The role of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: Salvaging its 'power' for positive social behaviour change in Africa

Knowledge and Practice of Precautions and Prevention of COVID-19 Among Adolescents in Umuahia, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed significant challenges worldwide, particularly in developing countries with limited healthcare resources. Among the various demographics, adolescents represent a crucial group in understanding and curbing the spread of the virus. Aim This research aims to assess the level of knowledge and practice of COVID-19 prevention measures among adolescents in a developing country. Methodology This study's descriptive cross-sectional study design was appropriate for capturing a snapshot of adolescents' understanding of COVID-19 in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria, a developing country. The study's participants were secondary school students in Umuahia's urban and rural secondary schools, aged 10-19. Fisher's formula was used to calculate the sample size. A multistage systematic sampling method was used to select 424 participants. Data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY) was used to handle and evaluate the data that had been obtained. Results All the respondents were aware of COVID-19, primarily informed through social media and television (TV). It is concerning that less than half correctly identify the disease as caused by a virus (46.9%), with some falsely attributing it to bacteria (31.1%) or fungi (15.6%). While the majority of respondents knew about the existence of COVID-19 vaccines, only 63.4% were aware that there was no definitive cure for the disease. The most worrying finding was the limited awareness and practice of recommended precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Handwashing with soap and water, social distancing, and using hand sanitizers were the most frequently recognized precautions. However, even these were poorly practiced, with less than 30% of the respondents following them regularly. It was also noted that misconceptions about precautions exist, including unusual practices such as regularly drinking hot water or eating bitter kola/pepperfruit. Also, the most prominent reason for refusal among the respondents for COVID-19 vaccines was parental refusal, accounting for 57.5% of negative responses. Conclusion The study's findings underscore the urgent need for tailored, accessible, and effective health education strategies to improve adolescents' understanding and adoption of COVID-19 preventive measures in the region.

Understanding the determinants of vaccine hesitancy in the United States: A comparison of social surveys and social media

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted governments worldwide to implement a range of containment measures, including mass gathering restrictions, social distancing, and school closures. Despite these efforts, vaccines continue to be the safest and most effective means of combating such viruses. Yet, vaccine hesitancy persists, posing a significant public health concern, particularly with the emergence of new COVID-19 variants. To effectively address this issue, timely data is crucial for understanding the various factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. While previous research has largely relied on traditional surveys for this information, recent sources of data, such as social media, have gained attention. However, the potential of social media data as a reliable proxy for information on population hesitancy, especially when compared with survey data, remains underexplored. This paper aims to bridge this gap. Our approach uses social, demographic, and economic data to predict vaccine hesitancy levels in the ten most populous US metropolitan areas. We employ machine learning algorithms to compare a set of baseline models that contain only these variables with models that incorporate survey data and social media data separately. Our results show that XGBoost algorithm consistently outperforms Random Forest and Linear Regression, with marginal differences between Random Forest and XGBoost. This was especially the case with models that incorporate survey or social media data, thus highlighting the promise of the latter data as a complementary information source. Results also reveal variations in influential variables across the five hesitancy classes, such as age, ethnicity, occupation, and political inclination. Further, the application of models to different MSAs yields mixed results, emphasizing the uniqueness of communities and the need for complementary data approaches. In summary, this study underscores social media data's potential for understanding vaccine hesitancy, emphasizes the importance of tailoring interventions to specific communities, and suggests the value of combining different data sources.

Antecedents of social media addiction in high and low relational mobility societies: Motivation to expand social network and fear of reputational damage

Contrary to previous studies on the antecedent factors of social media addiction, we focused on the social environmental factor of relational mobility (i.e., the ease of constructing new interpersonal relationships) and investigated its relationship with social media addiction. People in low relational mobility societies have fewer opportunities to select new relationship partners and consequently feel a stronger need to maintain their reputation. We hypothesized that (1) people in low relational mobility societies are more strongly addicted to social media because they estimate that greater reputational damage will be caused by ignoring messages and (2) people in low relational mobility societies estimate greater reputational damage than actual damage. We conducted two online experiments with 715 and 1,826 participants. Our results demonstrated that (1) there is no relationship between relational mobility and social media addiction and (2) people in both high and low relational mobility societies overestimate reputational damage. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the social media addiction mechanism differs between societies: (3) people in low relational mobility societies estimate greater reputational damage, whereas (4) people in high relational mobility societies are more motivated to expand their social networks; both mechanisms strengthen their social media addiction. Based on these results, we propose interventions for moderating social media addiction in both high and low relational mobility societies.

Influence of social media on psychological health of youth during COVID-19 pandemic

Context

Medical undergraduates, being away from their institutes due to the lockdown, are at a greater risk of being affected by the negative news, which may easily instill fear and panic among them. Therefore, the present study was planned with the objective to study the effects of media exposure on the psychological health of undergraduate medical students at a tertiary health institute.

Aim

To assess the psychological effects of social media/media use and coping mechanisms adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Settings and Design

Tertiary care teaching Institute and Cross-sectional study.

Material and Methods

It is a cross-sectional observational study performed among (under graduate) UG students, which was assessed using a pre-tested questionnaire including the pre-validated DASS-21 scale.

Statistical Analysis

Data collected was entered in MS Excel. Descriptive statistics and correlation of the study variables were analyzed while controlling for demographics using Epi-info software version 7.2.2.

Results

It was observed that around one-fifth of the participants have moderate depression, followed by mild 10.97%; one-fifth of the participants have moderate levels of anxiety 20.41% followed by extremely severe anxiety 13.27% and about two-thirds of the study participants having no stress 64.29% followed by mild stress 14.80% and moderate stress 9.69%.

Conclusion

There was a significant psychological impact of the use of social media among young populations, particularly anxiety, stress, and depression with exposure to negative news and reports on social media platforms.

A structured literature review of the health infodemic on social media in Africa

Infodemics is a multi-faceted threat that needs to be dealt with by governments during public health emergencies. This strategic review described the role of social media platforms in creating and reinforcing an infodemic during health pandemics in Africa. The inclusion criteria for the review were African research on infodemics on social media during pandemics, epidemics or endemics in the past 10 years. A structured literature review, making use of the Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research (SPIDER) scoping review methodology framework, identified scholarly publications from various academic databases. A total of 41 articles met the eligibility criteria. The six factors identified included stakeholders, socio-economic context, conspiracy theories, sources of information, government responses and verification mechanisms. The findings of this study indicate that governments needs to include infodemics in the risk communication strategy for public health emergencies. Verification of misinformation can mitigate the effects of conspiracy theories while the socio-economic context of the audience will influence planning strategies to mitigate infodemics on social media.

Contribution

This study contributes to the knowledge base of risk communication during pandemics in Africa by providing a review of how infodemics on social media have influenced the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent. The results also provide a foundation for the research agenda in this research field that will provide an evidence-based response to the pandemic in Africa.

Social media for public health: Reaping the benefits, mitigating the harms

With more than 4.26 billion social media users worldwide, social media has become a primary source of health information, exchange, and influence. As its use has rapidly expanded, social media has proven to be a "doubled-edged sword," with considerable benefits as well as notable harms. It can be used to encourage preventive behaviors, foster social connectivity for better mental health, enable health officials to deliver timely information, and connect individuals to reliable information. But social media also has contributed to public health crises by exacerbating a decline in public trust, deteriorating mental health (especially in young people), and spreading dangerous misinformation. These realities have profound implications for health professionals, social media companies, governments, and users. We discuss promising guidelines, digital safety practices, and regulations on which to build a comprehensive approach to healthy use of social media. Concerted efforts from social media companies, governments, users, public interest groups, and academia are essential to mitigate the harms and unlock the benefits of this powerful new technology.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ectopic pregnancy presentation and treatment: A retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

We examined ectopic pregnancy (EP) incidence, presentation and management, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and following initiation of vaccination against COVID-19.

STUDY DESIGN

In a single-center retrospective cohort study, we compared incidence, presentation and management of EP, between 98 women who presented during the pandemic (March 1 2020 to August 31, 2021), and 94 women diagnosed earlier (March 1 2018 to August 31, 2019). Sub-periods before and after introduction of the vaccination were compared.

RESULTS

Age and parity were similar between the periods. For the pandemic compared to the earlier period, the median gestational age at EP presentation was higher (6.24 ± 1.25 vs. 5.59 ± 1.24, P<0.001), and the proportions were higher of symptomatic women (42.9% vs. 27.7%, p = 0.035) and urgent laparoscopies (42.9% vs. 24.5%, p = 0.038). In a multivariable linear model, women who presented during the pandemic were more likely to undergo an urgent laparoscopy [OR 2.30, 95%CI (1.20-4.41)], P = 0.012. In urgent surgeries performed during the pandemic compared to the earlier period, the proportion of women with a hemoglobin drop >2 gr/dL was greater (60% vs. 30%, p = 0.024). Statistically significant differences were not found in sonographic or laboratory findings, in rupture or massive hemoperitoneum rates, or in the need for blood transfusion in urgent laparoscopy. Outcomes were similar before and after introduction of vaccinations.

CONCLUSION

During the pandemic, and even after the introduction of vaccination, women with EP were more likely to undergo urgent surgery, and blood loss was greater. This is likely due to delayed diagnosis.

Higher COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Are Associated with Lower COVID-19 Mortality: A Global Analysis

Mass vaccination initiatives are underway worldwide, and a considerable percentage of the world's population is now vaccinated. This study examined the association of COVID-19 deaths per 1000 cases with a fully vaccinated population. The global median deaths per 1000 cases were 15.68 (IQR 9.84, 25.87) after 6 months of vaccinations and 11.96 (IQR 6.08, 20.63) after 12 months. Across 164 countries, we found significant variations in vaccination levels of populations, booster doses, and mortality, with higher vaccine coverage and lower mortality in high-income countries. Several regression models were performed to test the association between vaccination and COVID-19 mortality. Control variables were used to account for confounding variables. A 10-percentage-point increase in vaccination was associated with an 18.1% decrease in mortality after 6 months (95%CI, 7.4-28.8%) and a 16.8% decrease after 12 months (95%CI, 6.9-26.7%). A 10-percentage-point increase in booster vaccination rates was associated with a 33.1% decrease in COVID-19 mortality (95%CI, 16.0-50.2%). This relationship is present in most analyses by country income groups with variations in the effect size. Efforts are needed to reduce vaccine hesitancy while ensuring suitable infrastructure and supply to enable all countries to increase their vaccination rates.