COVID-19 News and Misinformation: Do They Matter for Public Health Prevention?

An infodemic caused by a rampant spread of a mixture of correct and incorrect information in a connected world creates uncertainty about and dismissal of proven public health measures. Two key factors that can influence COVID-19 preventive behaviors are information and self-efficacy. Misinformation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health communication 2021-11, Vol.26 (11), p.799-808
Main Authors: Dhawan, Dhriti, Bekalu, Mesfin, Pinnamaneni, Ramya, McCloud, Rachel, Viswanath, K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Communication
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Cross-Sectional Studies
Disease prevention
Dismissal
False information
Humans
Infodemic
Misinformation
News
Prevention
Protective factors
Public Health
Reliance
SARS-CoV-2
Self-efficacy
Social Media
Uncertainty
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Summary:An infodemic caused by a rampant spread of a mixture of correct and incorrect information in a connected world creates uncertainty about and dismissal of proven public health measures. Two key factors that can influence COVID-19 preventive behaviors are information and self-efficacy. Misinformation (inaccurate or misleading information) can modify people's attitudes and behaviors and deter them from following preventive behaviors. Self-efficacy, on the other hand, has been linked to the likelihood to engaging in preventive behaviors. This cross-sectional study used a nationally representative survey of Americans from 2020 to determine the associations between (1) COVID-19 news sources and COVID-19 misinformation and (2) COVID-19 misinformation and COVID-19 prevention self-efficacy, using multivariable logistic regression. Results indicate that reliance on conservative sources for COVID-19 news is significantly associated with endorsing COVID-19 misinformation. In contrast, reliance on liberal sources, mainstream print, or social media for COVID-19 news are significantly negatively associated with endorsing COVID-19 misinformation. Furthermore, endorsing COVID-19 misinformation is related to low COVID-19 prevention self-efficacy, which, in turn, can modify COVID-19 preventive behaviors. These findings suggest that customizing health messages to debunk misinformation and increase self-efficacy for preventive behaviors can motivate individuals to comply with preventive behaviors and protect themselves from COVID-19.
ISSN:1081-0730
1087-0415
DOI:10.1080/10810730.2021.2010841