Exploring the Role of Infodemics in People’s Incompliance with Preventive Measures during the COVID-19 in Conflict Settings (Mixed Method Study)

Abstract

The evolving availability of health information on social media, regardless of its credibility, raises several questions about its impact on our health decisions and social behaviors, especially during health crises and in conflict settings where compliance with preventive measures and health guidelines is already a challenge due to socioeconomic factors. For these reasons, we assessed compliance with preventive measures and investigated the role of infodemic in people’s non-compliance with COVID-19 containment measures in Yemen. To this purpose and to triangulate our data collection, we executed a mixed method approach in which raw aggregated data were taken and analyzed from multiple sources (COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports), then complemented and verified with In-depth interviews. Our results showed that the population in Yemen had relatively complied with the governmental containment measures at the beginning of the pandemic. However, containment measures were not supported by daily COVID-19 reports due to low transparency, which, together with misinformation and lack of access to reliable sources, has caused the population not to believe in COVID-19 and even practice social pressure on those who showed some compliance with the WHO guidelines. Those results indicate the importance of adopting an infodemic management approach in response to future outbreaks, particularly in conflict settings.

Management of infodemics in outbreaks or health crises: a systematic review

“…The estimated budget for implementing such an initiative was equivalent to US$2.5 billion annually in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. In this review, only Yemen and Pakistan, as Low- and Middle-Income Countries, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic ( 32 , 33 ).…”

Exploring Predictors of Social Media Use for Health and Wellness during COVID-19 among Adults in the US: A Social Cognitive Theory Application

“…In 2019, almost 9 out of 10 adults in the USA used at least one social media network [ 6 ]. In 2020, there were over 4.74 billion social media users worldwide, equating to 59.3 percent of the global population [ 7 ].…”

“…For patients who may lack health and media literacy skills, critically evaluating the information encountered on SM platforms may be challenging. As individuals turn to online sources for answers, they may encounter an “infodemic”, making it hard to find reliable sources and accurate information when needed [ 7 , 21 ]. Thus, it remains important to generate up-to-date examinations of its role.…”

Social Media Fact-Checking: The Effects of News Literacy and News Trust on the Intent to Verify Health-Related Information

“…Misinformation about COVID-19 has been challenging to define due to its multi-layered nature, different perceptions among various subgroups of the population [28], and ongoing new scientific findings replacing existing ones [26]. These conditions have also influenced the sharing of misinformation about COVID-19 [23] due to low digital health literacy and scarce general medical knowledge in the background of vaccination and disease spreading [29][30][31]. Misinformation in the context of COVID-19 can, thus, be defined as any messages that are in disagreement with the strongest evidence currently available regarding COVID-19.…”

“…The situation urges fighting against misinformation, which necessitates ferocious efforts and extensive collaboration [31]. There have been several attempts to combat misinformation at the regulatory, community, and corporate levels.…”