Preventive health practices and the mass media in view of the COVID-19 pandemic (original) (raw)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a highly infectious disease caused by a novel corona virus. Preventive strategies are vital in controlling its spread and the mass media play a central role in disseminating needed information to the public. This study was carried out to determine how mass media has impacted on the health behaviour of individuals globally in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study targeting individuals in all inhabited continents of the world using an online anonymous pre-tested self-administered questionnaire.Results: The data of 485 respondents were analysed. Respondents who had heard of COVID-19 were 98.4% (477) and those who knew it was a disease caused by a new corona virus were 92.4% (448); 81.9% (397) believed COVID-19 had no cure. Information on COVID-19 was from the mass media 77.5% (376); 52.8% (256) was from the internet while 23.5% (114) was from the television. All information on COVID-19 were thought to be authentic a...