Early detection of perceived risk among users of a UK travel health website compared with internet search activity and media coverage during the 2015–2016 Zika virus outbreak: an observational study

Petersen, Jakob; Simons, Hilary; Patel, Dipti; Freedman, Joanne

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-015831

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Moreover, consumer avoidance of crisis news might lessen the negative impact of the coronavirus on travel decisions, thus benefitting travel firms. Negative impacts on travel have been evidenced during multiple traumatic events, such as Ebola (Petersen et al , 2017), COVID-19 (Bae and Chang, 2020); and terrorist attacks (Stepchenkova et al , 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the case of COVID-19, it is probable that prior travel experience may not be deemed as useful as external sources, since experience with the precise dilemma of traveling during this major pandemic is unknown for most consumers. Consumers rely on search engines and expert travel websites to prepare themselves (Petersen et al , 2017). Travelers who want to travel internationally rely heavily on Internet searches (Pesonen and Pasanen, 2017).…”

Section: Background Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Travel booking intentions and information searching during COVID-19

MacSween

Canziani

2021

IHR

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PurposeThis exploratory paper examined consumers' use of information sources and intentions to book future travel in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors expected that general news and travel information accessed on the Internet would impact travel intentions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 547 US online consumer panelists when all states were under “stay-at-home orders” in April 2020.FindingsDifferences existed in the impact of three stressors (health, personal and financial) on the use of information sources (general news and travel sources) and ultimately on booking intentions.Practical implicationsThe lack of influence health stressors had on travel research activity raises a question for the travel industry as to critical choice of messages to be imparted during pandemic environments.Originality/valueA three-factor model was used to assess the determinants of booking intentions during uncertain times. Authors applied the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to explore information searching for travel during the pandemic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Travel booking intentions and information searching during COVID-19

MacSween

Canziani

2021

IHR

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“…Google has been used to monitor Ebola-related web search behaviour and dengue outbreaks. [20][21][22] Some authors have used a travel health website 23 to monitor anxiety over the Zika virus, others have examined the framing of the Zika crisis 24 in two Brazilian newspapers (O Globo and Folha de Sao Paulo) and the coverage of mosquito-borne diseases in Italian newspapers 25 and compared Zika with other diseases.…”

Section: Mass Media and Public Health Informaticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The February and August peaks are also similar, coinciding with visits to a UK travel health website. 23 In addition, as will be shown in the next section, newspapers provide information on the scientific and non-scientific discourses about disease, public perceptions and how these may have influenced the uptake of containment information.…”

Section: Research Question 11mentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging media informatics for the surveillance and understanding of disease outbreaks

Falade¹

2019

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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Syndromic disease surveillance mechanisms can be enhanced by incorporating mass media informatics for disease discourse and aberration detection and social psychology for understanding risk perceptions and the drivers of uptake and resistance. Using computerised text analysis, the coverage of the outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil in 2017/2018 in four newspapers – O Estado, O Globo, the Times of London and the New York Times – was examined and patterns were compared with Google Trends. Quantitative indicators showed waves of attention to Zika peaked in the same period but local newspapers, O Estado and O Globo, indicated lower levels of anxiety in the run up to the Olympics when compared with foreign media. The unusual surge in attention to dengue in early 2015 was an early indication to sound the alarm for extensive clinical investigations. This, together with the flagging of Zika by O Globo almost a year before the global alarm, indicates the suitability of this method for surveillance and detection of aberrations. Media attention waves are also significantly associated with Google Trends, indicating empirical equivalence. Qualitative indicators show the extra motivation over Google, World Wide Web or Twitter searches by highlighting public perceptions. Findings show the absence of a stable body of scientific knowledge at the outbreak and an ensuing crisis of understanding. Local concerns were about the economic crisis, religious beliefs, poverty and crime – all inhibitors to containment – while the global alarm was amplified by risk to tourists and athletes, and political disputes mixed with religious beliefs. Significance: This study contributes to research on the use of longitudinal media data as surrogate sources for syndromic disease surveillance. Mass media informatics provide empirical equivalence to Google Trends. Clinical and non-clinical factors contributed to public anxiety over disease epidemics. Lack of clinical knowledge at the onset of the crisis contributed to anxiety among scientists and the public.

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“…Studies have shown that the decision to visit a destination involves a reasoned cost–benefit analysis based on information taken from various sources ( Abubakar and Ilkan, 2016 ; Chen et al, 2014 ). Moreover, a 2017 study showed that perceived risk preceded increased user traffic on a travel health website ( Petersen et al, 2017 ). Thus, reading travel health information about COVID-19 on travel websites and from official sources such as government public health and industry platforms may influence travel decision-making ( Huang et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Tourists’ Attitude Toward Online Travel Health Information During and Post-COVID-19: A Health Belief Model Application

Alhemimah

2022

Tourism and Hospitality Research

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Due to people’s anxieties about COVID-19, it may take years before international tourism returns to pre-pandemic levels. Thus, it is crucial to understand how tourists’ health beliefs influence their travel decision-making processes during and after the SARS-COV2 pandemic, and to develop new strategies to support and meet tourists’ current needs and concerns. The current study employs a Health Belief Model (HBM) perspective to examine the influence on tourists’ health risk prevention – and subsequently on their travel intention – of reading travel health information online, while considering tourists’ perceptions of threat susceptibility and severity, and usefulness of travel health information. As risk perception is influenced by individual differences such as gender and previous experience, the study model includes the demographic factors of age, gender, and health status. The model was tested using a survey questionnaire completed by 261 respondents in Saudi Arabia who were considering travelling abroad for tourism. Results were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The study found that perceived susceptibility and perceived usefulness each significantly and positively influenced the perception of importance of reading health information, and the perception of importance of reading travel health information online significantly and positively influenced travel intention. The discussion includes additional findings as well as implications for industry practice and policy regarding online pandemic-related information, in order to improve protection efficacy and enhance information content and style to adequately serve the needs of tourists from a health belief perspective.

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Early detection of perceived risk among users of a UK travel health website compared with internet search activity and media coverage during the 2015–2016 Zika virus outbreak: an observational study

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

Travel booking intentions and information searching during COVID-19

Travel booking intentions and information searching during COVID-19

Leveraging media informatics for the surveillance and understanding of disease outbreaks

Understanding Tourists’ Attitude Toward Online Travel Health Information During and Post-COVID-19: A Health Belief Model Application

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