Cyberchondria, Fear of COVID-19, and Risk Perception Mediate the Association between Problematic Social Media Use and Intention to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine (original) (raw)
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Infectious Disease Reports, 2021
Mass vaccination campaigns have been implemented worldwide to counteract the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic, however their effectiveness could be challenged by vaccine hesitancy. The tremendous rise in the use of social media have made them acquire a leading role as an information source, thus representing a crucial factor at play that could contribute to increase or mitigate vaccine hesitancy, as information sources play a pivotal role in shaping public opinion and perceptions. The aims of the study were to investigate if information sources could affect the attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination and if they could act as a mediator in the relationship between individual characteristics and vaccine hesitancy. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted by a professional panellist on a representative sample of 1011 citizens from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy in January 2021. A mediation analysis using structural equation modelling was performed. Our results show how social media ...
Infodemic on Social Media and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
Journal of Medical Globalization, 2022
This study aims to understand the current COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy context and measures to overcome it. Assessing the challenge faced by campaigns against the vaccination on social media is vital, considering the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, though there has been substantial advancement in vaccines over the last century, the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable infections has prompted the World Health Organization to recognize vaccine hesitancy as a significant challenge to public health. The strategies among the general public for the hesitancy to use any vaccines for the initial period might well be fueled by health information gathered from a range of outlets, especially social media. This is a significant public health issue and may compromise people into not using the vaccines. Therefore, there is a strong need for social media to control that false plethora of information and promote the message from internationally recognized and trusted organizations and the government bodies of respective countries. This study explores infodemic in social media and its impact on utilizing the COVID-19 vaccine. This review results can benefit further public health interventions related to vaccine utilization.
BMC Public Health, 2022
Background: The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide global public health threat. Although acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination will be a critical step in combating the pandemic, achieving high uptake will be difficult, and potentially made more difficult by social media misinformation. This study aimed to examine the association between social media use and acceptance of receiving COVID-19 vaccine among the general population in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 17 to June 19, 2021 among 504 participants of the general population in Saudi Arabia. The data were collected using a three-part online questionnaire (sociodemographic characteristics, medical and vaccination history, pattern of social media use). Results: Among 504 participants who completed the survey, 477 participants were acceptant of the vaccine and 27 were non-accepting. A total of 335 individuals had already received the vaccine, 142 were willing to receive the vaccine and 27 were unwilling. One hundred and thirty participants denied using social media for COVID-19 news. Four factors were found to be significant in influencing vaccine acceptance in univariate analysis: having a chronic condition (odds ratio (OR) = 0.367, P = 0.019), believing that infertility is a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 0.298, P = 0.009), being concerned about a serious side effect from the vaccine (somewhat concerned: OR = 0.294, P = 0.022, very concerned: OR = 0.017, P < 0.0001), and basing the decision to be vaccinated on social media information (OR = 0.260, P = 0.006). Two of these factors fell away on multivariate analysis: basing the decision on social media information (OR = 0.356, P = 0.071), and a belief that vaccination causes infertility (OR = 0.0333, P = 0.054), suggesting that the associations are dependent on other factors. Conclusion: In conclusion, there was no significant independent relationship between social media usage and people's willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Further studies to explore the association between social media use and vaccine decisions are required to generalize this observation to the Saudi population.
Social media and attitudes towards a COVID-19 vaccination: A systematic review of the literature
eClinicalMedicine
Background Vaccine hesitancy continues to limit global efforts in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging research demonstrates the role of social media in disseminating information and potentially influencing people's attitudes towards public health campaigns. This systematic review sought to synthesize the current evidence regarding the potential role of social media in shaping COVID-19 vaccination attitudes, and to explore its potential for shaping public health interventions to address the issue of vaccine hesitancy. Methods We performed a systematic review of the studies published from inception to 13 of March2022 by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsychNET, Scopus, CINAHL, and MEDLINE. Studies that reported outcomes related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine (attitudes, opinion, etc.) gathered from the social media platforms, and those analyzing the relationship between social media use and COVID-19 hesitancy/acceptance were included. Studies that reported no outcome of interest or analyzed data from sources other than social media (websites, newspapers, etc.) will be excluded. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of all cross-sectional studies included in this review. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021283219). Findings Of the 2539 records identified, a total of 156 articles fully met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the quality of the cross-sectional studies was moderate − 2 studies received 10 stars, 5 studies received 9 stars, 9 studies were evaluated with 8, 12 studies with 7,16 studies with 6, 11 studies with 5, and 6 studies with 4 stars. The included studies were categorized into four categories. Cross-sectional studies reporting the association between reliance on social media and vaccine intentions mainly observed a negative relationship. Studies that performed thematic analyses of extracted social media data, mainly observed a domination of vaccine hesitant topics. Studies that explored the degree of polarization of specific social media contents related to COVID-19 vaccines observed a similar degree of content for both positive and negative tone posted on different social media platforms. Finally, studies that explored the fluctuations of vaccination attitudes/opinions gathered from social media identified specific events as significant cofactors that affect and shape vaccination intentions of individuals. Interpretation This thorough examination of the various roles social media can play in disseminating information to the public, as well as how individuals behave on social media in the context of public health events, articulates the potential of social media as a platform of public health intervention to address vaccine hesitancy.
The Impact of Social Media on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Acceptance: Data Analytic Approach
Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference
There is still a great deal of vaccination hesitancy among different populations in the U.S. including health workers, government officials, minorities and marginalized communities. The politicization of the COVID-19 issue made it difficult to contain the infection and led to an increase in the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories on the internet and social media. Misinformation about COVID-19 and its vaccine hindered efforts to fight the disease and continue to impact measures to contain the pandemic. In this paper, we examine the factors impacting vaccine hesitancy and acceptance in the United States. Data collected from CDC website and Twitter hashtags, #COVIDvaccines was analyzed, and the results have shown that vaccine hesitancy is largely influenced by personal opinion rather than scientific knowledge. Safety and side effect was the major impacting factor followed by misinformation and conspiracy theories. ALISE RESEARCH TAXONOMY TOPICS big data; data vis...
International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS), 2021
During COVID-19 pandemic, social media has become a basis for information deployment, it has the potential to change people opinion and solve many issues in this situation. Based on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), threat and coping appraisal were predictors to behavioral responses in pandemics. This study aimed to analyze the impact of social media intervention in adult population during COVID-19 pandemic based on PMT. This review was created using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and data collection from electronic databases such as Pubmed, Mendeley app, Europe PMC, Cochrane Databases, Science Direct, and Wiley Online Library. Inclusion criteria consists of English studies, studies related to the topic and match with required variables. There are five cross-sectional studies involving a total of 2.448 participants that were published in 2020. Among all categories based on included studied, it was shown that cyberchondria, perceived severity and perceived vulnerability are predictors in social media, related to behavioral responses during COVID-19 pandemic. Reducing information overload, related to cyberchondria, via the clear structuring and communication of reliable health information is needed. Hence, educating people on responsible and healthy social media use could help alleviate the observed negative consequences from perceived severity and vulnerability.
Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 2021
In the little time after the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China, the deceptive gossips and conspiracy concepts about the pandemic, surveillance, death rates, and (removed word-regarding) threats are closely associated with social media and mass media. Since the outbreak started in fall 2019, till now approximately 114291, 102,041,000 (people have died across the globe. The choices on quarantine applying must be based on the authentic accessible resources. Most of the studies reported adverse psychological impacts such as post-traumatic stress, confusions, anger, fear of infections, and frustrations as long-lasting paraphernalia during the largest quarantine period. The striking fastidiousness of such catastrophe is the fluke of virality and virology which are spreading very rapidly than that of the virus itself is the misinformation about the outbreak. Thus, obstructing such fabrication about the outbreak is necessary as it might become the most contagious in the coming times. Multiple social media scrutinizes and discussions regarding the geographically pandemic situation including tweets, messages, posts in the form of real-time maps have been used as an information source in the major communication campaigns. To minimalize such psychological fallouts, it is recommended that administrators must take steps to make quarantines as little as possible by providing clear information and rationale about quarantine etiquettes and ensure people in isolation have access to adequate goods. The majority of the people only experience COVID-19 through social and mass media ever. 24/7 coverage of multiple media resources makes it looks like the pandemic is ubiquitous for the lives. World Health Organization (WHO) coined a term by "Infodemic" that refers to spreading the disinformation on the COVID-19. The disassortative scenarios created by illiteracy and snowballing uncertainty raised the volume of fear in the minds of people. Giving guidance on actual social media usage to find definitive information should provide an update through confident resources particularly from the official institutes and organizations of governments. The suggestions including following WHO and CDC statistics have been recommended to accomplish news authenticity must be brought to control the stress of COVID-19.
Patient Preference and Adherence, 2021
Introduction: Social media platforms are used by many people to seek and share healthrelated information that may influence their decision-making about COVID-19 vaccination. Purpose: The objective of this study is to understand the influence of social media on the attitudes and willingness of the general public of the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia to receive COVID-19 vaccination. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional self-administrated online survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia Aseer region, where 613 persons willingly took part in the survey in April and May 2021. Residents of Aseer in Saudi Arabia, who are over the age of 18 (eligible for COVID-19 vaccination) and willing to participate in the survey, were included in the study. Results: Overall, 74.6% agreed that the COVID-19 vaccine was misrepresented via social media. However, 37% of those respondents strongly agreed that social media had increased their willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, employees reported (21.8%) or strongly agreed (28%) that the quantity and quality of information on social media has a detrimental impact on their psychological well-being. Additionally, participants also agreed (21.8%) or strongly agreed (28%) that social media had a negative effect on their psychological condition. Conclusion: The study provides that there was a high degree of awareness indicated among Aseer population regarding misleading information about COVID-19 vaccination via social media. Thus, social media that can share up-to-date scientific information about vaccination must be utilized optimally by the government to assist people in making decisions about accepting vaccinations.
COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Social Media Users: A Content Analysis, Multi-Continent Study
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022
Vaccine hesitancy is defined as a delayed in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccination services. This multinational study examined user interaction with social media about COVID-19 vaccination. The study analyzed social media comments in 24 countries from five continents. In total, 5856 responses were analyzed; 83.5% of comments were from Facebook, while 16.5% were from Twitter. In Facebook, the overall vaccine acceptance was 40.3%; the lowest acceptance rates were evident in Jordan (8.5%), Oman (15.0%), Senegal (20.0%) and Morocco (20.7%) and the continental acceptance rate was the lowest in North America 22.6%. In Twitter, the overall acceptance rate was (41.5%); the lowest acceptance rate was found in Oman (14.3%), followed by USA (20.5%), and UK (23.3%) and the continental acceptance rate was the lowest in North America (20.5%), and Europe (29.7%). The differences in vaccine acceptance across countries and continents in Facebook and Twitter were statistically significant. Regarding the tone of the comments, in Facebook, countries that had the highest number of serious tone comments were Sweden (90.9%), United States (61.3%), and Thailand (58.8%). At continent level, serious comments were the highest in Asia (58.4%), followed by Africa (46.2%) and South America (46.2%). In twitter, the highest serious tone was reported in Egypt (72.2%) while at continental level, the highest proportion of serious comments was observed in Asia (59.7%), followed by Europe (46.5%). The differences in tone across countries and continents in Facebook and Twitter and were statistically significant. There was a significant association between the tone and the position of comments. We concluded that the overall vaccine acceptance in social media is relatively low and varied across the studied countries and continents consequently, more in-depth studies are required to address causes of such VH and combat infodemics.
Studies in Media and Communication , 2022
There have been sustained global efforts to promote the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, yet studies suggest the upsurge of vaccine resistance around the world. Considering the wide adoption of social media as crucial sources of health information, the nature of popular online debates on vaccination initiatives can significantly sway people's vaccine-related decisions. This study develops a structural equation model for the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Nigerian social media users. Using an online survey of 436 respondents, the study fundamentally extends the constructs of the Health Belief Model by examining the unique roles of social media exposure, fear, and anticipated regret in the prediction of individuals' vaccination decisions. We found that perceived susceptibility to and perceived severity of vaccination risk, perceived barriers to vaccination, exposure to vaccine-critical posts on social media, fear of vaccination risk, and anticipated regret for vaccine uptake significantly predicted COVID-19 vaccine uptake. However, the perceived benefits of COVID-19 vaccine uptake and anticipated regret for inaction related to vaccination did not predict COVID-19 vaccine-related decisions. The findings accentuate why stakeholders in the public health sector should pay adequate attention to social media-related trends on public health promotion schemes, and counter any detected falsehood with credible information.