This article examines the intersection of politics, government, and health communication in the Scottish Twittersphere during the Covid-19 outbreak. It captures two phases of the pandemic: the beginning of the health crisis, and the rollout of the vaccination programme, coinciding with the emergence of the Delta variant in Scotland. A combination of thematic, quantitative content and social network analyses is employed to identify key themes emerging from the tweets of selected government and politicians' accounts, and to explore the formation of social networks communities. The thematic analysis reveals that Twitter has primarily been used for disseminating information about the virus, preventative measures, and government interventions, with limited efforts towards public engagement. Twitter communications became increasingly partisan as the pandemic progressed, with users frequently using the crisis as a political proxy. Five major clusters were detected in the Twitter network: two highly partisan and polarised clusters; a group containing numerous news media accounts reporting on the pandemic, and two clusters focusing primarily on the vaccination programme and the provision of health information, where the First Minister and the Scottish Government operate. Implications of these findings for government and political communication in health crises are discussed.
{"title":"Twitter, Politics, and the Pandemic","authors":"Isidoropaolo Casteltrione","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2024.105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2024.105","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the intersection of politics, government, and health communication in the Scottish Twittersphere during the Covid-19 outbreak. It captures two phases of the pandemic: the beginning of the health crisis, and the rollout of the vaccination programme, coinciding with the emergence of the Delta variant in Scotland. A combination of thematic, quantitative content and social network analyses is employed to identify key themes emerging from the tweets of selected government and politicians' accounts, and to explore the formation of social networks communities. The thematic analysis reveals that Twitter has primarily been used for disseminating information about the virus, preventative measures, and government interventions, with limited efforts towards public engagement. Twitter communications became increasingly partisan as the pandemic progressed, with users frequently using the crisis as a political proxy. Five major clusters were detected in the Twitter network: two highly partisan and polarised clusters; a group containing numerous news media accounts reporting on the pandemic, and two clusters focusing primarily on the vaccination programme and the provision of health information, where the First Minister and the Scottish Government operate. Implications of these findings for government and political communication in health crises are discussed.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"115 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141105820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nadine Bol, Tatiana Gromova, K. Tenfelde, M. Antheunis
Theory of situational privacy and self-disclosure posits that perceived levels of privacy are determined by perceptions of the environment, and that certain levels of privacy are necessary for self-disclosure. In video consultations, auditory and visual aspects of the doctor’s environment can cause patients to experience more or less privacy. To provide empirical evidence for these theoretical assumptions, we conducted a 2 (auditory environmental factor: doctor wearing headphones vs. not) by 2 (visual environmental factor: doctor showing the entire office vs. not) between-subjects scenario-based experiment (N = 163). Participants imagined themselves in a video consultation with a doctor and reported their information and territory privacy concerns and willingness to disclose to the doctor. Results showed that the ability to see the doctor’s entire office led to lower information privacy concerns, which – in turn – were associated with increased willingness to disclose medical information to a doctor. Wearing headphones by the doctor did not affect privacy concerns and self-disclosure. Manipulations of both the auditory and visual environment were not significantly associated with territory privacy concerns. These results provide direction for further research on environmental factors and their impact on patients’ privacy concerns and self-disclosure during medical video communications.
{"title":"When Online and Offline Environments Meet","authors":"Nadine Bol, Tatiana Gromova, K. Tenfelde, M. Antheunis","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2024.104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2024.104","url":null,"abstract":"Theory of situational privacy and self-disclosure posits that perceived levels of privacy are determined by perceptions of the environment, and that certain levels of privacy are necessary for self-disclosure. In video consultations, auditory and visual aspects of the doctor’s environment can cause patients to experience more or less privacy. To provide empirical evidence for these theoretical assumptions, we conducted a 2 (auditory environmental factor: doctor wearing headphones vs. not) by 2 (visual environmental factor: doctor showing the entire office vs. not) between-subjects scenario-based experiment (N = 163). Participants imagined themselves in a video consultation with a doctor and reported their information and territory privacy concerns and willingness to disclose to the doctor. Results showed that the ability to see the doctor’s entire office led to lower information privacy concerns, which – in turn – were associated with increased willingness to disclose medical information to a doctor. Wearing headphones by the doctor did not affect privacy concerns and self-disclosure. Manipulations of both the auditory and visual environment were not significantly associated with territory privacy concerns. These results provide direction for further research on environmental factors and their impact on patients’ privacy concerns and self-disclosure during medical video communications.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"53 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140983435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anastasiya Atif (Nurzhynska), P. Chappell, Anna Sukhodolska, Jet G. Sanders
The Ukrainian government began delivering mandatory MMR vaccination letters to parents across the country in 2019. In this two-phase online RCT, we aimed to test the effectiveness of this national mandatory vaccination letter against five behavioural science-informed letters, in terms of their effects on the vaccination attitudes, intentions and behaviours of Ukrainian mothers (N = 738). One letter was focused on the simplicity and accessibility of vaccination procedures; one contained a testimonial from a family doctor; two letters contained pro-vaccination social norm statements (one signed by a family doctor and one by a school director); and one contained a loss-framed message underlining the risks of non-vaccination. The results showed no difference between the conditions in terms of change in vaccination attitudes and intentions but there was an effect on behaviour (measured through clicking a link to schedule a vaccination). The letters signed by a family doctor, outlining how vaccination is a social norm, were most effective in encouraging positive vaccination behaviours. We conclude that the national template used by Ukrainian public health authorities is unlikely to reduce vaccine hesitancy or increase vaccination rates, and that letters emphasising the normative nature of vaccination could increase uptake in the Ukrainian context.
{"title":"Examining the Impact of Six Pro-Vaccination Messages on MMR Vaccine Hesitancy Among Mothers in Ukraine","authors":"Anastasiya Atif (Nurzhynska), P. Chappell, Anna Sukhodolska, Jet G. Sanders","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2024.103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2024.103","url":null,"abstract":"The Ukrainian government began delivering mandatory MMR vaccination letters to parents across the country in 2019. In this two-phase online RCT, we aimed to test the effectiveness of this national mandatory vaccination letter against five behavioural science-informed letters, in terms of their effects on the vaccination attitudes, intentions and behaviours of Ukrainian mothers (N = 738). One letter was focused on the simplicity and accessibility of vaccination procedures; one contained a testimonial from a family doctor; two letters contained pro-vaccination social norm statements (one signed by a family doctor and one by a school director); and one contained a loss-framed message underlining the risks of non-vaccination. The results showed no difference between the conditions in terms of change in vaccination attitudes and intentions but there was an effect on behaviour (measured through clicking a link to schedule a vaccination). The letters signed by a family doctor, outlining how vaccination is a social norm, were most effective in encouraging positive vaccination behaviours. We conclude that the national template used by Ukrainian public health authorities is unlikely to reduce vaccine hesitancy or increase vaccination rates, and that letters emphasising the normative nature of vaccination could increase uptake in the Ukrainian context.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"122 37","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140985339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The present study investigates predictors of opinion expression about the Covid-19 vaccination. Health-related opinion expressions, which can be understood as a specific type of information sharing, are highly relevant since opinions are influential sources for individuals’ health-related attitude formation and decision-making and shape public opinion about health topics. Guided by extensive research on political opinion expression and the current state of research addressing health information sharing, we apply theoretical assumptions of the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP) to opinion expression about vaccination in different social contexts. We conducted an online survey in Germany (N = 833) and empirically analysed our model using regression analyses. A higher likelihood to express one’s opinion was contextual-independently facilitated by more positive attitudes towards sharing, injunctive norms, and sharing efficacy. Context-specific patterns were found for descriptive norms, cognitive risk perceptions, and information seeking. Our results revealed the RISP to be a step towards a theoretically sound framework explaining opinion expression, but demand more specific frameworks developed for opinion expression.
{"title":"Would You Mind Sharing Your Opinion About the Covid-19 Vaccination?","authors":"Elena Link, Jule Scheper, Paula Memenga","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2024.101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2024.101","url":null,"abstract":"The present study investigates predictors of opinion expression about the Covid-19 vaccination. Health-related opinion expressions, which can be understood as a specific type of information sharing, are highly relevant since opinions are influential sources for individuals’ health-related attitude formation and decision-making and shape public opinion about health topics. Guided by extensive research on political opinion expression and the current state of research addressing health information sharing, we apply theoretical assumptions of the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP) to opinion expression about vaccination in different social contexts. We conducted an online survey in Germany (N = 833) and empirically analysed our model using regression analyses. A higher likelihood to express one’s opinion was contextual-independently facilitated by more positive attitudes towards sharing, injunctive norms, and sharing efficacy. Context-specific patterns were found for descriptive norms, cognitive risk perceptions, and information seeking. Our results revealed the RISP to be a step towards a theoretically sound framework explaining opinion expression, but demand more specific frameworks developed for opinion expression.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"30 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139447485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
During times of uncertainty, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, people tend to cope through active information seeking. However, information overexposure can also lead to issue fatigue, a state in which recipients are increasingly annoyed and may actively avoid further information on this specific issue. Against this backdrop, we were interested in (1) whether people in Germany have experienced Covid-19 related issue fatigue over the course of the pandemic, (2) and if so, how Covid-19 information behaviour may have contributed to it, and (3) to what extent TV news coverage exhibits characteristics that are considered to contribute to recipients’ issue fatigue. To address these questions, we combined a two-wave panel survey (2020) and a cross-sectional survey (2021) of the German population with a quantitative content analysis of Covid-19 related TV news (2020 and 2021). The results show an increase in issue fatigue over time. However, there was no evidence indicating that people’s Covid-19 information behaviour has contributed to this. Rather, both information seeking and the reception of public TV news were negatively related to issue fatigue. Notably, TV news coverage showed characteristics that are considered determinants of issue fatigue, including its extent and an overall ambivalent-to-negative tone.
{"title":"Issue Fatigue Over the Course of the Covid-19 Pandemic","authors":"A. Wiedicke, Paula Stehr, Constanze Rossmann","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.307","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.307","url":null,"abstract":"During times of uncertainty, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, people tend to cope through active information seeking. However, information overexposure can also lead to issue fatigue, a state in which recipients are increasingly annoyed and may actively avoid further information on this specific issue. Against this backdrop, we were interested in (1) whether people in Germany have experienced Covid-19 related issue fatigue over the course of the pandemic, (2) and if so, how Covid-19 information behaviour may have contributed to it, and (3) to what extent TV news coverage exhibits characteristics that are considered to contribute to recipients’ issue fatigue. To address these questions, we combined a two-wave panel survey (2020) and a cross-sectional survey (2021) of the German population with a quantitative content analysis of Covid-19 related TV news (2020 and 2021). The results show an increase in issue fatigue over time. However, there was no evidence indicating that people’s Covid-19 information behaviour has contributed to this. Rather, both information seeking and the reception of public TV news were negatively related to issue fatigue. Notably, TV news coverage showed characteristics that are considered determinants of issue fatigue, including its extent and an overall ambivalent-to-negative tone.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"49 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139254060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cannabis is one of the most common substances consumed among adolescents and research demonstrates that exposure to cannabis-related content online is associated with cannabis consumption. However, little is known about the relationship between exposure on different social media platforms and the role of personal characteristics such as sensation seeking. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 1,309 adolescents between 15 and 19 years old in Switzerland investigating the relationship between exposure to cannabis-related content on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok and the intention to consume cannabis. Results suggest a positive link between exposure to cannabis-related content on Instagram and the intention to consume cannabis. No such link emerged regarding Snapchat or TikTok. Additionally, we found a positive relationship between adolescents’ sensation seeking and the intention to consume cannabis. Moreover, we found that high sensation seekers’ exposure to cannabis-related content on Snapchat is positively related to the intention to consume cannabis. In sum, this study shows that not only the platform matters when discussing the effects of cannabis-related online content but also personal characteristics such as sensation seeking.
{"title":"Does the Platform Matter?","authors":"Alice Binder, Tobias Frey, Thomas N. Friemel","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.302","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.302","url":null,"abstract":"Cannabis is one of the most common substances consumed among adolescents and research demonstrates that exposure to cannabis-related content online is associated with cannabis consumption. However, little is known about the relationship between exposure on different social media platforms and the role of personal characteristics such as sensation seeking. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 1,309 adolescents between 15 and 19 years old in Switzerland investigating the relationship between exposure to cannabis-related content on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok and the intention to consume cannabis. Results suggest a positive link between exposure to cannabis-related content on Instagram and the intention to consume cannabis. No such link emerged regarding Snapchat or TikTok. Additionally, we found a positive relationship between adolescents’ sensation seeking and the intention to consume cannabis. Moreover, we found that high sensation seekers’ exposure to cannabis-related content on Snapchat is positively related to the intention to consume cannabis. In sum, this study shows that not only the platform matters when discussing the effects of cannabis-related online content but also personal characteristics such as sensation seeking.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133908373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The impersonal impact hypothesis states that news consumption leads to an increase of social concern, but not to an increase of personal concern, whereas the latter is most important for stimulating behaviour change. However, previous findings are mixed and mostly investigate private health behaviour. Here we, therefore, conceptually replicate these findings by studying a public health crisis: the case of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of our longitudinal, five-wave study do not show support for the impersonal impact hypothesis, but rather seem to reveal the possibility of a personal impact hypothesis. That is, our findings show that news consumption increased participants’ personal concerns and to a lesser extent their societal concerns. News consumption furthermore indirectly affected adherence to governmental policy measures via these concerns. Additionally, participants adhered more to these measures when they believed they can make an incremental difference in stopping Covid-19 by adhering to Covid-19 policies (i.e., direct effect of participative beliefs). The belief of “doing it together” seems thus vital for policy adherence. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
{"title":"Doing it Together","authors":"E. Smit, M. Meijers, Carolin Ischen","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.301","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.301","url":null,"abstract":"The impersonal impact hypothesis states that news consumption leads to an increase of social concern, but not to an increase of personal concern, whereas the latter is most important for stimulating behaviour change. However, previous findings are mixed and mostly investigate private health behaviour. Here we, therefore, conceptually replicate these findings by studying a public health crisis: the case of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of our longitudinal, five-wave study do not show support for the impersonal impact hypothesis, but rather seem to reveal the possibility of a personal impact hypothesis. That is, our findings show that news consumption increased participants’ personal concerns and to a lesser extent their societal concerns. News consumption furthermore indirectly affected adherence to governmental policy measures via these concerns. Additionally, participants adhered more to these measures when they believed they can make an incremental difference in stopping Covid-19 by adhering to Covid-19 policies (i.e., direct effect of participative beliefs). The belief of “doing it together” seems thus vital for policy adherence. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131017737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social norms are a promising factor for pandemic control, as they motivate people to engage in preventive behaviours. However, little is known about the influence of perceived social norms on the intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and the role of communication in shaping such normative perceptions. Moreover, despite the pandemic’s global scale, a cross-cultural perspective is scant in research on Covid-19 preventive behaviour. The present study examined the relationships between communication (i.e., attention to mass media and social media), social norms (i.e., perceived norms in the population and personal environment), and people’s intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 using a cross-national survey in Singapore (N = 998) and Switzerland (N = 1,022). Multigroup structural equation modelling revealed that attention to mass media was positively correlated with perceived norms in both countries, whereas attention to social media was correlated with normative perceptions only in Singapore. Normative perceptions regarding the population and personal environment were positively correlated with vaccination intention in Singapore. However, in Switzerland, only perceived norms in the personal environment were positively related to vaccination intention. The results are discussed against the background of both countries’ media systems and cultural values (i.e., individualism/collectivism) and are instructive for norms-based interventions in times of crises.
{"title":"Communication, Social Norms, and the Intention to Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19","authors":"Sarah Geber, S. Ho, Mengxue Ou","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.206","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.206","url":null,"abstract":"Social norms are a promising factor for pandemic control, as they motivate people to engage in preventive behaviours. However, little is known about the influence of perceived social norms on the intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and the role of communication in shaping such normative perceptions. Moreover, despite the pandemic’s global scale, a cross-cultural perspective is scant in research on Covid-19 preventive behaviour. The present study examined the relationships between communication (i.e., attention to mass media and social media), social norms (i.e., perceived norms in the population and personal environment), and people’s intention to get vaccinated against Covid-19 using a cross-national survey in Singapore (N = 998) and Switzerland (N = 1,022). Multigroup structural equation modelling revealed that attention to mass media was positively correlated with perceived norms in both countries, whereas attention to social media was correlated with normative perceptions only in Singapore. Normative perceptions regarding the population and personal environment were positively correlated with vaccination intention in Singapore. However, in Switzerland, only perceived norms in the personal environment were positively related to vaccination intention. The results are discussed against the background of both countries’ media systems and cultural values (i.e., individualism/collectivism) and are instructive for norms-based interventions in times of crises.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125446014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leonie Westerbeek, H. Hendriks, E. Smit, Corine S. Meppelink
An increasing number of parents refrain from vaccinating their children. This causes lower immunisation coverage, resulting in disease outbreaks. Online misinformation about early-childhood vaccination is a potential cause of this problem. This study tests whether a warning tool, with the appearance of a traffic light, can influence parents’ information choices. An online experiment was conducted with parents and expecting parents (N = 179) with varying pre-existing attitudes and in different decision stages. Participants were asked to select three vaccine-related web links on a Google search result page either with or without the warning tool present. Results showed that participants in the warning tool condition (i.e., who saw reliability labels) selected a higher number of links marked as reliable compared to participants in the control group. No significant moderating effect of decision stage and pre-existing attitude were found. As our findings suggest that a warning tool can lead to better-informed vaccination decisions, the implementation of such a warning tool may prove worthwhile.
{"title":"Combating Online Misinformation Regarding Vaccinations","authors":"Leonie Westerbeek, H. Hendriks, E. Smit, Corine S. Meppelink","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.205","url":null,"abstract":"An increasing number of parents refrain from vaccinating their children. This causes lower immunisation coverage, resulting in disease outbreaks. Online misinformation about early-childhood vaccination is a potential cause of this problem. This study tests whether a warning tool, with the appearance of a traffic light, can influence parents’ information choices. An online experiment was conducted with parents and expecting parents (N = 179) with varying pre-existing attitudes and in different decision stages. Participants were asked to select three vaccine-related web links on a Google search result page either with or without the warning tool present. Results showed that participants in the warning tool condition (i.e., who saw reliability labels) selected a higher number of links marked as reliable compared to participants in the control group. No significant moderating effect of decision stage and pre-existing attitude were found. As our findings suggest that a warning tool can lead to better-informed vaccination decisions, the implementation of such a warning tool may prove worthwhile.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"110 47","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120826085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce has brought to the foreground the importance of addressing phenomena of racism, discrimination, and bias against healthcare workers of diverse backgrounds. This paper aims to contribute to the growing literature on patient bias by exploring the experiences of migrant physicians practicing in Sweden using thematic content analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews and applying microaggressions theory. Four themes pertaining to different forms of patient bias experienced by the respondents emerged from the transcripts such as refusal of care, questioning language competence, questioning medical competence, and ethnic jokes/stereotypes. Four additional themes dealing with strategies implemented by the respondents to cope with patient bias were also identified, namely confrontation avoidance, collaboration with Swedish healthcare staff, self-disclosure, and active listening. The findings elucidate the need to encourage inclusion in the workplace by providing opportunities for continuous language training and collegial support.
{"title":"Patient Bias in Sweden","authors":"Nataliya Berbyuk Lindström, D. Girardelli","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.204","url":null,"abstract":"Increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce has brought to the foreground the importance of addressing phenomena of racism, discrimination, and bias against healthcare workers of diverse backgrounds. This paper aims to contribute to the growing literature on patient bias by exploring the experiences of migrant physicians practicing in Sweden using thematic content analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews and applying microaggressions theory. Four themes pertaining to different forms of patient bias experienced by the respondents emerged from the transcripts such as refusal of care, questioning language competence, questioning medical competence, and ethnic jokes/stereotypes. Four additional themes dealing with strategies implemented by the respondents to cope with patient bias were also identified, namely confrontation avoidance, collaboration with Swedish healthcare staff, self-disclosure, and active listening. The findings elucidate the need to encourage inclusion in the workplace by providing opportunities for continuous language training and collegial support.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124190000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}