Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Apr 20, 2021
Date Accepted: May 26, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: May 27, 2021
Health Information Seeking on Social Media During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Survey of American SNS Users
ABSTRACT
Background:
Background:
Over recent years, medical journals have emphasized the increasingly critical role that social media plays in the dissemination of public health information and disease prevention guidelines. However, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter continue to pose unique challenges for clinical healthcare providers and public health officials alike. In order to effectively communicate during public health emergencies such as Covid-19, it’s increasingly critical for healthcare providers and public health officials to understand how patients gather – and adjudicate the merits of – health-related information online.
Objective:
Objective:
With that goal in mind, we conducted a survey of 1,003 U.S.-based adults to better understand how health consumers have utilized social media to learn and stay informed about the Covid-19 pandemic, including the extent to which they’ve relied on credible scientific information sources and how they’ve gone about “fact-checking” pandemic related information.
Methods:
Methods:
A web-based survey was conducted via sample purchased through an industry leading market research provider. Results are reported with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of +/- 3. Participants included 1,003 U.S. based adults (18 or older). Participants were selected via a stratified quota sampling approach to ensure a representative sample of the U.S. population. Balanced quotas were determined (by region of the country) for gender, age, race, ethnicity.
Results:
Results:
The results show a heavy reliance on social media during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the findings, most social media users are unlikely to “fact-check” what they see online with a health professional, despite high levels of mistrust in the accuracy of Covid-related information on social media. We also find a greater likelihood of vaccination among those “following” more credible, scientific sources on social media during the pandemic.
Conclusions:
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that health professionals will need to be both strategic and proactive when engaging with health consumers on social media if they hope to counteract the deleterious effects of mis/disinformation. Effective training, institutional support, and proactive collaboration can help health professionals adapt to evolving patterns of health information seeking. Clinical Trial: n/a
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Copyright
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