the qualitative analysis: support, mistrust and blame. There was a greater use of words associated with support and negative emotive words in post 2. Post 2 comments featured significantly more choice words and first-person singular pronouns than post 1 which indicated a resentful sentiment from those who advocate freedom of choice and control. Discussion of mistrust towards researchers was most prominent in post 1 indicating the importance of relationship building between researchers and HCWs in UK care homes. With attribution to blame, there was a larger range of negative emotion words than positive emotion words. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Taken together our findings offer novel insights into why recruitment to care home research during the pandemic including the use of social media might be problematic. Social media is a useful tool for recruitment but should not be considered as a one-time input. Researchers should pro-actively engage with the study population from the start using co-design with resident and public groups to support recruitment and ensure these populations are accurately represented within research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariyana Schoultz
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Mcgrogan
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Clare Carolan
- Centre for Rural Health Sciences, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, United Kingdom
| | - Leah Macaden
- Nursing Studies, School of Health in Social Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Beattie
- Centre for Rural Health Sciences, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, United Kingdom
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Hua Y, Wu J, Lin S, Li M, Zhang Y, Foer D, Wang S, Zhou P, Yang J, Zhou L. Streamlining social media information retrieval for public health research with deep learning. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2024; 31:1569-1577. [PMID: 38718216 PMCID: PMC11187427 DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocae118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Social media-based public health research is crucial for epidemic surveillance, but most studies identify relevant corpora with keyword-matching. This study develops a system to streamline the process of curating colloquial medical dictionaries. We demonstrate the pipeline by curating a Unified Medical Language System (UMLS)-colloquial symptom dictionary from COVID-19-related tweets as proof of concept. METHODS COVID-19-related tweets from February 1, 2020, to April 30, 2022 were used. The pipeline includes three modules: a named entity recognition module to detect symptoms in tweets; an entity normalization module to aggregate detected entities; and a mapping module that iteratively maps entities to Unified Medical Language System concepts. A random 500 entity samples were drawn from the final dictionary for accuracy validation. Additionally, we conducted a symptom frequency distribution analysis to compare our dictionary to a pre-defined lexicon from previous research. RESULTS We identified 498 480 unique symptom entity expressions from the tweets. Pre-processing reduces the number to 18 226. The final dictionary contains 38 175 unique expressions of symptoms that can be mapped to 966 UMLS concepts (accuracy = 95%). Symptom distribution analysis found that our dictionary detects more symptoms and is effective at identifying psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression, often missed by pre-defined lexicons. CONCLUSIONS This study advances public health research by implementing a novel, systematic pipeline for curating symptom lexicons from social media data. The final lexicon's high accuracy, validated by medical professionals, underscores the potential of this methodology to reliably interpret, and categorize vast amounts of unstructured social media data into actionable medical insights across diverse linguistic and regional landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yining Hua
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, United States
| | - Jiageng Wu
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Shixu Lin
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Minghui Li
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Yujie Zhang
- School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Dinah Foer
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, United States
| | - Siwen Wang
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Peilin Zhou
- Thrust of Data Science and Analytics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, Guangdong, 511458, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02120, United States
| | - Li Zhou
- Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, United States
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Ghazal P, Akbar S. The psychological impact of the rise in media reporting of sexual violence after COVID-19 pandemic on Pakistani women's mental health. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2024:10.1007/s00127-024-02690-6. [PMID: 38777901 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-024-02690-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pandemics usually have inequitable effects on the most vulnerable groups of society. Since the start of COVID-19, there has been a horrifying upsurge in cases of sexual and gender-based violence against women, globally. Consequently, frequent breaking news of sexual violence in media aggravated mental distress and worry among women. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the impact of the rise in active circulation of news of sexual violence on the mental health of working women and students using the validated DASS-21 questionnaire. METHODS A total of 303 women with diverse socio-demographic backgrounds participated in the study. We performed a chi-square test to analyze the association of increase in media reporting with DASS-21total and sub-categories scores. Multivariate linear regression was performed on propensity score-matched subjects to identify psychosocial predictors of mental distress. RESULTS Increased self-reported worries in response to rise in media reports of sexual violence was found to be significant predictor of mental distress (p < 0.002). Moreover, highly significant correlation between the increase in media reports and scores of depression, anxiety, and stress was observed (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The rise in media reporting of sexual violence in the after math of COVID-19 was found to have a significant psychological impact on the mental health of Pakistani women. This is the first study of its kind on the subject and provides fundamental findings for shaping policy change on responsible media reporting of sexual violence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasha Ghazal
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan.
| | - Shehzeen Akbar
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Patel A, Wilson CA, Davidson J, Lam JY, Seemann NM. A Social Media Blueprint - Understanding What Makes the Optimal Social Media Account for Paediatric Surgical Families. J Pediatr Surg 2024; 59:768-773. [PMID: 38368196 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2024.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social media is one of the most common sources of information for parents seeking information on their child's health. The purpose of this study was to better understand the social media habits of parents of paediatric surgery patients through surveys and focus groups. METHODS An online survey was distributed to parents visiting paediatric surgery clinics at a tertiary care hospital. Surveys were distributed via QR code and social media. Two virtual focus groups were conducted with parents of paediatric patients. Descriptive statistics were used for survey analysis and focus group transcripts were thematically analyzed. RESULTS A total of 107 respondents completed the online survey. Median age of respondents was 36 (interquartile range: 32-41). 81.3% of the respondents were female. Facebook was the preferred social media platform (47.2%), followed by Instagram (41.5%) then other platforms (4.7%). Respondents indicated that their preferred length of video was 30 s (41.2%). When asked which type of video content they prefer, participants indicated animated video as most popular (66.0%) followed by a physician speaking (60.0%), and slides with voiceover (45.0%). The focus groups revealed themes of: (1) functionality and content; (2) branding, aesthetic and legitimacy; (3) unmasking of physicians; (4) peer and community support. CONCLUSION Creating a successful social media account for parents must take into consideration their social media habits. A Facebook account that features brief videos may be most likely to engage parents. Additionally, physicians need to establish credibility and legitimacy of their content to attract their target audience. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashaka Patel
- Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Claire A Wilson
- Division of Paediatric Surgery, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jacob Davidson
- Division of Paediatric Surgery, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer Y Lam
- Division of Paediatric Surgery, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada; Department of Surgery, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Natashia M Seemann
- Division of Paediatric Surgery, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada; Department of Surgery, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
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Adachi E, Otani A, Yotsuyanagi H, Saijo M, Saito T. Crisis management for the future: Building a platform to provide information on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases from normal times in Japan. Glob Health Med 2024; 6:156-159. [PMID: 38690136 PMCID: PMC11043127 DOI: 10.35772/ghm.2023.01089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
At the beginning of the mpox (disease caused by monkey pox) epidemic, there was no platform in Japan to provide appropriate information on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), and the number of accesses to bioterrorism-related information sites increased rapidly. Even though the interest in mpox was much smaller than in coronavirus infectious disease, emerged in late 2019 (COVID-19), the increase in the number of views were much greater than during the COVID-19 epidemic. This may not be because mpox is bioterrorism-related as an analog of smallpox, but rather because there were no other websites providing information on mpox. For future crisis management, there should be a platform to provide information on possible epidemics of EIDs from normal times in Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eisuke Adachi
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Applied Immunology, IMSUT Hospital of the Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Amato Otani
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Applied Immunology, IMSUT Hospital of the Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Applied Immunology, IMSUT Hospital of the Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masayuki Saijo
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- Public Health Office, Health and Welfare Bureau, City of Sapporo, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Tomoya Saito
- Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
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Eslami Jahromi M, Ayatollahi H, Ebrazeh A. Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:1191. [PMID: 38679706 PMCID: PMC11056073 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18702-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of hotlines/helplines/call centers was implemented to provide remote services and support public health. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, challenges and lessons learned of implementing Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers during the pandemic. METHODS PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest databases as well as Google Scholar were searched between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2023 to retrieve relevant articles published in English. The quality and risk of bias of the studies were assessed using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS), the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist. RESULTS In total, 43 out of 1440 articles were included in this study. About half of the hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in March 2020 (n = 19). Providing psychological support (n = 23), reliable information about Covid-19 (n = 10), healthcare advices about Covid-19 (n = 8), and triage (n = 7) were the most common purposes of implementing these services. The most common challenges included a lack of physical examination, unavailability of hotlines/helplines/call centers at the point of need, and delay in updating Covid-19 information. The most common lessons learned were employing qualified staff, providing proper training, and getting feedback from the callers and operators. CONCLUSION According to the results, most of the Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in the early months of the pandemic, and about half of them were active seven days a week. Most of the operators were mental health providers and clinicians. The findings show the importance of continuous psychological support during crises, particularly when adequate information about the situation is not available. The challenges experienced by the callers and operators as well as the lessons learned by the service providers also need to be considered for future crises to increase the effectiveness of similar services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Eslami Jahromi
- Department of Health Information Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Haleh Ayatollahi
- Health Management and Economics Research Center, Health Management Research Institute, Iran University of Medical Sciences, No. 4, Rashid Yasemi St, Vali-Asr St, Tehran, 1996713883, Iran.
| | - Ali Ebrazeh
- Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
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Zhao B, Kong F, Nam EW. Exploring COVID-19 Phobia among International Chinese College Students in South Korea Before Ending COVID-19 Restrictions. BMC Psychol 2024; 12:222. [PMID: 38654292 PMCID: PMC11036663 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01718-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND College students, considered to be the driving force of society, are highly vulnerable to COVID-19. At a time when facing a new pandemic wave in 2022, China's policy was in contrast with that of Korea. We investigated the phobia levels of international Chinese college students studying in Korea. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the frequency of use and trust of information sources, and COVID-19 phobia (C19P) among Chinese college students studying in Korea before ending related restrictions. METHODS This study employed a cross-sectional design, conducting an online survey among Chinese college students studying in Korea from April 8-15, 2022 (before Korea ended the limitations due to COVID-19). Data about 319 respondents were analyzed, including socio-demographics, information variables, knowledge, attitudes, practices (KAP), and C19P. Hierarchical regression analysis with different models was used to examine the relationship between information trust, KAP, and C19P. RESULTS Results showed that students performed well in knowledge and preventive practices, had diverse sources of getting information related to COVID-19, and highly depended on the internet and news. Students who perceived a higher severity of infection showed higher levels of COVID-19 phobia. The tendency to wear masks with family/friends, avoid crowded places, and not agree with Korean government mitigation policies reported higher levels of COVID-19 phobia. CONCLUSIONS More authority and proactive communication strategies, such as consultations or education programs, are needed for international students to alleviate their phobias and psychological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhao
- Department of Health Administration, Graduate School, Yonsei University, 1 Yonseidae-gil, 26493, Wonju, Gangwon-do, Korea
- Yonsei Global Health Center, Yonsei University, 1 Yonseidae-gil, 26493, Wonju-si, Korea
| | - Fanlei Kong
- Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 250012, Jinan, China.
- NHC Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, 250012, Jinan, China.
| | - Eun Woo Nam
- Department of Health Administration, Graduate School, Yonsei University, 1 Yonseidae-gil, 26493, Wonju, Gangwon-do, Korea.
- Yonsei Global Health Center, Yonsei University, 1 Yonseidae-gil, 26493, Wonju-si, Korea.
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Milanti A, Chan DNS, Choi KC, So WKW. eHealth literacy of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong in the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296893. [PMID: 38635794 PMCID: PMC11025963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health communication in the COVID-19 pandemic can be effectively implemented if all members of the populations, including marginalized population such as migrant domestic workers (MDWs), have good eHealth literacy. Lessons learned during this critical period may help improve planning and mitigation of the impacts of future health crises. METHODS This study aimed to examine and explore the eHealth literacy levels of the MDWs in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic by using a convergent mixed methods research design. A total of 1156 Hong Kong MDWs participated in a paper-based survey using a multistage cluster random sampling design for the quantitative component. eHealth literacy was measured using an eHealth literacy Scale (eHEALS). For the qualitative component, a purposive sampling of 19 MDWs participated in face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were used to carry out the quantitative analysis, while thematic analysis was used for the qualitative analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative data were merged and integrated for mixed-methods analysis. RESULTS The meta-inferences of the quantitative and qualitative results mainly confirmed that MDWs in Hong Kong had good levels of eHealth literacy. The use of Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp as the COVID-19 information sources, in addition to having an interest in the topic of the current spread of COVID-19 together with the Hong Kong government's policies related to COVID-19, were found to be associated with eHealth literacy. CONCLUSIONS The eHealth literacy level of MDWs in Hong Kong was shown to be good and it was influenced by the use of popular social media platforms including Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp. It is realistic to suggest that such platforms should be harnessed for health communication during the pandemic. Yet, regulations to combat false information on these media are also urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariesta Milanti
- The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | | | - Kai Chow Choi
- The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Winnie Kwok Wei So
- The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
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Whitfield C, Liu Y, Anwar M. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Determinants of Health Issues of Marginalized Black and Asian Communities: A Social Media Analysis Empowered by Natural Language Processing. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2024:10.1007/s40615-024-01996-0. [PMID: 38625665 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-01996-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aims to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social determinants of health (SDOH) of marginalized racial/ethnic US population groups, specifically African Americans and Asians, by leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) techniques on race-related spatiotemporal social media text data. Specifically, this study establishes the extent to which Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Gibbs Sampling Dirichlet Multinomial Mixture (GSDMM)-based topic modeling determines social determinants of health (SDOH) categories, and how adequately custom named-entity recognition (NER) detects key SDOH factors from a race/ethnicity-related Reddit data corpus. METHODS In this study, we collected race/ethnicity-specific data from 5 location subreddits including New York City, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; and Houston, TX from March to December 2019 (before COVID-19 pandemic) and from March to December 2020 (during COVID-19 pandemic). Next, we applied methods from natural language processing and machine learning to analyze SDOH issues from extracted Reddit comments and conversation threads using feature engineering, topic modeling, and custom named-entity recognition (NER). RESULTS Topic modeling identified 35 SDOH-related topics. The SDOH-based custom NER analyses revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted SDOH issues of marginalized Black and Asian communities. On average, the Social and Community Context (SCC) category of SDOH had the highest percent increase (366%) from the pre-pandemic period to the pandemic period across all locations and population groups. Some of the detected SCC issues were racism, protests, arrests, immigration, police brutality, hate crime, white supremacy, and discrimination. CONCLUSION Reddit social media platform can be an alternative source to assess the SDOH issues of marginalized Black and Asian communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing NLP/ML techniques such as LDA/GSDMM-based topic modeling and custom NER on a race/ethnicity-specific Reddit corpus, we uncovered various SDOH issues affecting marginalized Black and Asian communities that were significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of conducting this research, we recommend that researchers, healthcare providers, and governments utilize social media and collaboratively formulate responses and policies that will address SDOH issues during public health crises.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yang Liu
- North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, 27411, USA
| | - Mohd Anwar
- North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, 27411, USA.
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Bolt K, Gil-González D, Oliver N. Unconventional data, unprecedented insights: leveraging non-traditional data during a pandemic. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1350743. [PMID: 38566798 PMCID: PMC10986850 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1350743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic prompted new interest in non-traditional data sources to inform response efforts and mitigate knowledge gaps. While non-traditional data offers some advantages over traditional data, it also raises concerns related to biases, representativity, informed consent and security vulnerabilities. This study focuses on three specific types of non-traditional data: mobility, social media, and participatory surveillance platform data. Qualitative results are presented on the successes, challenges, and recommendations of key informants who used these non-traditional data sources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain and Italy. Methods A qualitative semi-structured methodology was conducted through interviews with experts in artificial intelligence, data science, epidemiology, and/or policy making who utilized non-traditional data in Spain or Italy during the pandemic. Questions focused on barriers and facilitators to data use, as well as opportunities for improving utility and uptake within public health. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using the framework analysis method. Results Non-traditional data proved valuable in providing rapid results and filling data gaps, especially when traditional data faced delays. Increased data access and innovative collaborative efforts across sectors facilitated its use. Challenges included unreliable access and data quality concerns, particularly the lack of comprehensive demographic and geographic information. To further leverage non-traditional data, participants recommended prioritizing data governance, establishing data brokers, and sustaining multi-institutional collaborations. The value of non-traditional data was perceived as underutilized in public health surveillance, program evaluation and policymaking. Participants saw opportunities to integrate them into public health systems with the necessary investments in data pipelines, infrastructure, and technical capacity. Discussion While the utility of non-traditional data was demonstrated during the pandemic, opportunities exist to enhance its impact. Challenges reveal a need for data governance frameworks to guide practices and policies of use. Despite the perceived benefit of collaborations and improved data infrastructure, efforts are needed to strengthen and sustain them beyond the pandemic. Lessons from these findings can guide research institutions, multilateral organizations, governments, and public health authorities in optimizing the use of non-traditional data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaylin Bolt
- Health Sciences Division (Assessment, Policy Development, and Evaluation Unit), Public Health - Seattle & King County, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Diana Gil-González
- Department of Community Nursing, Preventive Medicine and Public Health and History of Science, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nuria Oliver
- European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) Alicante, Alicante, Spain
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Lahti H, Kulmala M, Lyyra N, Mietola V, Paakkari L. Problematic situations related to social media use and competencies to prevent them: results of a Delphi study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5275. [PMID: 38438460 PMCID: PMC10912411 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55578-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
A three-round Delphi method was used to study the problematic situations that adolescents may encounter when using the social media, and the competencies needed to address these situations. A panel of Finnish experts (N = 22) provided an open-ended list of problematic situations and competencies in 2020-2021. These were then evaluated and ranked according to their significance. The experts provided an information-rich list of both problematic situations and competencies. Finally, 16 problematic situations and 19 competencies were ranked in order of importance by the experts. The most important problematic situations were direct and indirect cyberbullying and sexual harassment. The most important competencies were the ability to act responsibly, knowing what kinds of activity are prohibited, and knowing whom to contact on exposure to cyberbullying or harassment. The findings can be used in developing policies, recommendations, and solutions aimed at counteracting the harmful effects of social media on wellbeing during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Lahti
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (L), 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
| | - M Kulmala
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (L), 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - N Lyyra
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (L), 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - V Mietola
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (L), 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - L Paakkari
- Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (L), 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
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Piltch-Loeb R, Silver D, Kim Y, Abramson D. COVID-19 Vaccine Information Seeking Patterns and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Latent Class Analysis to Inform Practice. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2024; 30:183-194. [PMID: 38038353 DOI: 10.1097/phh.0000000000001834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local health departments served as risk communicators to the public; however, public health practitioners have limited resources at their disposal when trying to communicate information, especially when guidance is rapidly changing. Identifying how the population gathers information across channels and which subsets of the population utilize which channels can help practitioners make the best use of these limited resources. OBJECTIVE To identify how individuals utilized different information channels to get COVID-19-related information and determine its effect on one COVID-19-related action: vaccine intentions. DESIGN This study applies latent class analysis to utilization of information channels to characterize information consumption patterns during the COVID-19 infodemic and then explores the relationship between these patterns and vaccine hesitancy. SETTING The data were collected from the COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Survey , which is a nationally representative sample of US adults 18 years and older recruited from Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS)'s Opinion Panel. PARTICIPANTS The online survey was conducted between April 7 and April 11, 2021, after the COVID-19 vaccine was available to all adults and enrolled more than 3000 respondents (n = 3014). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Respondents were asked about their frequency of information seeking related to the COVID-19 vaccine, sociodemographics, and vaccine perceptions. RESULTS Based on fit statistics and prior research, we identified 6 latent classes that characterize information seeking: Nonseekers, Legacy, Legacy + Facebook/Instagram, Traditional Omnivore, Omnivore + Broad Social Media, and Twitter. Sociodemographics, political, economic, and COVID-19 exposure variables are associated with different patterns of seeking information about COVID-19. Membership in 3 of these classes was associated with higher rates of vaccine refusal and vaccine hesitancy. DISCUSSION The study has implications for public health officials and policymakers who use media channels to share news and health information with the public. Information should be tailored to the sociodemographic profiles of those users who are likely consuming information across multiple different channels.
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Schenkel M. Health emergencies, science contrarianism and populism: A scoping review. Soc Sci Med 2024; 346:116691. [PMID: 38430871 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Populism has emerged as a central explanation employed by both media outlets and scholars for the mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis. Nonetheless, the relationship between public health and populism extends before and beyond the pandemic. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of existing evidence and theoretical conceptualisations on the intersection of populism, health emergencies, and contrarian scientific positions, drawing from a diverse range of disciplines. I conducted a scoping review of 283 original studies, analysing their analytical framework, geographic focuses, and methodological approaches. Employing quantitative text analysis, I summarised the research field into 18 common topics, organised into five coherent categories: citizen's perspective, political elites, political communication, pandemic consequences, and non-COVID-related issues. While the scholarly interest in this area has surged since the onset of the pandemic, it has predominantly concentrated on specific cases, such as Brazil and the US, often conflating different policy types. The evidence summary elucidates that populism assumes varying roles within distinct contexts, and there is no linear relationship between political populism and specific approaches to health crises and science. I further compare definitions of populism within the context of health and scientific positions. I propose that future research should employ a policy typology for health emergency responses, assessing political positions based on policy arenas. This paper contributes to the understanding of the complex interplay between political populism, contrarian scientific perspectives, and public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Schenkel
- Trinity College Dublin, Department of Political Science, 3 College Green, Dublin, 2 - D02 XH97, Ireland.
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15
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Chandrasekaran R, Konaraddi K, Sharma SS, Moustakas E. Text-Mining and Video Analytics of COVID-19 Narratives Shared by Patients on YouTube. J Med Syst 2024; 48:21. [PMID: 38358554 DOI: 10.1007/s10916-024-02047-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
This study explores how individuals who have experienced COVID-19 share their stories on YouTube, focusing on the nature of information disclosure, public engagement, and emotional impact pertaining to consumer health. Using a dataset of 186 YouTube videos, we used text mining and video analytics techniques to analyze textual transcripts and visual frames to identify themes, emotions, and their relationship with viewer engagement metrics. Findings reveal eight key themes: infection origins, symptoms, treatment, mental well-being, isolation, prevention, government directives, and vaccination. While viewers engaged most with videos about infection origins, treatment, and vaccination, fear and sadness in the text consistently drove views, likes, and comments. Visuals primarily conveyed happiness and sadness, but their influence on engagement varied. This research highlights the crucial role YouTube plays in disseminating COVID-19 patient narratives and suggests its potential for improving health communication strategies. By understanding how emotions and content influence viewer engagement, healthcare professionals and public health officials can tailor their messaging to better connect with the public and address pandemic-related anxieties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Karthik Konaraddi
- Department of Information & Decision Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sakshi S Sharma
- Department of Information & Decision Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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16
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Tolotti A, Liptrott SJ, Bonetti L, Cavatorti S, Sari D, Caoduro L, Biegger A, Bressan A, Valcarenghi D. Managing the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience of Managers in Healthcare: A Narrative Inquiry. Healthcare (Basel) 2024; 12:447. [PMID: 38391823 PMCID: PMC10887853 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12040447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The pandemic represented a challenge for hospital managers at different levels, required to reorganise services without compromising care. This study aimed to analyse the experiences of hospital managers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A narrative inquiry was conducted in a multisite acute hospital. Data were collected through narratives and open-ended questions. Direct and non-direct-care managers were invited to participate. Data were analyzed considering Clandinin & Connelly's (2000) framework and Braun & Clarke, (2006). Thirty-six narratives and open-ended question responses were analysed. Participants were nurses (n = 20), doctors, technicians, administrative and hospitality service managers. Themes were grouped into three narrative dimensions: (1) personal-"the emergency engulfed us", (2) practical/professional-"managing the pandemic", (3) social-"the strength of the team and people". Different narrative threads were identified between direct-care and non direct-care managers. Problems faced, factors helpful for management and suggestions for improvement were also reported. The pandemic had an important impact on managers and their roles, in terms of the need for clear concise information, staff support, and adequate professional and technical resources. A sense of unity and belonging facilitated management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Tolotti
- Nursing Development and Research Unit, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), via Gallino 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Jayne Liptrott
- Nursing Development and Research Unit, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), via Gallino 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Loris Bonetti
- Nursing Development and Research Unit, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), via Gallino 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Shaila Cavatorti
- Department of Nursing, Regional Hospital of Bellinzona e Valli, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), via Gallino 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Davide Sari
- Department of Nursing, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), via Gallino 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Luigi Caoduro
- Department of Nursing, Pediatric Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), via Gallino 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Annette Biegger
- Nursing Direction Department, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), viale Officina 3, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Alessandro Bressan
- Hospital Directorate, Regional Hospital of Bellinzona e Valli, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), via Gallino 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Dario Valcarenghi
- Nursing Development and Research Unit, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), via Gallino 12, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
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17
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Gyftopoulos S, Drosatos G, Fico G, Pecchia L, Kaldoudi E. Analysis of Pharmaceutical Companies' Social Media Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on the Public. Behav Sci (Basel) 2024; 14:128. [PMID: 38392481 PMCID: PMC10886074 DOI: 10.3390/bs14020128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, a period of great turmoil, was coupled with the emergence of an "infodemic", a state when the public was bombarded with vast amounts of unverified information from dubious sources that led to a chaotic information landscape. The excessive flow of messages to citizens, combined with the justified fear and uncertainty imposed by the unknown virus, cast a shadow on the credibility of even well-intentioned sources and affected the emotional state of the public. Several studies highlighted the mental toll this environment took on citizens by analyzing their discourse on online social networks (OSNs). In this study, we focus on the activity of prominent pharmaceutical companies on Twitter, currently known as X, as well as the public's response during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication between companies and users is examined and compared in two discrete channels, the COVID-19 and the non-COVID-19 channel, based on the content of the posts circulated in them in the period between March 2020 and September 2022, while the emotional profile of the content is outlined through a state-of-the-art emotion analysis model. Our findings indicate significantly increased activity in the COVID-19 channel compared to the non-COVID-19 channel while the predominant emotion in both channels is joy. However, the COVID-19 channel exhibited an upward trend in the circulation of fear by the public. The quotes and replies produced by the users, with a stark presence of negative charge and diffusion indicators, reveal the public's preference for promoting tweets conveying an emotional charge, such as fear, surprise, and joy. The findings of this research study can inform the development of communication strategies based on emotion-aware messages in future crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sotirios Gyftopoulos
- European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering and Science, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- Institute for Language and Speech Processing, Athena Research Center, 67100 Xanthi, Greece
| | - George Drosatos
- European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering and Science, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- Institute for Language and Speech Processing, Athena Research Center, 67100 Xanthi, Greece
| | - Giuseppe Fico
- European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering and Science, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- Life Supporting Technologies, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Leandro Pecchia
- European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering and Science, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
- Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Eleni Kaldoudi
- European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering and Science, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- Institute for Language and Speech Processing, Athena Research Center, 67100 Xanthi, Greece
- School of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupoli, Greece
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18
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Lossio-Ventura JA, Weger R, Lee AY, Guinee EP, Chung J, Atlas L, Linos E, Pereira F. A Comparison of ChatGPT and Fine-Tuned Open Pre-Trained Transformers (OPT) Against Widely Used Sentiment Analysis Tools: Sentiment Analysis of COVID-19 Survey Data. JMIR Ment Health 2024; 11:e50150. [PMID: 38271138 PMCID: PMC10813836 DOI: 10.2196/50150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health care providers and health-related researchers face significant challenges when applying sentiment analysis tools to health-related free-text survey data. Most state-of-the-art applications were developed in domains such as social media, and their performance in the health care context remains relatively unknown. Moreover, existing studies indicate that these tools often lack accuracy and produce inconsistent results. OBJECTIVE This study aims to address the lack of comparative analysis on sentiment analysis tools applied to health-related free-text survey data in the context of COVID-19. The objective was to automatically predict sentence sentiment for 2 independent COVID-19 survey data sets from the National Institutes of Health and Stanford University. METHODS Gold standard labels were created for a subset of each data set using a panel of human raters. We compared 8 state-of-the-art sentiment analysis tools on both data sets to evaluate variability and disagreement across tools. In addition, few-shot learning was explored by fine-tuning Open Pre-Trained Transformers (OPT; a large language model [LLM] with publicly available weights) using a small annotated subset and zero-shot learning using ChatGPT (an LLM without available weights). RESULTS The comparison of sentiment analysis tools revealed high variability and disagreement across the evaluated tools when applied to health-related survey data. OPT and ChatGPT demonstrated superior performance, outperforming all other sentiment analysis tools. Moreover, ChatGPT outperformed OPT, exhibited higher accuracy by 6% and higher F-measure by 4% to 7%. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the effectiveness of LLMs, particularly the few-shot learning and zero-shot learning approaches, in the sentiment analysis of health-related survey data. These results have implications for saving human labor and improving efficiency in sentiment analysis tasks, contributing to advancements in the field of automated sentiment analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel Weger
- School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Angela Y Lee
- Department of Communication, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Emily P Guinee
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Joyce Chung
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Lauren Atlas
- National Center For Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Eleni Linos
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Francisco Pereira
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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19
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Brassel S, Brunner M, Campbell A, Power E, Togher L. Exploring Discussions About Virtual Reality on Twitter to Inform Brain Injury Rehabilitation: Content and Network Analysis. J Med Internet Res 2024; 26:e45168. [PMID: 38241072 PMCID: PMC10837760 DOI: 10.2196/45168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) use in brain injury rehabilitation is emerging. Recommendations for VR development in this field encourage end user engagement to determine the benefits and challenges of VR use; however, existing literature on this topic is limited. Data from social networking sites such as Twitter may further inform development and clinical practice related to the use of VR in brain injury rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE This study collected and analyzed VR-related tweets to (1) explore the VR tweeting community to determine topics of conversation and network connections, (2) understand user opinions and experiences of VR, and (3) identify tweets related to VR use in health care and brain injury rehabilitation. METHODS Publicly available tweets containing the hashtags #virtualreality and #VR were collected up to twice weekly during a 6-week period from July 2020 to August 2020 using NCapture (QSR International). The included tweets were analyzed using mixed methods. All tweets were coded using inductive content analysis. Relevant tweets (ie, coded as "VR in health care" or "talking about VR") were further analyzed using Dann's content coding. The biographies of users who sent relevant tweets were examined descriptively. Tweet data networks were visualized using Gephi computational analysis. RESULTS A total of 260,715 tweets were collected, and 70,051 (26.87%) were analyzed following eligibility screening. The sample comprised 33.68% (23,596/70,051) original tweets and 66.32% (46,455/70,051) retweets. Content analysis generated 10 main categories of original tweets related to VR (ie, advertising and promotion, VR content, talking about VR, VR news, general technology, VR industry, VR live streams, VR in health care, VR events, and VR community). Approximately 4.48% (1056/23,596) of original tweets were related to VR use in health care, whereas 0.19% (45/23,596) referred to VR in brain injury rehabilitation. In total, 14.86% (3506/23,596) of original tweets featured commentary on user opinions and experiences of VR applications, equipment, and software. The VR tweeting community comprised a large network of 26,001 unique Twitter users. Users that posted tweets related to "VR in health care" (2124/26,001, 8.17%) did not form an interconnected VR network, whereas many users "talking about VR" (3752/26,001, 14.43%) were connected within a central network. CONCLUSIONS This study provides valuable data on community-based experiences and opinions related to VR. Tweets showcased various VR applications, including in health care, and identified important user-based considerations that can be used to inform VR use in brain injury rehabilitation (eg, technical design, accessibility, and VR sickness). Limited discussions and small user networks related to VR in brain injury rehabilitation reflect the paucity of literature on this topic and the potential underuse of this technology. These findings emphasize that further research is required to understand the specific needs and perspectives of people with brain injuries and clinicians regarding VR use in rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Brassel
- Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Melissa Brunner
- Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Andrew Campbell
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Emma Power
- Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Leanne Togher
- Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia
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20
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Clark EC, Neumann S, Hopkins S, Kostopoulos A, Hagerman L, Dobbins M. Changes to Public Health Surveillance Methods Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024; 10:e49185. [PMID: 38241067 PMCID: PMC10837764 DOI: 10.2196/49185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Public health surveillance plays a vital role in informing public health decision-making. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 caused a widespread shift in public health priorities. Global efforts focused on COVID-19 monitoring and contact tracing. Existing public health programs were interrupted due to physical distancing measures and reallocation of resources. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic intersected with advancements in technologies that have the potential to support public health surveillance efforts. OBJECTIVE This scoping review aims to explore emergent public health surveillance methods during the early COVID-19 pandemic to characterize the impact of the pandemic on surveillance methods. METHODS A scoping search was conducted in multiple databases and by scanning key government and public health organization websites from March 2020 to January 2022. Published papers and gray literature that described the application of new or revised approaches to public health surveillance were included. Papers that discussed the implications of novel public health surveillance approaches from ethical, legal, security, and equity perspectives were also included. The surveillance subject, method, location, and setting were extracted from each paper to identify trends in surveillance practices. Two public health epidemiologists were invited to provide their perspectives as peer reviewers. RESULTS Of the 14,238 unique papers, a total of 241 papers describing novel surveillance methods and changes to surveillance methods are included. Eighty papers were review papers and 161 were single studies. Overall, the literature heavily featured papers detailing surveillance of COVID-19 transmission (n=187). Surveillance of other infectious diseases was also described, including other pathogens (n=12). Other public health topics included vaccines (n=9), mental health (n=11), substance use (n=4), healthy nutrition (n=1), maternal and child health (n=3), antimicrobial resistance (n=2), and misinformation (n=6). The literature was dominated by applications of digital surveillance, for example, by using big data through mobility tracking and infodemiology (n=163). Wastewater surveillance was also heavily represented (n=48). Other papers described adaptations to programs or methods that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (n=9). The scoping search also found 109 papers that discuss the ethical, legal, security, and equity implications of emerging surveillance methods. The peer reviewer public health epidemiologists noted that additional changes likely exist, beyond what has been reported and available for evidence syntheses. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated advancements in surveillance and the adoption of new technologies, especially for digital and wastewater surveillance methods. Given the investments in these systems, further applications for public health surveillance are likely. The literature for surveillance methods was dominated by surveillance of infectious diseases, particularly COVID-19. A substantial amount of literature on the ethical, legal, security, and equity implications of these emerging surveillance methods also points to a need for cautious consideration of potential harm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Clark
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Sophie Neumann
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Stephanie Hopkins
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Alyssa Kostopoulos
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Leah Hagerman
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Maureen Dobbins
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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21
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Li K, Jiang S, Yan X, Li J. Mechanism study of social media overload on health self-efficacy and anxiety. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23326. [PMID: 38163164 PMCID: PMC10757012 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have found that people's excessive use of social media may have a negative impact on their crisis coping skills. This study focuses on the effects of social media overload (information overload, communication overload and social overload) on anxiety and health self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used an online questionnaire and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to obtain data (816 valid samples), analyze the data and validate the model. The findings revealed that social media overload (information overload, communication overload and social overload) triggers increased social media fatigue, which in turn leads to the development of anxiety and the consequence of diminished health self-efficacy; social media fatigue plays a partially mediating role between social media and health self-efficacy and a fully mediating role between communication overload and health self-efficacy. The results of this study can inform the development of crisis communication strategies during public health emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Li
- School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Shanshan Jiang
- School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Xingde Yan
- School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Jie Li
- School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
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22
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Chimukuche RS, Kawuma R, Nkosi B, Seeley J. Scoping review on lessons learnt on the promotion and use of drugs and traditional medicine in Africa during COVID-19. Glob Public Health 2024; 19:2323028. [PMID: 38471036 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2024.2323028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACTScientific evidence on the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs, substances and herbal medicines is important in medical advertising and promotion. Following guidelines for conducting a scoping review, we systematically searched PubMed, SCOPUS and Web of Science to identify in peer reviewed articles medications that were promoted and used widely in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also searched for information about how safety concerns about untested/or not properly tested drugs were communicated to the public during the pandemic. Of the 2043 articles identified, 41 papers were eligible for inclusion. Most studies were clinical trials (n = 11), systematic reviews (n = 9), quantitative studies (n = 9) the rest were qualitative studies, reviews and reports. We found that following global trends, several drugs, traditional and herbal treatments were used and repurposed for the treatment of respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 in Africa. The results highlighted the value of some herbal medicines for treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the risks posed by the unregulated sharing of advice and recommendations on treatments in Africa, and globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rujeko Samanthia Chimukuche
- Africa Health Research Institute, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rachel Kawuma
- Social Science, MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Busisiwe Nkosi
- Africa Health Research Institute, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- School of Law, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Janet Seeley
- Africa Health Research Institute, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Social Science, MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
- School of Public Health and Nursing, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine, London, UK
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Zhou X, Zhang X, Larson HJ, de Figueiredo A, Jit M, Fodeh S, Vermund SH, Zang S, Lin L, Hou Z. Spatiotemporal trends in COVID-19 vaccine sentiments on a social media platform and correlations with reported vaccine coverage. Bull World Health Organ 2024; 102:32-45. [PMID: 38164328 PMCID: PMC10753281 DOI: 10.2471/blt.23.289682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To assess spatiotemporal trends in, and determinants of, the acceptance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination globally, as expressed on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Methods We collected over 13 million posts on the platform regarding COVID-19 vaccination made between November 2020 and March 2022 in 90 languages. Multilingual deep learning XLM-RoBERTa models annotated all posts using an annotation framework after being fine-tuned on 8125 manually annotated, English-language posts. The annotation results were used to assess spatiotemporal trends in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and confidence as expressed by platform users in 135 countries and territories. We identified associations between spatiotemporal trends in vaccine acceptance and country-level characteristics and public policies by using univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Findings A greater proportion of platform users in the World Health Organization's South-East Asia, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific Regions expressed vaccine acceptance than users in the rest of the world. Countries in which a greater proportion of platform users expressed vaccine acceptance had higher COVID-19 vaccine coverage rates. Trust in government was also associated with greater vaccine acceptance. Internationally, vaccine acceptance and confidence declined among platform users as: (i) vaccination eligibility was extended to adolescents; (ii) vaccine supplies became sufficient; (iii) nonpharmaceutical interventions were relaxed; and (iv) global reports on adverse events following vaccination appeared. Conclusion Social media listening could provide an effective and expeditious means of informing public health policies during pandemics, and could supplement existing public health surveillance approaches in addressing global health issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Zhou
- School of Public Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, and Global Health Institute, Fudan University, 130 Dong’an Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- School of Public Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, and Global Health Institute, Fudan University, 130 Dong’an Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Heidi J Larson
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England
| | - Alexandre de Figueiredo
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England
| | - Mark Jit
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England
| | - Samah Fodeh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States of America (USA)
| | - Sten H Vermund
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, USA
| | - Shujie Zang
- School of Public Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, and Global Health Institute, Fudan University, 130 Dong’an Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Leesa Lin
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England
| | - Zhiyuan Hou
- School of Public Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, and Global Health Institute, Fudan University, 130 Dong’an Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
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Khan A, Abonyi S, Neudorf C. Barriers and facilitators in uptake of human papillomavirus vaccine across English Canada: A review. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023; 19:2176640. [PMID: 36803510 PMCID: PMC10026928 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2176640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a highly contagious sexually transmitted infection that leads to preventable cancers of the mouth, throat, cervix, and genitalia. Despite the wide availability of HPV Vaccine (HPVV) in Canada, its uptake remains suboptimal. This review aims to identify factors (barriers and facilitators) in HPV vaccine uptake across English Canada at three levels (provider, system, and patient). We explored academic and gray literature to examine factors involved in HPVV uptake and synthesized results based on interpretive content analysis. The review identified the following factors of prime significance in the uptake of the HPV vaccine (a) at the provider level, 'acceptability' of the HPV vaccine, and 'appropriateness' of an intervention (b) at the patient level, the 'ability to perceive' and 'knowledge sufficiency' (c) at the system level, 'attitudes' of different players in vaccine programming, planning and delivery. Further research is needed to conduct population health intervention research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amal Khan
- Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Sylvia Abonyi
- Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Cory Neudorf
- Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Kim ACH, Du J, Andrew DPS. Social media consumption and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown: the mediating effect of physical activity. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1120230. [PMID: 38130287 PMCID: PMC10733509 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1120230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Social media platforms played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore: (1) the changes in social media consumption patterns, physical activity levels/sedentary behavior, and depressive symptoms, and (2) how the changes in social media consumption patterns predict the changes in depressive symptoms while investigating the mediating role of changes in physical activity levels/sedentary behavior between before, and after the COVID-19 lockdown among U.S. adults with different age clusters. Methods A total of 695 U.S. participants completed an online questionnaire via MTurk, and participants were asked to recall their social media consumption patterns, physical activity/sedentary behavior, depressive symptoms in January and May of 2020 while covariates included non-physical activity health behavior including diet quality, alcohol consumption, smoking, and sleep quality. Results The results of Bayesian significance testing of changes showed that the older participants tended to spend more time with content-focused social media platforms during the lockdown. While significantly increased sitting time was reported by all age clusters, no significant changes were found in activity levels. Additionally, the middle-aged and older participants reported significantly higher depressive symptoms. The findings of a multigroup structural analysis showed the significant mediating effect of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on the relationship between changes in social media consumption and depressive symptoms. Discussion This study highlights the need for targeting specific social media platforms for older adults and the importance of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to alleviate the mental health issues resulting from social media consumption. The result of this study also highlights the need for sport-based intervention programs in the future and the need for more social media campaigns at the institution/organization levels established by public health stakeholders and policy makers to promote physical activity and maximize population perception and reach during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Chan Hyung Kim
- Department of Sport Management, Center for Sport, Health, and Equitable Development (cSHED), Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
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26
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Chen M, Yu W, Cao X. Experience Pandemic Fatigue? Social Media Use May Play a Role: Testing a Model of Pandemic Fatigue Development from a Social Media Perspective. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2023; 38:3346-3356. [PMID: 36419354 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2022.2149095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Recently, the World Health Organization noted the increasing signs of pandemic fatigue around the world and repeatedly warned the public to continue to stay cautious. The current study explores whether social media use plays a role in the formation and development of pandemic fatigue. Drawing on a survey of 849 social media users in China, the findings indicated that different social media behaviors play different roles in affecting pandemic fatigue. Specifically, social interaction use is negatively associated with pandemic fatigue, mediated by more social support and reduced hopelessness. Active content use contributes to pandemic fatigue development, an association explained by information overload and desensitization. Notably, passive content use is found to trigger reactance but is negatively associated with pandemic fatigue, which is fully mediated by reduced information overload. This study seeks to understand how pandemic fatigue is associated with social media use and to explicate the underlying mechanism. The implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Chen
- School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
| | - Weihua Yu
- School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
| | - Xucheng Cao
- School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
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27
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Déom N, Vanderslott S, Kingori P, Martin S. Online on the frontline: A longitudinal social media analysis of UK healthcare workers' attitudes to COVID-19 vaccines using the 5C framework. Soc Sci Med 2023; 339:116313. [PMID: 37984178 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
This paper explores vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the UK, where different COVID-19 vaccines were being rolled out through a national vaccination campaign from 2020 to 2022, consisting of a first and second dose programme. Through a mixed-method approach using qualitative discourse analysis and network analysis of Twitter data, we assessed HCW perceptions and views about the administration and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines in the United Kingdom (UK). We were also interested in exploring HCWs' personal experiences and attitudes towards taking COVID-19 vaccines themselves. We drew upon sociology, ethics, communication studies and used research methods concentrating on social media and media analysis. By employing the '5C framework' of 'confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, and collective responsibility' we evaluated a longitudinal selection of tweets to capture relevant factors driving vaccination views and behaviours among HCWs. We found differing positions expressed about COVID-19 vaccines and policy during the first dose compared with the second, through a drop in confidence compounded by supply and access issues, as well the news of a vaccine mandate for HCWs by the UK government in 2021. HCWs asked calculation questions to the community or brought forward competing pieces of information about vaccine policy and guidelines. Constraint levels in access issues were noted, especially for those with work and caregiving responsibilities, and student nurses found they did not have equal vaccination access. HCWs also displayed collective responsibility on social platforms to both encourage vaccination and express concerns through the organisation of social action against vaccine mandates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noémie Déom
- Department of Targeted Intervention, University College London, London, UK; Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Samantha Vanderslott
- Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, Oxford University, Oxford, UK; NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
| | - Patricia Kingori
- Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sam Martin
- Department of Targeted Intervention, University College London, London, UK; Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
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Siewe N, Yakubu AA. Unequal effects of SARS-CoV-2 infections: model of SARS-CoV-2 dynamics in Cameroon (Sub-Saharan Africa) versus New York State (United States). JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DYNAMICS 2023; 17:2246496. [PMID: 37598351 DOI: 10.1080/17513758.2023.2246496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Worldwide, the recent SARS-CoV-2 virus disease outbreak has infected more than 691,000,000 people and killed more than 6,900,000. Surprisingly, Sub-Saharan Africa has suffered the least from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Factors that are inherent to developing countries and that contrast with their counterparts in developed countries have been associated with these disease burden differences. In this paper, we developed data-driven COVID-19 mathematical models of two 'extreme': Cameroon, a developing country, and New York State (NYS) located in a developed country. We then identified critical parameters that could be used to explain the lower-than-expected COVID-19 disease burden in Cameroon versus NYS and to help mitigate future major disease outbreaks. Through the introduction of a 'disease burden' function, we found that COVID-19 could have been much more severe in Cameroon than in NYS if the vaccination rate had remained very low in Cameroon and the pandemic had not ended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nourridine Siewe
- School of Mathematical Sciences, College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
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29
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Lu J, Xiao Y. Heuristic Information Processing as a Mediating Factor in the Process of Exposure to COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Misinformation Sharing on Social Media. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2023:1-14. [PMID: 38016931 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2288373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Social media use for risk communication during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused considerable concerns about an overabundance of information, particularly misinformation. However, how exposure to COVID-19 information on social media can lead to subsequent misinformation sharing during the pandemic has received little research attention. This study adopted the social amplification of risk framework to delineate how exposure to COVID-19 vaccine information on social media can be associated with individuals' misinformation sharing through heuristic information processing. The role of social media trust was also examined. Results from an online survey (N = 1488) of Chinese Internet users revealed that exposure to COVID-19 vaccine information on social media was associated with misinformation sharing, mediated by both affect heuristics (i.e., negative affect toward the COVID-19 pandemic in general) and availability heuristics (i.e., perceived misinformation availability). Importantly, both high and low levels of trust in social media strengthened the mediating associations. While a low level of trust strengthened the association between exposure to COVID-19 vaccine information on social media and the affect heuristics, a high level of trust strengthened its association with the availability heuristics, both of which were associated with misinformation sharing. Our findings suggest that heuristic information processing is essential in amplifying the spread of misinformation after exposure to risk information on social media. It is also suggested that individuals should maintain a middle level of trust in social media, being open while critical of risk information on social media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Lu
- School of New Media and Communication, Tianjin University
| | - Yi Xiao
- School of New Media and Communication, Tianjin University
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30
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Klein AZ, Kunatharaju S, Golder S, Levine LD, Figueiredo JC, Gonzalez-Hernandez G. Association Between COVID-19 During Pregnancy and Preterm Birth by Trimester of Infection: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Longitudinal Social Media Data. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.11.17.23298696. [PMID: 38045356 PMCID: PMC10690358 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.17.23298696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Background Preterm birth, defined as birth at <37 weeks of gestation, is the leading cause of neonatal death globally and, together with low birthweight, the second leading cause of infant mortality in the United States. There is mounting evidence that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth; however, data remain limited by trimester of infection. The ability to study COVID-19 infection during the earlier stages of pregnancy has been limited by available sources of data. The objective of this study was to use self-reports in large-scale, longitudinal social media data to assess the association between trimester of COVID-19 infection and preterm birth. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we used natural language processing and machine learning, followed by manual validation, to identify pregnant Twitter users and to search their longitudinal collection of publicly available tweets for reports of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and, subsequently, a preterm birth or term birth (i.e., a gestational age ≥37 weeks) outcome. Among the users who reported their pregnancy on Twitter, we also identified a 1:1 age-matched control group, consisting of users with a due date prior to January 1, 2020-that is, without COVID-19 infection during pregnancy. We calculated the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to compare the overall rates of preterm birth for pregnancies with and without COVID-19 infection and by timing of infection: first trimester (weeks 1-13), second trimester (weeks 14-27), or third trimester (weeks 28-36). Results Through August 2022, we identified 298 Twitter users who reported COVID-19 infection during pregnancy, a preterm birth or term birth outcome, and maternal age: 94 (31.5%) with first-trimester infection, 110 (36.9%) second-trimester infection, and 95 (31.9%) third-trimester infection. In total, 26 (8.8%) of these 298 users reported preterm birth: 8 (8.5%) were infected during the first trimester, 7 (6.4%) were infected during the second trimester, and 12 (12.6%) were infected during the third trimester. In the 1:1 age-matched control group, 13 (4.4%) of the 298 users reported preterm birth. Overall, the risk of preterm birth was significantly higher for pregnancies with COVID-19 infection compared to those without (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.06-4.16). In particular, the risk of preterm birth was significantly higher for pregnancies with COVID-19 infection during the third trimester (OR 3.17, CI 1.39-7.21). Conclusion The results of our study suggest that COVID-19 infection particularly during the third trimester is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth.
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31
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Ni C, Song Q, Malin B, Song L, Commiskey P, Stratton L, Yin Z. Examining Online Behaviors of Adult-Child and Spousal Caregivers for People Living With Alzheimer Disease or Related Dementias: Comparative Study in an Open Online Community. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e48193. [PMID: 37976095 PMCID: PMC10692884 DOI: 10.2196/48193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer disease or related dementias (ADRD) are severe neurological disorders that impair the thinking and memory skills of older adults. Most persons living with dementia receive care at home from their family members or other unpaid informal caregivers; this results in significant mental, physical, and financial challenges for these caregivers. To combat these challenges, many informal ADRD caregivers seek social support in online environments. Although research examining online caregiving discussions is growing, few investigations have distinguished caregivers according to their kin relationships with persons living with dementias. Various studies have suggested that caregivers in different relationships experience distinct caregiving challenges and support needs. OBJECTIVE This study aims to examine and compare the online behaviors of adult-child and spousal caregivers, the 2 largest groups of informal ADRD caregivers, in an open online community. METHODS We collected posts from ALZConnected, an online community managed by the Alzheimer's Association. To gain insights into online behaviors, we first applied structural topic modeling to identify topics and topic prevalence between adult-child and spousal caregivers. Next, we applied VADER (Valence Aware Dictionary for Sentiment Reasoning) and LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count) to evaluate sentiment changes in the online posts over time for both types of caregivers. We further built machine learning models to distinguish the posts of each caregiver type and evaluated them in terms of precision, recall, F1-score, and area under the precision-recall curve. Finally, we applied the best prediction model to compare the temporal trend of relationship-predicting capacities in posts between the 2 types of caregivers. RESULTS Our analysis showed that the number of posts from both types of caregivers followed a long-tailed distribution, indicating that most caregivers in this online community were infrequent users. In comparison with adult-child caregivers, spousal caregivers tended to be more active in the community, publishing more posts and engaging in discussions on a wider range of caregiving topics. Spousal caregivers also exhibited slower growth in positive emotional communication over time. The best machine learning model for predicting adult-child, spousal, or other caregivers achieved an area under the precision-recall curve of 81.3%. The subsequent trend analysis showed that it became more difficult to predict adult-child caregiver posts than spousal caregiver posts over time. This suggests that adult-child and spousal caregivers might gradually shift their discussions from questions that are more directly related to their own experiences and needs to questions that are more general and applicable to other types of caregivers. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that it is important for researchers and community organizers to consider the heterogeneity of caregiving experiences and subsequent online behaviors among different types of caregivers when tailoring online peer support to meet the specific needs of each caregiver group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congning Ni
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Qingyuan Song
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Bradley Malin
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Center for Genetic Privacy & Identity in Community Settings, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Lijun Song
- Department of Sociology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Patricia Commiskey
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Lauren Stratton
- Care and Support, Alzheimer's Association, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Zhijun Yin
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Center for Genetic Privacy & Identity in Community Settings, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
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Wang YX, Liang JX, Lin R, Yan YJ, Li H, Chen MF. Stratified support pattern-based internet-assisted self-management therapy for diabetes mellitus -mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial protocol. BMC Endocr Disord 2023; 23:240. [PMID: 37919711 PMCID: PMC10621157 DOI: 10.1186/s12902-023-01485-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) is common among older adults, and self-management is critical to controlling disease progression. However, both MCI and DM are heterogeneous diseases, and existing integrated self-management interventions do not consider patient differences. Grouping patients by disease characteristics could help to individualize disease management and improve the use of available resources. The current study sought to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of a stratified support model for DM-MCI patients. METHODS Eighty-four DM-MCI patients will be randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group will receive a self-management intervention using the stratified support pattern-based internet-assisted therapy (SISMT), while the control group will receive the health manual intervention (HMI). The study recruiter will be blinded to the group allocation and unable to foresee which group the next participant will be assigned to. At the same time, the allocation will be also hidden from the research evaluators and participants. After 12 weeks and 24 weeks, cognitive function, blood glucose, self-management ability, psychological status, health literacy, and self-management behavior of patients in both groups will be measured and compared. DISCUSSION This study developed a stratified support pattern-based internet-assisted to provide self-management intervention for patients with DM-MCI. The impact of different models and forms of self-management intervention on cognitive function, blood glucose management, and psychological status health literacy and self-management behavior of patients will be assessed. The results of this study will inform related intervention research on the stratified support pattern-based internet-assisted self-management therapy, and help to slow the decline of cognitive function in patients with DM-MCI. TRIAL REGISTRATION ChiCTR2200061991. Registered 16 July 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Xian Wang
- The School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, No. 88 Jiaotong Road, Fuzhou City, 350004, Fujian Province, China
- Nursing Department, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, No 157 Jinbi Road, Kunming City, 650032, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Ji-Xing Liang
- Endocrinology Department, Fujian Provincial Hospital & Shengli Clinical Medical College, No. 134 East Street, Fuzhou City, 350122, Fujian Province, China
| | - Rong Lin
- The School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, No. 1 Xuefu North Road, Fuzhou City, 350122, Fujian Province, China
| | - Yuan-Jiao Yan
- Research Center for Nursing Theory and Practice, Fujian Provincial Hospital & Shengli Clinical Medical College, No. 134 East Street, Fuzhou City, 350122, Fujian Province, China
| | - Hong Li
- The School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, No. 1 Xuefu North Road, Fuzhou City, 350122, Fujian Province, China.
| | - Ming-Feng Chen
- Neurology Department, Fujian Provincial Hospital & Shengli Clinical Medical College, No. 134 East Street, Fuzhou City, 350122, Fujian Province, China.
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Patel VR, Gereta S, Jafri F, Mackert M, Haynes AB. Examining Public Communication About Surgical Cancer Care on Twitter. J Surg Res 2023; 291:433-441. [PMID: 37517351 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2023.06.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Social media platforms like Twitter are highly utilized for communicating about cancer care. Although surgery is the primary curative treatment for solid malignancies, little is known about online communication behaviors regarding this treatment modality. This study tracked online discussions and characterized participants to better characterize the content of public communication about surgical cancer care. METHODS Tweets referencing cancer surgery were collected from 2018 to 2021 using Twitter's Application Programming Interface. Metadata (e.g., profile biography, follower count) was used to predict user demographic information. Natural language processing was performed using Latent Dirichlet Allocation to identify common themes of conversation and mentioned cancer sites. RESULTS There were 442,840 tweets about cancer surgery by 262,168 users, including individuals (65%), influencers (1.5%), surgeons (1%), and oncologists (0.5%). Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, tweets mentioning delays in care increased by 21.7% (1971-57,846 tweets). Individuals commonly mentioned surgical costs (20.3%) and postoperative recovery (21.6%). Surgeons and oncologists frequently mentioned research (52.7%), but infrequently mentioned community support (7.8%) or survivorship (9.3%). Relative to their prevalence, neurologic cancers were most discussed (231 tweets per 1000 operations) while thoracic (29 tweets per 1000 operations) and urologic cancers were least discussed (12 tweets per 1000 operations). CONCLUSIONS Twitter was utilized by patients to discuss real-time issues such as COVID-19-related surgical delays and the financial burden of cancer surgery. Further efforts to improve community outreach may be optimized by targeting greater discussion of undermentioned cancer types and encouraging clinicians to participate in discussions about community-centered themes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishal R Patel
- Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
| | - Sofia Gereta
- Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Faraz Jafri
- Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Michael Mackert
- Center for Health Communication, Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Alex B Haynes
- Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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Strang AR, Backley S, Wade K, Easter SR, Samuel A, Parchem JG. What's trending? Reach and content of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine on social media. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 2023; 5:101159. [PMID: 37709050 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2023.101159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine uses social media to increase awareness of the Society and its key programs and to foster community and discussion around perinatal health, especially on Twitter. The influence and role of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Twitter account in public discourse around issues relevant to pregnancy have not been studied. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the trends in engagement with the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine on Twitter by analyzing Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine follower growth and discussion topics on Twitter compared with Facebook and by quantifying public engagement during the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Annual Pregnancy Meeting. STUDY DESIGN This retrospective study analyzed follower growth data from August 2019 to July 2022 for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Twitter (@MySMFM) and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Facebook (@SocietyforMaternalFetalMedicine) accounts. We identified the top 10 tweets and Facebook posts during the study period using Twitter Analytics and Facebook data. The popularity of tweets and Facebook posts was determined by "impressions" and "reach," respectively; these metrics reflect the number of times a post was viewed. To evaluate annual trends in Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Twitter engagement, we analyzed data associated with the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Annual Pregnancy Meeting, including the number of tweets using the hashtag (#SMFM(Year)) and overall impressions for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Twitter account for each meeting from 2016 to 2023. RESULTS The absolute number of new followers for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Twitter and Facebook accounts was similar, but the relative increase and rate of follower growth was higher for Twitter than for Facebook. The Twitter account consistently gained followers, whereas the Facebook account experienced intermittent periods of stagnancy or follower loss. More than half of the top-ranked posts on Twitter and Facebook mentioned the COVID-19 vaccine; other popular topics included COVID-19 and abortion. During the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Annual Pregnancy Meeting, the number of tweets using the meeting hashtag consistently peaked on meeting day 4, coincident with the opening plenary session (mean 1270±499). An upward trend in annual pregnancy meeting tweets was observed each year until 2021-the first virtual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting. CONCLUSION The trends in Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Twitter engagement suggest increasing use and popularity of the platform for timely dissemination of pregnancy-related news, guidelines, and research. The reduction in annual pregnancy meeting tweets and impressions in 2021 and 2022 suggests the potential negative effect of virtual meetings on Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine member engagement around annual meeting content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Strang
- McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX (Ms Strang)
| | - Sami Backley
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX (Drs Backley and Parchem)
| | - Kerri Wade
- Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Washington, DC (Ms Wade)
| | - Sarah Rae Easter
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Dr Easter)
| | - Amber Samuel
- Obstetrix Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists, Houston, TX (Dr Samuel)
| | - Jacqueline G Parchem
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX (Drs Backley and Parchem).
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Brand T, Gerstmann M, Samkange-Zeeb F, Zeeb H. Involving trained community health mediators in COVID-19 prevention measures. A process evaluation from Bremen, Germany. Front Digit Health 2023; 5:1266684. [PMID: 37886670 PMCID: PMC10598750 DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2023.1266684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective The objective was to assess the feasibility of incorporating trained community health mediators in COVID-19 prevention in a multicultural and disadvantaged setting in Bremen, Germany. Specifically, we aimed to develop and implement measures corresponding to the needs of the residents and to analyse the role of digital communication tools and sustainability factors of the health mediator approach. Methods A comprehensive process evaluation using 41 qualitative interviews with residents, mediator short surveys and group discussions, work documentation sheets, and a stakeholder workshop was carried out. Results Uncertainties due to changing regulations, a lack of trust and fear of potential side effects were major themes identified in the needs assessment. The eight mediators documented more than 1,600 contacts. Digital communication via Facebook was a useful tool, but personal contacts remained crucial for communicating with residents. The participatory approach, multilingualism and the flexibility to react to dynamic situations were identified as relevant factors for the success and sustainability of the health mediator approach. Conclusion Multilingual health mediators can facilitate contact with and dissemination of health information to different communities and also can play an important role in pandemic preparedness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Brand
- Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (LG), Bremen, Germany
| | - Marieke Gerstmann
- Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (LG), Bremen, Germany
| | - Florence Samkange-Zeeb
- Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (LG), Bremen, Germany
| | - Hajo Zeeb
- Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (LG), Bremen, Germany
- Department of Prevention and Evaluation, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Sandhu S, Wilson E, Chattopadhyay K. Perceptions and Experiences of Undergraduate Students Regarding Social Media as a Tool for Government COVID-19-Related Messages: A Qualitative Study in Nottingham, UK. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6903. [PMID: 37887641 PMCID: PMC10606761 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20206903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The rise of social media has given way to its use as a form of public health communication. Previous research has shown social media-based interventions to be effective, particularly for university students. Social media was used as a tool for public health messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, there is a lack of information regarding the experiences and perceptions of such messaging and its effectiveness among UK university students. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the perceptions and experiences of public health messaging on social media during the pandemic, as well as the effects of such messaging. Fourteen semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students at the University of Nottingham, UK, were conducted. Five main themes were identified: effects of COVID-19 on university students, use of social media by university students, COVID-19 messaging on social media, effects of public health messaging on social media in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, and improving public health messaging for the future. This study provides a novel insight into the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate students at a UK university regarding public health messaging on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanvir Sandhu
- Nottingham Centre for Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (E.W.); (K.C.)
- Centre for Interprofessional Education and Learning, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Emma Wilson
- Nottingham Centre for Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (E.W.); (K.C.)
- Nottingham Centre for Evidence Based Healthcare, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Kaushik Chattopadhyay
- Nottingham Centre for Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; (E.W.); (K.C.)
- Nottingham Centre for Evidence Based Healthcare, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
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Ryan RE, Silke C, Parkhill A, Virgona A, Merner B, Hurley S, Walsh L, de Moel-Mandel C, Schonfeld L, Edwards AG, Kaufman J, Cooper A, Chung RKY, Solo K, Hellard M, Di Tanna GL, Pedrana A, Saich F, Hill S. Communication to promote and support physical distancing for COVID-19 prevention and control. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023; 10:CD015144. [PMID: 37811673 PMCID: PMC10561351 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd015144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This review is an update of a rapid review undertaken in 2020 to identify relevant, feasible and effective communication approaches to promote acceptance, uptake and adherence to physical distancing measures for COVID-19 prevention and control. The rapid review was published when little was known about transmission, treatment or future vaccination, and when physical distancing measures (isolation, quarantine, contact tracing, crowd avoidance, work and school measures) were the cornerstone of public health responses globally. This updated review includes more recent evidence to extend what we know about effective pandemic public health communication. This includes considerations of changes needed over time to maintain responsiveness to pandemic transmission waves, the (in)equities and variable needs of groups within communities due to the pandemic, and highlights again the critical role of effective communication as integral to the public health response. OBJECTIVES To update the evidence on the question 'What are relevant, feasible and effective communication approaches to promote acceptance, uptake and adherence to physical distancing measures for COVID-19 prevention and control?', our primary focus was communication approaches to promote and support acceptance, uptake and adherence to physical distancing. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE to explore and identify key elements of effective communication for physical distancing measures for different (diverse) populations and groups. SEARCH METHODS We searched MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library databases from inception, with searches for this update including the period 1 January 2020 to 18 August 2021. Systematic review and study repositories and grey literature sources were searched in August 2021 and guidelines identified for the eCOVID19 Recommendations Map were screened (November 2021). SELECTION CRITERIA Guidelines or reviews focusing on communication (information, education, reminders, facilitating decision-making, skills acquisition, supporting behaviour change, support, involvement in decision-making) related to physical distancing measures for prevention and/or control of COVID-19 or selected other diseases (sudden acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), influenza, Ebola virus disease (EVD) or tuberculosis (TB)) were included. New evidence was added to guidelines, reviews and primary studies included in the 2020 review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Methods were based on the original rapid review, using methods developed by McMaster University and informed by Cochrane rapid review guidance. Screening, data extraction, quality assessment and synthesis were conducted by one author and checked by a second author. Synthesis of results was conducted using modified framework analysis, with themes from the original review used as an initial framework. MAIN RESULTS This review update includes 68 studies, with 17 guidelines and 20 reviews added to the original 31 studies. Synthesis identified six major themes, which can be used to inform policy and decision-making related to planning and implementing communication about a public health emergency and measures to protect the community. Theme 1: Strengthening public trust and countering misinformation: essential foundations for effective public health communication Recognising the key role of public trust is essential. Working to build and maintain trust over time underpins the success of public health communications and, therefore, the effectiveness of public health prevention measures. Theme 2: Two-way communication: involving communities to improve the dissemination, accessibility and acceptability of information Two-way communication (engagement) with the public is needed over the course of a public health emergency: at first, recognition of a health threat (despite uncertainties), and regularly as public health measures are introduced or adjusted. Engagement needs to be embedded at all stages of the response and inform tailoring of communications and implementation of public health measures over time. Theme 3: Development of and preparation for public communication: target audience, equity and tailoring Communication and information must be tailored to reach all groups within populations, and explicitly consider existing inequities and the needs of disadvantaged groups, including those who are underserved, vulnerable, from diverse cultural or language groups, or who have lower educational attainment. Awareness that implementing public health measures may magnify existing or emerging inequities is also needed in response planning, enactment and adjustment over time. Theme 4: Public communication features: content, timing and duration, delivery Public communication needs to be based on clear, consistent, actionable and timely (up-to-date) information about preventive measures, including the benefits (whether for individual, social groupings or wider society), harms (likewise) and rationale for use, and include information about supports available to help follow recommended measures. Communication needs to occur through multiple channels and/or formats to build public trust and reach more of the community. Theme 5: Supporting behaviour change at individual and population levels Supporting implementation of public health measures with practical supports and services (e.g. essential supplies, financial support) is critical. Information about available supports must be widely disseminated and well understood. Supports and communication related to them require flexibility and tailoring to explicitly consider community needs, including those of vulnerable groups. Proactively monitoring and countering stigma related to preventive measures (e.g. quarantine) is also necessary to support adherence. Theme 6: Fostering and sustaining receptiveness and responsiveness to public health communication Efforts to foster and sustain public receptiveness and responsiveness to public health communication are needed throughout a public health emergency. Trust, acceptance and behaviours change over time, and communication needs to be adaptive and responsive to these changing needs. Ongoing community engagement efforts should inform communication and public health response measures. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Implications for practice Evidence highlights the critical role of communication throughout a public health emergency. Like any intervention, communication can be done well or poorly, but the consequences of poor communication during a pandemic may mean the difference between life and death. The approaches to effective communication identified in this review can be used by policymakers and decision-makers, working closely with communication teams, to plan, implement and adjust public communications over the course of a public health emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for research Despite massive growth in research during the COVID-19 period, gaps in the evidence persist and require high-quality, meaningful research. This includes investigating the experiences of people at heightened COVID-19 risk, and identifying barriers to implementing public communication and protective health measures particular to lower- and middle-income countries, and how to overcome these.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Ryan
- Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Charlotte Silke
- UNESCO Child & Family Research Centre, School of Political Science & Sociology, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Anne Parkhill
- Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Ariane Virgona
- Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Bronwen Merner
- Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Shauna Hurley
- Cochrane Australia, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Louisa Walsh
- Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
- Department of Nursing and Allied Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Lina Schonfeld
- Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Adrian Gk Edwards
- Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre, Cardiff University, 8th floor Neuadd Meirionnydd, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN , UK
- PRIME Centre Wales, Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine, 8th floor Neuadd Meirionnydd, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Jessica Kaufman
- Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
- Vaccine Uptake Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute , The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia
| | - Alison Cooper
- Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre, Cardiff University, 8th floor Neuadd Meirionnydd, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN , UK
- PRIME Centre Wales, Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine, 8th floor Neuadd Meirionnydd, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | | | - Karla Solo
- GRADE McMaster & Cochrane Canada, Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact, McMaster University , Hamilton, Ontario , Canada
| | | | - Gian Luca Di Tanna
- Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Lugano, Switzerland
- The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | - Sophie Hill
- Centre for Health Communication and Participation, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
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Freire NP, Cunha ICKO, Ximenes Neto FRG, Vargas FL, Santiago BKDA, Lourenção LG. Impacts of the infodemic on COVID-19 for Brazilian health professionals. CIENCIA & SAUDE COLETIVA 2023; 28:3045-3056. [PMID: 37878945 DOI: 10.1590/1413-812320232810.13902022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
This article aims to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 infodemic from the perspective of Brazilian health workers regarding the patients, measure the impacts of fake news on health professionals, and verify the perception of health multidisciplinary teams regarding the authorities' stance. This cross-sectional study is nested in the research "Health Professionals' Working Conditions in the Brazilian Context of COVID-19". The nationwide non-probability sampling included 15,132 professionals who worked in the COVID-19 frontline in health institutions of 2,200 Brazilian municipalities. Approximately 91% of respondents believed that fake news is an obstacle in fighting the SARS-CoV-2 virus; 76.1% declared they had seen patients who expressed faith in fake news about COVID-19; 29.3% agreed that the health authorities' stance about COVID-19 was consistent and enlightening, and 62.6% disagreed about this. The respondents believe that the COVID-19 infodemic confused patients, impaired adherence to PHC measures, and stirred people's negative behavior vis-à-vis the pandemic. The lack of clarity of the authorities' stance influenced the COVID-19 infodemic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neyson Pinheiro Freire
- Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisa em Administração em Saúde e Gerenciamento de Enfermagem, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Rua Napoleão de Barros, 754 - Vila Clementino. 04024-002. São Paulo - SP Brasil.
| | - Isabel Cristina Kowal Olm Cunha
- Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisa em Administração em Saúde e Gerenciamento de Enfermagem, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Rua Napoleão de Barros, 754 - Vila Clementino. 04024-002. São Paulo - SP Brasil.
| | - Francisco Rosemiro Guimarães Ximenes Neto
- Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisa em Administração em Saúde e Gerenciamento de Enfermagem, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Rua Napoleão de Barros, 754 - Vila Clementino. 04024-002. São Paulo - SP Brasil.
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil
- Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaraú. Sobral CE Brasil
| | - Filipe Leonel Vargas
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil
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Kuwahara K, Sakamoto M, Ishizuka R, Kato M, Akiyama M, Ishikawa H, Kiyohara K. Effect of digital messages from health professionals on COVID-19-related outcomes: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Infect Public Health 2023; 16:1682-1689. [PMID: 37634322 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2023.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Effectiveness of health professionals' messages via digital tools on COVID-19-related outcomes remains unknown. In this systematic review, we examined this issue by searching randomized controlled trials in six databases until August, 2022 (PROSPERO, CRD 42022350788). Risk of bias was assessed using revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Primary outcomes were COVID-19 infections, preventive behaviors, and factors that support behavioral change. Seven trials with 16 reports (some reported two or more outcomes) were included. One trial showed that physician videos distributed by Facebook ads significantly reduced COVID-19 infections. Five of 6 reports showed that interventions can promote non-pharmaceutical preventive behaviors, vaccination, or information-seeking behaviors and half of the results were significant. Interventions improved the factors that support behavioral change. 14 reports had some concerns of bias risk and 2 had high risk of bias. Our findings suggest that digital messages by health professionals may help reduce COVID-19 infections through promoting behavioral change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Kuwahara
- Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Health Data Science, Graduate School of Data Science, Yokohama City University, 22-2 Seto, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
| | - Masahiko Sakamoto
- Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryohei Ishizuka
- Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mio Kato
- Office of Crisis Communication, Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miki Akiyama
- Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, 5322, Endo, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hirono Ishikawa
- Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kosuke Kiyohara
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University, 12 Sanban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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Soylu TG, Roess A, Boolani A, Wilson AN, Huddleston KC, Lawrence GN, Oetjen C. Depression, Anxiety, Energy, and Fatigue Among Nurses Who Cared for Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Holist Nurs 2023:8980101231200352. [PMID: 37774689 DOI: 10.1177/08980101231200352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Purpose of Study: Nurses around the world have faced challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study examined the association between depression and anxiety and trait energy and trait fatigue, and baseline health status and work characteristics. Design of Study: A cross-sectional study. Methods: A survey was conducted to collect self-reported data from nurses involved in patient care in Northern Virginia. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) depression and anxiety scales. To measure trait energy and trait fatigue, the Mental and Physical State and Trait Energy and Fatigue Scale (MPSTEFS) was used. Findings: There was a significant association between depression and energy (b=-0.46, t = -1.78, p < .001) and loneliness (b=1.38, t = 4.00, p < .001) and increased alcohol use (b=2.11, t = 2.04, p = .045). We also found that nurses with depression were significantly more likely to seek mental health counseling (b=-2.91, t = 2.54, p = 0.013), which was also the case for anxiety (b=3.13, t = 2.14, p = .036). Conclusions: Our study highlights the mental health burden among nurses who worked in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with increased alcohol use and loneliness. The findings may help healthcare leaders identify early signals of deterioration in nurses' well-being.
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Kang-Auger S, Lewin A, Ayoub A, Bilodeau-Bertrand M, Marcoux S, Auger N. Social Media and Selfie-Related Mortality Amid COVID-19: Interrupted Time Series Analysis. JMIR Form Res 2023; 7:e42857. [PMID: 37747765 PMCID: PMC10521909 DOI: 10.2196/42857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 had a considerable impact on mortality, but its effect on behaviors associated with social media remains unclear. As travel decreased due to lockdowns during the pandemic, selfie-related mortality may have decreased, as fewer individuals were taking smartphone photographs in risky locations. OBJECTIVE In this study, we examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on trends in selfie-related mortality. METHODS We identified fatal selfie-related injuries reported in web-based news reports worldwide between March 2014 and April 2021, including the deaths of individuals attempting a selfie photograph or anyone else present during the incident. The main outcome measure was the total number of selfie-related deaths per month. We used interrupted time series regression to estimate the monthly change in the number of selfie-related deaths over time, comparing the period before the pandemic (March 2014 to February 2020) with the period during the pandemic (March 2020 to April 2021). RESULTS The study included a total of 332 selfie-related deaths occurring between March 2014 and April 2021, with 18 (5.4%) deaths during the pandemic. Most selfie-related deaths occurred in India (n=153, 46.1%) and involved men (n=221, 66.6%) and young individuals (n=296, 89.2%). During the pandemic, two-thirds of selfie-related deaths were due to falls, whereas a greater proportion of selfie-related deaths before the pandemic were due to drowning. Based on interrupted time series regression, there was an average of 1.3 selfie-related deaths per month during the pandemic, compared with 4.3 deaths per month before the pandemic. The number of selfie-related deaths decreased by 2.6 in the first month of the pandemic alone and continued to decrease thereafter. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a marked decrease in selfie-related mortality, suggesting that lockdowns and travel restrictions likely prevented hazardous selfie-taking. The decrease in selfie-related mortality occurred despite a potential increase in social media use during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarit Kang-Auger
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Antoine Lewin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Medical Affairs and Innovation, Héma-Québec, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada
| | - Aimina Ayoub
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Sophie Marcoux
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nathalie Auger
- University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Montreal, QC, Canada
- School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Adebesin F, Smuts H, Mawela T, Maramba G, Hattingh M. The Role of Social Media in Health Misinformation and Disinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Bibliometric Analysis. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2023; 3:e48620. [PMID: 37728981 PMCID: PMC10551800 DOI: 10.2196/48620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of social media platforms to seek information continues to increase. Social media platforms can be used to disseminate important information to people worldwide instantaneously. However, their viral nature also makes it easy to share misinformation, disinformation, unverified information, and fake news. The unprecedented reliance on social media platforms to seek information during the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by increased incidents of misinformation and disinformation. Consequently, there was an increase in the number of scientific publications related to the role of social media in disseminating health misinformation and disinformation at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health misinformation and disinformation, especially in periods of global public health disasters, can lead to the erosion of trust in policy makers at best and fatal consequences at worst. OBJECTIVE This paper reports a bibliometric analysis aimed at investigating the evolution of research publications related to the role of social media as a driver of health misinformation and disinformation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this study aimed to identify the top trending keywords, niche topics, authors, and publishers for publishing papers related to the current research, as well as the global collaboration between authors on topics related to the role of social media in health misinformation and disinformation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS The Scopus database was accessed on June 8, 2023, using a combination of Medical Subject Heading and author-defined terms to create the following search phrases that targeted the title, abstract, and keyword fields: ("Health*" OR "Medical") AND ("Misinformation" OR "Disinformation" OR "Fake News") AND ("Social media" OR "Twitter" OR "Facebook" OR "YouTube" OR "WhatsApp" OR "Instagram" OR "TikTok") AND ("Pandemic*" OR "Corona*" OR "Covid*"). A total of 943 research papers published between 2020 and June 2023 were analyzed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation), VOSviewer (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University), and the Biblioshiny package in Bibliometrix (K-Synth Srl) for RStudio (Posit, PBC). RESULTS The highest number of publications was from 2022 (387/943, 41%). Most publications (725/943, 76.9%) were articles. JMIR published the most research papers (54/943, 5.7%). Authors from the United States collaborated the most, with 311 coauthored research papers. The keywords "Covid-19," "social media," and "misinformation" were the top 3 trending keywords, whereas "learning systems," "learning models," and "learning algorithms" were revealed as the niche topics on the role of social media in health misinformation and disinformation during the COVID-19 outbreak. CONCLUSIONS Collaborations between authors can increase their productivity and citation counts. Niche topics such as "learning systems," "learning models," and "learning algorithms" could be exploited by researchers in future studies to analyze the influence of social media on health misinformation and disinformation during periods of global public health emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Funmi Adebesin
- Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Hanlie Smuts
- Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Tendani Mawela
- Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - George Maramba
- Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Marie Hattingh
- Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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Ahmed S, Rasul ME. Examining the association between social media fatigue, cognitive ability, narcissism and misinformation sharing: cross-national evidence from eight countries. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15416. [PMID: 37723265 PMCID: PMC10507063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42614-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Several studies have explored the causes and consequences of public engagement with misinformation and, more recently, COVID-19 misinformation. However, there is still a need to understand the mechanisms that cause misinformation propagation on social media. In addition, evidence from non-Western societies remains rare. This study reports on survey evidence from eight countries to examine whether social media fatigue can influence users to believe misinformation, influencing their sharing intentions. Our insights also build on prior cognitive and personality literature by exploring how this mechanism is conditional upon users' cognitive ability and narcissism traits. The results suggest that social media fatigue can influence false beliefs of misinformation which translates into sharing on social media. We also find that those with high levels of cognitive ability are less likely to believe and share misinformation. However, those with low cognitive ability and high levels of narcissism are most likely to share misinformation on social media due to social media fatigue. This study is one of the first to provide cross-national comparative evidence highlighting the adverse effects of social media fatigue on misinformation propagation and establishing that the relationship is not universal but dependent on both cognitive and dark personality traits of individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saifuddin Ahmed
- Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
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Lösch L, Zuiderent-Jerak T, Kunneman F, Syurina E, Bongers M, Stein ML, Chan M, Willems W, Timen A. Capturing Emerging Experiential Knowledge for Vaccination Guidelines Through Natural Language Processing: Proof-of-Concept Study. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e44461. [PMID: 37610972 PMCID: PMC10503655 DOI: 10.2196/44461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Experience-based knowledge and value considerations of health professionals, citizens, and patients are essential to formulate public health and clinical guidelines that are relevant and applicable to medical practice. Conventional methods for incorporating such knowledge into guideline development often involve a limited number of representatives and are considered to be time-consuming. Including experiential knowledge can be crucial during rapid guidance production in response to a pandemic but it is difficult to accomplish. OBJECTIVE This proof-of-concept study explored the potential of artificial intelligence (AI)-based methods to capture experiential knowledge and value considerations from existing data channels to make these insights available for public health guideline development. METHODS We developed and examined AI-based methods in relation to the COVID-19 vaccination guideline development in the Netherlands. We analyzed Dutch messages shared between December 2020 and June 2021 on social media and on 2 databases from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), where experiences and questions regarding COVID-19 vaccination are reported. First, natural language processing (NLP) filtering techniques and an initial supervised machine learning model were developed to identify this type of knowledge in a large data set. Subsequently, structural topic modeling was performed to discern thematic patterns related to experiences with COVID-19 vaccination. RESULTS NLP methods proved to be able to identify and analyze experience-based knowledge and value considerations in large data sets. They provide insights into a variety of experiential knowledge that is difficult to obtain otherwise for rapid guideline development. Some topics addressed by citizens, patients, and professionals can serve as direct feedback to recommendations in the guideline. For example, a topic pointed out that although travel was not considered as a reason warranting prioritization for vaccination in the national vaccination campaign, there was a considerable need for vaccines for indispensable travel, such as cross-border informal caregiving, work or study, or accessing specialized care abroad. Another example is the ambiguity regarding the definition of medical risk groups prioritized for vaccination, with many citizens not meeting the formal priority criteria while being equally at risk. Such experiential knowledge may help the early identification of problems with the guideline's application and point to frequently occurring exceptions that might initiate a revision of the guideline text. CONCLUSIONS This proof-of-concept study presents NLP methods as viable tools to access and use experience-based knowledge and value considerations, possibly contributing to robust, equitable, and applicable guidelines. They offer a way for guideline developers to gain insights into health professionals, citizens, and patients' experience-based knowledge, especially when conventional methods are difficult to implement. AI-based methods can thus broaden the evidence and knowledge base available for rapid guideline development and may therefore be considered as an important addition to the toolbox of pandemic preparedness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Lösch
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Teun Zuiderent-Jerak
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Florian Kunneman
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Elena Syurina
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marloes Bongers
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control (CIb), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Mart L Stein
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control (CIb), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Michelle Chan
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Willemine Willems
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Aura Timen
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control (CIb), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands
- Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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45
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Zhang J, Pan Y, Lin H, Sun Z, Wu P, Tu J. Infodemic: Challenges and solutions in topic discovery and data process. Arch Public Health 2023; 81:166. [PMID: 37679764 PMCID: PMC10483774 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-023-01179-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was a huge shock to society, and the ensuing information problems had a huge impact on society at the same time. The urgent need to understand the Infodemic, i.e., the importance of the spread of false information related to the epidemic, has been highlighted. However, while there is a growing interest in this phenomenon, studies on the topic discovery, data collection, and data preparation phases of the information analysis process have been lacking. OBJECTIVE Since the epidemic is unprecedented and has not ended to this day, we aimed to examine the existing Infodemic-related literature from January 2019 to December 2022. METHODS We have systematically searched ScienceDirect and IEEE Xplore databases with some search limitations. From the searched literature we selected titles, abstracts and keywords, and limitations sections. We conducted an extensive structured literature search and analysis by filtering the literature and sorting out the available information. RESULTS A total of 47 papers ended up meeting the requirements of this review. Researchers in all of these literatures encountered different challenges, most of which were focused on the data collection step, with few challenges encountered in the data preparation phase and almost none in the topic discovery section. The challenges were mainly divided into the points of how to collect data quickly, how to get the required data samples, how to filter the data, what to do if the data set is too small, how to pick the right classifier and how to deal with topic drift and diversity. In addition, researchers have proposed partial solutions to the challenges, and we have also proposed possible solutions. CONCLUSIONS This review found that Infodemic is a rapidly growing research area that attracts the interest of researchers from different disciplines. The number of studies in this field has increased significantly in recent years, with researchers from different countries, including the United States, India, and China. Infodemic topic discovery, data collection, and data preparation are not easy, and each step faces different challenges. While there is some research in this emerging field, there are still many challenges that need to be addressed. These findings highlight the need for more articles to address these issues and fill these gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjin Zhang
- School of Computer Science, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yang Pan
- School of Computer Science, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Han Lin
- School of Engineering Audit, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Public Project Audit, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Zhoubao Sun
- School of Engineering Audit, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Public Project Audit, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Pingping Wu
- School of Engineering Audit, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Public Project Audit, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, China
| | - Juan Tu
- The Institute of Acoustics, School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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Song L, Zhang A, Hu Z. Greenspace exposure is conducive to the resilience of public sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Place 2023; 83:103096. [PMID: 37586174 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly impacts people's sentiment and mental health, threatening their health and lives. We gathered 4.17 million geotagged social media posts from Weibo and scrutinized the nuances of the collective sentiments of netizens in four megacities in China during the first pandemic wave (from 1 December 2019 to 30 April 2020). Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 outbreak significantly reduced the Sentiment Index (SI) in China's cities, and the collective sentiments expressed in Wuhan were even more negative than those in the other three megacities. We explored the uncharted impacts of exposure to three geographical environment factors (GEFs) on SIs. Public exposure to greenspaces increased, while exposure to indoor built spaces decreased during the lockdown period. The exposure to sidewalks increased in rural areas but decreased in the main urban areas. The contributions of various GEFs to the SIs were the lowest during the lockdown period, and SIs were strongly affected by the pandemic. However, greenspace had the most potent effect on SIs, improving public sentiment resilience and mitigating mental health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuyi Song
- State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - An Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
| | - Zhiwen Hu
- School of Computer and Information Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China.
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47
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Gong W, Liu J. Investigating the Predictors of Telemedicine Service Usage Intention in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Extended Technology Acceptance Perspective. Telemed J E Health 2023; 29:1390-1398. [PMID: 37010406 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2022.0352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: In China, digital health and telemedicine services grew particularly rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of technology acceptance model (TAM) predictors, previous social media health service exposure, and telemedicine experience on individual telemedicine service usage intention within the extended theoretical framework of TAM and TAM2. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional survey to collect data (N = 1,088) through a Chinese online panel provider (wenjuan.com). Structural equation modeling was performed to examine relationships between the variables in the proposed model. Results: Our results indicated that technology anxiety (TA) was negatively related to perceived ease of use (PEOU) and usage intention. PEOU mediated the relationship between TA and usage intention. Social media health information consumption was positively associated with perceived usefulness (PU). Previous telemedicine satisfaction was positively related to PEOU and PU, but the direct relationship between satisfaction with telemedicine and usage intention was not found to be significant. Besides, PEOU and PU mediated the relationship between previous telemedicine satisfaction and usage intention. Conclusions: Findings of the study not only contribute to literature pertaining to telemedicine promotion by identifying important mediation relationships but also help identify potential users and provide a convenient internet-based promotion channel since they reveal that social media health information consumption is positively related to PU of telemedicine services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanqi Gong
- Department of Network and New Media, School of Journalism and Communication, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiawei Liu
- Department of Journalism, School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
- China's National Cohesion Research Center, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
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Luo Y, Feng X, Wang D, Zheng M, Reinhardt JD. Understanding early experiences of Chinese frontline nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A text mining and thematic analysis of social media information. Nurs Health Sci 2023; 25:389-401. [PMID: 37503817 DOI: 10.1111/nhs.13037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
This study aims to explore the early experiences of frontline nurses at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in China as expressed through social media posts. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed-method design. Text mining was used for sentiment analysis. The chi-square test was used to compare the differences in the composition ratio of sentiment classification of posts in different months. Word frequency was statistically analyzed. Further thematic analysis was also performed. The primary sentiments of the posts were discovered to be positive and neutral. The number of posts containing positive emotions was the lowest in January, peaked in March, and gradually declined in April 2020. The following nurse-oriented narrative themes were developed: "To see and be seen," "Moving forward amid adversity and support," and "Returning to everyday life and constructing meaning." The sentiments of Chinese nurses in response to the pandemic fluctuated, with positive emotions in the early stage, but it could not be sustained. This study recommends nurses could be encouraged to engage in expressive writing while adhering to ethical guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunting Luo
- Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Department of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xianqiong Feng
- Department of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Dandan Wang
- Department of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Nursing Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Mingyue Zheng
- Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jan D Reinhardt
- Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
- Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Jiangsu Province Hospital/Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, China
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Alvarez-Mon MA, Pereira-Sanchez V, Hooker ER, Sanchez F, Alvarez-Mon M, Teo AR. Content and User Engagement of Health-Related Behavior Tweets Posted by Mass Media Outlets From Spain and the United States Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observational Infodemiology Study. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2023; 3:e43685. [PMID: 37347948 PMCID: PMC10445660 DOI: 10.2196/43685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the early pandemic, there was substantial variation in public and government responses to COVID-19 in Europe and the United States. Mass media are a vital source of health information and news, frequently disseminating this information through social media, and may influence public and policy responses to the pandemic. OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe the extent to which major media outlets in the United States and Spain tweeted about health-related behaviors (HRBs) relevant to COVID-19, compare the tweeting patterns between media outlets of both countries, and determine user engagement in response to these tweets. METHODS We investigated tweets posted by 30 major media outlets (n=17, 57% from Spain and n=13, 43% from the United States) between December 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020, which included keywords related to HRBs relevant to COVID-19. We classified tweets into 6 categories: mask-wearing, physical distancing, handwashing, quarantine or confinement, disinfecting objects, or multiple HRBs (any combination of the prior HRB categories). Additionally, we assessed the likes and retweets generated by each tweet. Poisson regression analyses compared the average predicted number of likes and retweets between the different HRB categories and between countries. RESULTS Of 50,415 tweets initially collected, 8552 contained content associated with an HRB relevant to COVID-19. Of these, 600 were randomly chosen for training, and 2351 tweets were randomly selected for manual content analysis. Of the 2351 COVID-19-related tweets included in the content analysis, 62.91% (1479/2351) mentioned at least one HRB. The proportion of COVID-19 tweets mentioning at least one HRB differed significantly between countries (P=.006). Quarantine or confinement was mentioned in nearly half of all the HRB tweets in both countries. In contrast, the least frequently mentioned HRBs were disinfecting objects in Spain 6.9% (56/809) and handwashing in the United States 9.1% (61/670). For tweets from the United States mentioning at least one HRB, disinfecting objects had the highest median likes and retweets, whereas mask-wearing- and handwashing-related tweets achieved the highest median number of likes in Spain. Tweets from Spain that mentioned social distancing or disinfecting objects had a significantly lower predicted count of likes compared with tweets mentioning a different HRB (P=.02 and P=.01, respectively). Tweets from the United States that mentioned quarantine or confinement or disinfecting objects had a significantly lower predicted number of likes compared with tweets mentioning a different HRB (P<.001), whereas mask- and handwashing-related tweets had a significantly greater predicted number of likes (P=.04 and P=.02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The type of HRB content and engagement with media outlet tweets varied between Spain and the United States early in the pandemic. However, content related to quarantine or confinement and engagement with handwashing was relatively high in both countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Angel Alvarez-Mon
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, Alcala de Henares, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University Hospital Infanta Leonor, Madrid, Spain
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Victor Pereira-Sanchez
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Elizabeth R Hooker
- VA Portland Health Care System, Health Services Research & Development Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, Portland, OR, United States
- OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Facundo Sanchez
- Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, New York, NY, United States
- Devers Eye Institute, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Melchor Alvarez-Mon
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcala, Alcala de Henares, Spain
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Alan R Teo
- VA Portland Health Care System, Health Services Research & Development Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
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50
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Cheng T, Han B, Liu Y. Exploring public sentiment and vaccination uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in England: a spatiotemporal and sociodemographic analysis of Twitter data. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1193750. [PMID: 37663835 PMCID: PMC10470640 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1193750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Vaccination is widely regarded as the paramount approach for safeguarding individuals against the repercussions of COVID-19. Nonetheless, concerns surrounding the efficacy and potential adverse effects of these vaccines have become prevalent among the public. To date, there has been a paucity of research investigating public perceptions and the adoption of COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, the present study endeavours to address this lacuna by undertaking a spatiotemporal analysis of sentiments towards vaccination and its uptake in England at the local authority level, while concurrently examining the sociodemographic attributes at the national level. Methods A sentiment analysis of Twitter data was undertaken to delineate the distribution of positive sentiments and their demographic correlates. Positive sentiments were categorized into clusters to streamline comparison across different age and gender demographics. The relationship between positive sentiment and vaccination uptake was evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Additionally, a bivariate analysis was carried out to further probe public sentiment towards COVID-19 vaccines and their local adoption rates. Result The results indicated that the majority of positive tweets were posted by males, although females expressed higher levels of positive sentiment. The age group over 40 dominated the positive tweets and exhibited the highest sentiment polarity. Additionally, vaccination uptake was positively correlated with the number of positive tweets and the age group at the local authority level. Conclusion Overall, public opinions on COVID-19 vaccines are predominantly positive. The number of individuals receiving vaccinations at the local authority level is positively correlated with the prevalence of positive attitudes towards vaccines, particularly among the population aged over 40. These findings suggest that targeted efforts to increase vaccination uptake among younger populations, particularly males, are necessary to achieve widespread vaccination coverage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Cheng
- SpaceTimeLab, University College London, Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, London, United Kingdom
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