Impact of ‘infodemic in pandemic’ on food and nutrition related perceptions and practices of Indian internet users

Abstract

The uncontrolled spread of (mis)information, news and propaganda related to COVID 19 created an ‘infodemic’ leading to panic and unscientific practices among the mass. With the largest number of internet users in the world, India has witnessed a steep rise in the number of people seeking information on social media related to COVID-19, which reached a staggering 22.3 million by March, 2020. This study aimed to evaluate the trend of COVID-19 associated food and nutrition news search by Indian internet users between 27th January 2020 to 30th June 2021 (time period between the first detected COVID-19 case and the end of the second wave in India) and its impact on their perceptions and practices. The association between the change in Relative Search Volume (RSV) on Google Trends (GT) of 34 popularly searched keywords classified by the researchers under 5 different categories—“Immunity”, “Eating behavior”, “Food safety”, “Food scares and concerns” and “Covid scare” showed a steep rise in search for immunity boosters, vitamin supplement brands “ayush kadha (ayurvedic decoction) during the first wave (April- August 2020). With a brief period of decline in the search trend, it again hiked correspondingly with the growing number of positive cases during the second wave in India. An online survey conducted on adult Indian internet users (n = 572) reported high (71.9%) consumption of Vitamin C rich fruits as well as Vitamin C (68.2%) and Zinc (61.4%) supplements to boost immunity. Traditional Indian spices like ginger and garlic were used by 62.9% and 50.9% respondents respectively. Most respondents reported to rely on social media for gathering COVID-19 associated tips for boosting immunity, however those with history of COVID-19 infection reported to rely more on doctors and health professionals for information. This study highlights the need of media and health literacy to advocate for the use of health information cautiously.

Does the internet help governments contain the COVID-19 pandemic? Multi-country evidence from online human behaviour

“…The findings enrich the literature on infodemic research by extrapolating the effects of effective Internet use in a cross-country context. Studies have focused more on these effects at the individual level and collected survey data ( Fernández-Torres, Almansa-Martínez, & Chamizo-Sánchez, 2021 ; Gavaravarapu, Seal, Banerjee, Reddy, & Pittla, 2022 ; Olatunji, Ayandele, Ashirudeen, & Olaniru, 2020 ). Only a few studies have employed user data regarding social media such as Twitter and Facebook to probe the impacts of the infodemic on the COVID-19 crisis ( Mourad, Srour, Harmanani, Jenainati, & Arafeh, 2020 , Yang et al, 2021 ).…”

Energy and nutrient intake by 11–13-year-old young adolescents attending private schools in Delhi, India

“…Research shows that lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on diet and physical activity (24)(25)(26)(27) . In adolescents, compared to pre-pandemic period, screen time and intake of all food groups increased with a notable decline in physical activity (28,29) .…”

Regular Internet Users Across the Italian Regions

“…This study underscores the diversity of digital engagement and its implications for understanding social and individual dynamics in the digital age. Gavaravarapu et al (2022) address the phenomenon of the 'infodemic' during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on its impact on food and nutrition perceptions and practices among Indian internet users. This research is particularly relevant for understanding how misinformation can affect public health behaviors and attitudes, emphasizing the need for accurate information dissemination during health crises.…”