The condition known variously as myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS has been steeped in controversy for 40 years or more. Long Covid, first noticed and named in 2020, has become entangled with the ME/CFS controversy because of striking similarities in the experiences of patients suffering from the two illnesses. Online health communities (OHCs) have played central roles in both controversies, but these are not the kinds of roles that have been so well-documented in prior literature. While prior research has established many ways in which participation in an OHC may benefit or otherwise affect community members themselves, this essay focuses on how OHCs contribute to positional shifts in health controversies that involve other communities as well. Using a framework for understanding health controversies as argumentative polylogues, I show that OHCs arguing with other players have made contributions that are both effective in gaining ground for the OHCs' own goals and in elevating the overall quality of the debate. Further, in some cases these contributions have been so innovative as to suggest surprising future trajectories for OHCs.
{"title":"Online Health Communities in Controversy over ME/CFS and Long Covid","authors":"Sally Jackson","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.203","url":null,"abstract":"The condition known variously as myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS has been steeped in controversy for 40 years or more. Long Covid, first noticed and named in 2020, has become entangled with the ME/CFS controversy because of striking similarities in the experiences of patients suffering from the two illnesses. Online health communities (OHCs) have played central roles in both controversies, but these are not the kinds of roles that have been so well-documented in prior literature. While prior research has established many ways in which participation in an OHC may benefit or otherwise affect community members themselves, this essay focuses on how OHCs contribute to positional shifts in health controversies that involve other communities as well. Using a framework for understanding health controversies as argumentative polylogues, I show that OHCs arguing with other players have made contributions that are both effective in gaining ground for the OHCs' own goals and in elevating the overall quality of the debate. Further, in some cases these contributions have been so innovative as to suggest surprising future trajectories for OHCs.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132394366","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}
Baukje B. Stinesen, Petra Sneijder, A. Köke, R. Smeets
Before patients with chronic pain enter an interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation programme, a team of various healthcare professionals performs a biopsychosocial analysis of their pain problem. To enhance patients’ engagement, the problem analysis is thoroughly discussed with them in order to gain a shared understanding of the nature of their pain problem. This study explores how patients and practitioners talk through their rehabilitation team’s hypotheses regarding the psychosocial factors involved in these patients’ health situation. Nine consultations were recorded at various Dutch interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation units. The recordings were transcribed and analysed, combining an applied conversation analytic research approach with discursive psychology. Patients and practitioners are found to orient to ensuring consensus on the problem analysis as a relevant activity and tend to avoid or minimize the articulation of differences in perspectives. This study also shows that this orientation to consensus involves a delicate management of issues of accountability and blame. Findings can be used by practitioners to consider communication practices that are more likely to encourage patients to voice potential concerns regarding their rehabilitation team’s findings.
{"title":"Consultations Preliminary to Interdisciplinary Chronic Pain Rehabilitation","authors":"Baukje B. Stinesen, Petra Sneijder, A. Köke, R. Smeets","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.202","url":null,"abstract":"Before patients with chronic pain enter an interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation programme, a team of various healthcare professionals performs a biopsychosocial analysis of their pain problem. To enhance patients’ engagement, the problem analysis is thoroughly discussed with them in order to gain a shared understanding of the nature of their pain problem. This study explores how patients and practitioners talk through their rehabilitation team’s hypotheses regarding the psychosocial factors involved in these patients’ health situation. Nine consultations were recorded at various Dutch interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation units. The recordings were transcribed and analysed, combining an applied conversation analytic research approach with discursive psychology. Patients and practitioners are found to orient to ensuring consensus on the problem analysis as a relevant activity and tend to avoid or minimize the articulation of differences in perspectives. This study also shows that this orientation to consensus involves a delicate management of issues of accountability and blame. Findings can be used by practitioners to consider communication practices that are more likely to encourage patients to voice potential concerns regarding their rehabilitation team’s findings.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"86 11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129002665","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}
Irene Kelder, Petra Sneijder, Annette Klarenbeek, T. Roseboom, E. Laan
Cancer and its treatments cause significant changes in sexuality that affect the quality of life of both patients and their partners. As these issues are not always discussed with healthcare professionals, cancer patients turn to online health communities to find answers to questions or for emotional support pertaining to sexual issues. By using a discursive psychological perspective, we explore the social actions that participants in online health forums perform when discussing sexuality. Data were collected by entering search terms in the search bars of three online health forums. Our analysis of 213 threads, containing 1,275 posts, provides insight into how participants who present themselves as women with cancer account for their sexual issues and, in doing so, orient to two intertwined norms: Having untroubled sex is part of a couple’s relationship, and male partners are entitled to having untroubled sex. We discuss the potential harmful consequences of orienting to norms related to sexual behaviour. Yet, our findings can also help healthcare professionals in broaching the topic of sexuality in conversations with cancer patients. The insights of this study into what female patients themselves treat as relevant can assist health professionals in better aligning with patients’ interactional concerns.
{"title":"Accounting for Sexual Issues Related to Cancer","authors":"Irene Kelder, Petra Sneijder, Annette Klarenbeek, T. Roseboom, E. Laan","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.201","url":null,"abstract":"Cancer and its treatments cause significant changes in sexuality that affect the quality of life of both patients and their partners. As these issues are not always discussed with healthcare professionals, cancer patients turn to online health communities to find answers to questions or for emotional support pertaining to sexual issues. By using a discursive psychological perspective, we explore the social actions that participants in online health forums perform when discussing sexuality. Data were collected by entering search terms in the search bars of three online health forums. Our analysis of 213 threads, containing 1,275 posts, provides insight into how participants who present themselves as women with cancer account for their sexual issues and, in doing so, orient to two intertwined norms: Having untroubled sex is part of a couple’s relationship, and male partners are entitled to having untroubled sex. We discuss the potential harmful consequences of orienting to norms related to sexual behaviour. Yet, our findings can also help healthcare professionals in broaching the topic of sexuality in conversations with cancer patients. The insights of this study into what female patients themselves treat as relevant can assist health professionals in better aligning with patients’ interactional concerns.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116172302","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}
Responsibility frames and attributions of responsibility are closely linked to health-related stigma and social support intentions, which present relevant influencing factors for health outcomes. According to social-ecological models, health responsibility can potentially be attributed to at least three levels: 1) the individual, 2) the social network, and 3) society. So far, little is known about responsibility attributions to the social network. This qualitative interview study explores how N = 22 persons with and without lived experience with diabetes and depression react to a media frame attributing responsibility to the social network level, aiming to understand how framing and responsibility attributions are linked to health-related stigma and endorsement of social support. Results demonstrate that specifically type 2 diabetes is linked to individually controllable attributions and behavioural stigma, and individuals living with type 2 diabetes are expected to manage their condition without considerable social support. In contrast, depression is seen as less controllable, less manageable, and dependent on social and professional support. For both diabetes and depression, frames attributing responsibility to the social network may stimulate social support but also carry certain risks. These results offer implications for health news reporting, and perspectives for further research on health-related responsibility framing.
{"title":"Who Is (Held) Responsible for Diabetes and Depression?","authors":"Linn Julia Temmann","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.103","url":null,"abstract":"Responsibility frames and attributions of responsibility are closely linked to health-related stigma and social support intentions, which present relevant influencing factors for health outcomes. According to social-ecological models, health responsibility can potentially be attributed to at least three levels: 1) the individual, 2) the social network, and 3) society. So far, little is known about responsibility attributions to the social network. This qualitative interview study explores how N = 22 persons with and without lived experience with diabetes and depression react to a media frame attributing responsibility to the social network level, aiming to understand how framing and responsibility attributions are linked to health-related stigma and endorsement of social support. Results demonstrate that specifically type 2 diabetes is linked to individually controllable attributions and behavioural stigma, and individuals living with type 2 diabetes are expected to manage their condition without considerable social support. In contrast, depression is seen as less controllable, less manageable, and dependent on social and professional support. For both diabetes and depression, frames attributing responsibility to the social network may stimulate social support but also carry certain risks. These results offer implications for health news reporting, and perspectives for further research on health-related responsibility framing.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114651666","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}
To inhibit the spread of the Covid-19 virus, several governmental guidelines (e.g., social contact, vaccination) were proposed. Whether or not these protective behaviours are implemented often depends on citizens’ risk perceptions which, according to previous research, are formed by social media, news media, and interpersonal communications. However, previous research is limited in two ways. First, research mostly focused on adults, thereby neglecting emerging adults who are less affected but equally needed to adhere to the rules. Second, research mainly measured behaviours at one-time point and studied between-person associations, thereby neglecting short-term within-person effects. We therefore conducted a daily diary study among 208 emerging adults (Mage = 21.63, SDage = 1.15) and examined which communication channels increased Covid-19 risk perceptions (i.e., perceived personal susceptibility and societal severity) and, in turn, individuals’ willingness to get vaccinated and follow Covid-19 rules. The results showed that only news media predicted societal severity on the within-level and that severity, in turn, predicted willingness to get vaccinated and follow rules at the between-level. Additionally, social media predicted interpersonal conversations about Covid-19 at the between-and within-level. Overall, this study highlights the importance of news media in affecting emerging adults’ health perceptions and behaviours during a crisis.
{"title":"How Social Media, News Media and Interpersonal Communication Relate to Covid-19 Risk Perceptions and Behaviours","authors":"Robyn Vanherle, Sebastian Kurten, Ann Rousseau","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.102","url":null,"abstract":"To inhibit the spread of the Covid-19 virus, several governmental guidelines (e.g., social contact, vaccination) were proposed. Whether or not these protective behaviours are implemented often depends on citizens’ risk perceptions which, according to previous research, are formed by social media, news media, and interpersonal communications. However, previous research is limited in two ways. First, research mostly focused on adults, thereby neglecting emerging adults who are less affected but equally needed to adhere to the rules. Second, research mainly measured behaviours at one-time point and studied between-person associations, thereby neglecting short-term within-person effects. We therefore conducted a daily diary study among 208 emerging adults (Mage = 21.63, SDage = 1.15) and examined which communication channels increased Covid-19 risk perceptions (i.e., perceived personal susceptibility and societal severity) and, in turn, individuals’ willingness to get vaccinated and follow Covid-19 rules. The results showed that only news media predicted societal severity on the within-level and that severity, in turn, predicted willingness to get vaccinated and follow rules at the between-level. Additionally, social media predicted interpersonal conversations about Covid-19 at the between-and within-level. Overall, this study highlights the importance of news media in affecting emerging adults’ health perceptions and behaviours during a crisis.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123369606","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}
L. Marciano, E. Albanese, K. Viswanath, A. Camerini
Covid-19 measures have reduced children’s and adolescents’ life satisfaction (LS), a key indicator of well-being. However, we have limited evidence of the longitudinal associations between changes in LS and different types of digital media use throughout the pandemic. Using data collected in Ticino, Italian-speaking Switzerland from 764 children and adolescents (Mage = 12.51, SDage = 4.00, 52% females) over five months starting from September 2020, the current study investigated temporal variations in LS, and how process-oriented versus social-oriented digital media use predicted LS, controlling for socio-demographic variables. Results of the quadratic latent growth curve model showed a steeper decrease in LS at the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic in Autumn 2020. Process-oriented digital media use predicted lower starting levels (i.e., the intercept) of LS, whereas social-oriented digital media use acted as a protective factor against the initial decrement of LS (i.e., linear slope) and positively influenced the rate of change of LS (i.e., the quadratic slope), pointing towards a faster return to baseline levels. Females, adolescents, participants with low subjective socio-economic status, and non-Swiss participants reported lower levels of LS. Results suggest that when in-person social contacts are compromised, social-oriented use of digital technologies should be promoted in young people to obtain and maintain social contacts that are crucial for LS and their well-being. LS may be conceived as a predisposing condition to accumulate, preserve, and restore mental and social well-being, which, in turn, allow individuals to contribute to their community and society at large.
{"title":"The Protective Role of Social-Oriented Digital Media Use in Children’s and Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction During the Covid-19 Pandemic","authors":"L. Marciano, E. Albanese, K. Viswanath, A. Camerini","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2023.101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2023.101","url":null,"abstract":"Covid-19 measures have reduced children’s and adolescents’ life satisfaction (LS), a key indicator of well-being. However, we have limited evidence of the longitudinal associations between changes in LS and different types of digital media use throughout the pandemic. Using data collected in Ticino, Italian-speaking Switzerland from 764 children and adolescents (Mage = 12.51, SDage = 4.00, 52% females) over five months starting from September 2020, the current study investigated temporal variations in LS, and how process-oriented versus social-oriented digital media use predicted LS, controlling for socio-demographic variables. Results of the quadratic latent growth curve model showed a steeper decrease in LS at the beginning of the second wave of the pandemic in Autumn 2020. Process-oriented digital media use predicted lower starting levels (i.e., the intercept) of LS, whereas social-oriented digital media use acted as a protective factor against the initial decrement of LS (i.e., linear slope) and positively influenced the rate of change of LS (i.e., the quadratic slope), pointing towards a faster return to baseline levels. Females, adolescents, participants with low subjective socio-economic status, and non-Swiss participants reported lower levels of LS. Results suggest that when in-person social contacts are compromised, social-oriented use of digital technologies should be promoted in young people to obtain and maintain social contacts that are crucial for LS and their well-being. LS may be conceived as a predisposing condition to accumulate, preserve, and restore mental and social well-being, which, in turn, allow individuals to contribute to their community and society at large.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125249192","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}
Paula Stehr, C. Rossmann, Tabea Kremer, H. Luetke Lanfer
Through various mechanisms such as social comparison, social control, and social support, social networks may impose both positive and negative effects on people’s health. The purpose of this brief research report is to highlight the role of social aspects in health promotion in the context of evidence-based communication strategies to promote physical activity among older adults in Germany. Results are based on a two-study formative research project, combining 20 semi-structured interviews with a telephone survey of a representative sample of 1,001 older adults. They show that interpersonal communication is an important source of health information. However, a strong normative influence of the social network may also undermine self-determined motivation to be physically active and therefore decrease activity levels in the long-term. In contrast, feeling related to others and being able to exercise together with other people can facilitate physical activity for older adults, which underlines the ambivalent role of social aspects. Hence, (interpersonal) communication aiming at the promotion of physical activity among older adults should support their perceived autonomy by explaining potential health and social consequences of the behaviour, providing choices, and acknowledging individual barriers and facilitators such as (lack of) sports companions.
{"title":"The Ambivalent Role of Social Aspects in Health Promotion","authors":"Paula Stehr, C. Rossmann, Tabea Kremer, H. Luetke Lanfer","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2022.309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2022.309","url":null,"abstract":"Through various mechanisms such as social comparison, social control, and social support, social networks may impose both positive and negative effects on people’s health. The purpose of this brief research report is to highlight the role of social aspects in health promotion in the context of evidence-based communication strategies to promote physical activity among older adults in Germany. Results are based on a two-study formative research project, combining 20 semi-structured interviews with a telephone survey of a representative sample of 1,001 older adults. They show that interpersonal communication is an important source of health information. However, a strong normative influence of the social network may also undermine self-determined motivation to be physically active and therefore decrease activity levels in the long-term. In contrast, feeling related to others and being able to exercise together with other people can facilitate physical activity for older adults, which underlines the ambivalent role of social aspects. Hence, (interpersonal) communication aiming at the promotion of physical activity among older adults should support their perceived autonomy by explaining potential health and social consequences of the behaviour, providing choices, and acknowledging individual barriers and facilitators such as (lack of) sports companions.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"139 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122913386","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}
M. Mesman, H. Hendriks, S. Onrust, B. van den Putte
This study investigated the influence of teacher communication behaviours on predictors of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise during a school-based health intervention. Additionally, we investigated whether students’ evaluations of the intervention mediated these effects. In a two-way prospective study, 389 adolescents (222 females; Mage = 16.64, SDage = 1.97) completed a survey. Key variables were teacher communication behaviours (i.e., clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance), predictors (i.e., attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioural control, and intentions) of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise, and students’ evaluations of the health intervention were investigated. Results showed that teacher clarity resulted in significantly healthier injunctive norms and higher perceived behavioural control regarding alcohol use, and for exercise in significantly healthier attitudes, descriptive norms, and intentions to exercise. No effects of teacher clarity were found for snack intake. Furthermore, teacher clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance did not indirectly result in healthier predictors of health behaviour through evaluations of the intervention. Findings support the role of teacher clarity for intervention effectiveness, and advise designers of health interventions to incorporate the role of teacher clarity in their teacher training programs to achieve more desired changes in health behaviour.
{"title":"The Effects of Teacher Communication During a Health Intervention on Older Adolescents’ Predictors of Health Behaviour","authors":"M. Mesman, H. Hendriks, S. Onrust, B. van den Putte","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2022.307","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2022.307","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigated the influence of teacher communication behaviours on predictors of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise during a school-based health intervention. Additionally, we investigated whether students’ evaluations of the intervention mediated these effects. In a two-way prospective study, 389 adolescents (222 females; Mage = 16.64, SDage = 1.97) completed a survey. Key variables were teacher communication behaviours (i.e., clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance), predictors (i.e., attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioural control, and intentions) of alcohol use, snack intake, and physical exercise, and students’ evaluations of the health intervention were investigated. Results showed that teacher clarity resulted in significantly healthier injunctive norms and higher perceived behavioural control regarding alcohol use, and for exercise in significantly healthier attitudes, descriptive norms, and intentions to exercise. No effects of teacher clarity were found for snack intake. Furthermore, teacher clarity, verbal immediacy, and content relevance did not indirectly result in healthier predictors of health behaviour through evaluations of the intervention. Findings support the role of teacher clarity for intervention effectiveness, and advise designers of health interventions to incorporate the role of teacher clarity in their teacher training programs to achieve more desired changes in health behaviour.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125355386","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}
S. Kessler, Miriam S. Cano Pardo, Anna Jobin, F. Georgi
Since the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic began, large amounts of (mis)information have been disseminated worldwide. We conducted an online survey in Switzerland (N = 1,129) in April 2021 to ask respondents which information has received too little attention in public discourse, which measures help containing coronavirus infection and Covid-19, and about subjectively perceived Covid-19 misinformation. Content analysis of the open answers revealed that vaccination and its potential side effects, aspects related to political measures, psychological and social aspects, as well as science and research topics deserved more attention in the eyes of the respondents, mostly from politics or media. The most frequently mentioned effective measures were social distancing, wearing masks, general hygiene, and vaccination. Notably, the number of measures mentioned was related to the degree to which the pandemic affected individuals subjectively, trust in public institutions, and their individual level of science-related populism. Swiss residents with less trust in public institutions and who consume less news media on Covid-19 are more likely to believe misinformation on (in)effective measures against the virus. Most respondents encountered Covid-19 misinformation and could name examples, including sources. Education and information use affect the frequency of subjectively encountered misinformation. More highly educated people can name more misinformation instances encountered than less educated people.
{"title":"How Informed are the Swiss about Covid-19 and Prevention Measures?","authors":"S. Kessler, Miriam S. Cano Pardo, Anna Jobin, F. Georgi","doi":"10.47368/ejhc.2022.306","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2022.306","url":null,"abstract":"Since the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic began, large amounts of (mis)information have been disseminated worldwide. We conducted an online survey in Switzerland (N = 1,129) in April 2021 to ask respondents which information has received too little attention in public discourse, which measures help containing coronavirus infection and Covid-19, and about subjectively perceived Covid-19 misinformation. Content analysis of the open answers revealed that vaccination and its potential side effects, aspects related to political measures, psychological and social aspects, as well as science and research topics deserved more attention in the eyes of the respondents, mostly from politics or media. The most frequently mentioned effective measures were social distancing, wearing masks, general hygiene, and vaccination. Notably, the number of measures mentioned was related to the degree to which the pandemic affected individuals subjectively, trust in public institutions, and their individual level of science-related populism. Swiss residents with less trust in public institutions and who consume less news media on Covid-19 are more likely to believe misinformation on (in)effective measures against the virus. Most respondents encountered Covid-19 misinformation and could name examples, including sources. Education and information use affect the frequency of subjectively encountered misinformation. More highly educated people can name more misinformation instances encountered than less educated people.","PeriodicalId":358828,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Health Communication","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129110576","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}
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