Health Information Seeking Behaviors on Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among American Social Networking Site Users: Survey Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND In recent years, medical journals have emphasized the increasingly critical role that social media plays in the dissemination of public health information and disease prevention guidelines. However, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter continue to pose unique challenges for clinical health care providers and public health officials alike. In order to effectively communicate during public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it is increasingly critical for health care providers and public health officials to understand how patients gather health-related information on the internet and adjudicate the merits of such information. OBJECTIVE With that goal in mind, we conducted a survey of 1003 US-based adults to better understand how health consumers have used social media to learn and stay informed about the COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which they have relied on credible scientific information sources, and how they have gone about fact-checking pandemic-related information. METHODS A web-based survey was conducted with a sample that was purchased through an industry-leading market research provider. The results were reported with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 3. Participants included 1003 US-based adults (aged ≥18 years). Participants were selected via a stratified quota sampling approach to ensure that the sample was representative of the US population. Balanced quotas were determined (by region of the country) for gender, age, race, and ethnicity. RESULTS The results showed a heavy reliance on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic; more than three-quarters of respondents (762/1003, 76%) reported that they have relied on social media at least “a little,” and 59.2% (594/1003) of respondents indicated that they read information about COVID-19 on social media at least once per week. According to the findings, most social media users (638/1003, 63.6%) were unlikely to fact-check what they see on the internet with a health professional, despite the high levels of mistrust in the accuracy of COVID-19–related information on social media. We also found a greater likelihood of undergoing vaccination among those following more credible scientific sources on social media during the pandemic (<i>χ</i><sup>2</sup><sub>16</sub>=50.790; <i>φ</i>=0.258; <i>P</i><.001). CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that health professionals will need to be both strategic and proactive when engaging with health consumers on social media if they hope to counteract the deleterious effects of misinformation and disinformation. Effective training, institutional support, and proactive collaboration can help health professionals adapt to the evolving patterns of health information seeking.

The COVID-19 Infodemic Through Facebook: Comparison of Content and the Accuracy of Breastfeeding Information

“…Roselina et al (2021) reported that a high majority (78.3%) of the study population chose social media to seek information regarding COVID-19 [ 8 ]. In particular, 76% of users relied on social media such as Facebook and Twitter for health information during COVID-19, in addition to gathering information from websites [ 9 ]. Even most face-to-face support groups have switched to online or social media [ 5 ].…”

Where the truth really lies: Listening to voices from African American communities in the Southern States about COVID-19 vaccine information and communication

“…However, mis- and disinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines remains prevalent, contributing to vaccine concerns among AA communities, which in turn cause vaccine hesitancy and impede vaccine uptake in the AA population. Research suggests that the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine may be an important driver of vaccine hesitancy, whereas conversely, exposure to reliable medical information may increase vaccine acceptance [10, 12, 13]. Hence, reducing spread of misinformation and promoting access to reliable information is warranted for vaccination promotion in AA communities.…”

Filipinos’ health information‐seeking behaviors and their implications for COVID‐19 vaccination

“…To address the population's hesitancy and orientation to the vaccine's effects (Cordero, 2021; Vergara, 2021) and as vaccines are the only cure to the current pandemic, it is critical to assess their health‐seeking behaviors (Neely et al., 2021; Tan et al., 2021), including knowledge and fear about COVID‐19 vaccines (Rzymski et al., 2021). Considering the preceding discussion of the Philippine vaccination campaign for COVID‐19 and the Filipinos' concerns about it, our study explored the Filipinos' health information‐seeking behaviors, specifically their information engagement and apprehension about COVID‐19 vaccines, and various reasons for vaccination and how these influenced their decision to get vaccinated.…”