More effective strategies are required to strengthen public awareness of COVID-19: Evidence from Google Trends

Hu, Dingtao; Lou, Xiaoqi; Xu, Zhiwei; Meng, Nan; Xie, Qiaomei; Zhang, Man; Zou, Yanfeng; Liu, Jiatao; Sun, Greg; Wang, Fang

doi:10.7189/jogh.10.0101003

Cited by 93 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Google Trends has become a useful tool for monitoring awareness about public health at both national and international levels. It shows a relationship between topics related to COVID‐19 and search volumes (Hu et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introduction: Information Needs During a Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COVID‐19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: reflections on the roles of librarians and information professionals

Ali

Gatiti

2020

Health Info Libraries J

147

103

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This Regular Feature explores the role of health science librarians in the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has spread rapidly all over the world. All major cities around the globe are in lockdown. In Pakistan, the first case was diagnosed on 26 February 2020, and currently, there are more than 2039 diagnosed cases and 26 deaths as on 31 March 2020. Across the country, there are further 12 000 suspected cases. This will undoubtedly increase if precautionary measures are not taken. Pakistani universities, colleges and schools were in lockdown. The role of university librarians in this emergency included raising awareness through public health education, providing support to medical staff, researchers and providing ongoing traditional services to regular library patrons in Pakistan. The Regular Feature also provides links to useful resources.JM.

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Section: Introduction: Information Needs During a Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COVID‐19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: reflections on the roles of librarians and information professionals

Ali

Gatiti

2020

Health Info Libraries J

147

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is evident that perceptions and myths such as drinking raw alcohol can cure COVID-19 by people in Iran (7), that 5G towers are the cause for COVID-19 by people in the UK (8), and eating garlic or mint can cure COVID-19, as well as many others (9), can lead to serious damage and may increase the chances of contamination. A recent study has identified that there is a positive correlation between the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and the relative search volumes of terms related to COVID-19 (10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of Public Understanding of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia for Fostering Effective Communication Through Awareness Framework

Alanezi

Aljahdali

Alyousef

et al. 2020

Front. Public Health

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Background: Participation of the public is an important and most effective approach for controlling the spread of novel coronavirus. However, considering its novel nature, it is important to create awareness among the public to be able to take timely preventive measures. On the contrary, misinformation and myths from online communities result in severe damages in mitigation of this novel disease. Objective: Focusing on these aspects, this manuscript reviews public awareness about COVID-19, myths surrounding it, its symptoms, treatment, transmission, importance of information sources, types of information to be considered in awareness campaigns, promotional channels, and their implications in Saudi Arabia. Methods: An online questionnaire-based survey was used for collecting data related to five major aspects related to COVID-19 and awareness creation process. The survey was accessed by 1,881 people, out of whom 741 people participated in the survey. However, 150 dropouts left the survey in between, as a result of which a final sample of 591 was achieved, indicating the response rate of 39.3% and a completion rate of 79.76%. Results: Awareness levels of the participants related to COVID-19, its means of transmission, preventive measures, symptoms, and treatment were identified to be moderate to high (60-80%). However, reliance on a few myths and violation of certain preventive measures were identified with majority of the participants (more than 60%). The Ministry of Health was identified to be the most reliable source of information followed by family and friends. Moreover, 15 types of information were identified to be highly relevant and important, which need to be effectively disseminated among the public through effective communication channels. Conclusions: Lack of awareness can result in serious outcomes in relation to COVID-19. Effective awareness campaigns including relevant information from reliable sources can improve the knowledge of people, and they must be effective in developing positive attitudes among the public toward adopting preventive measures.

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“…The headquarters also used the apps regarding community service to collect and analyze the residents’ needs. From theory to practice, many pieces of evidence showed that it was feasible to research the epidemic situation and the changing trend of community service through a network of public opinion information [ 13 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploration of the Evaluation and Optimization of Community Epidemic Prevention in Wuhan Based on a DEA Model

Zhang

Cao

Meng

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Background—Communities played a key role in preventing the spread of coronavirus, not only during the threshold period of the epidemic but also in the normal stage of prevention. Scientifically evaluating the community’s work is necessary for prevention in the normal period of the epidemic and can provide a reference for the management of different countries. Methods—Based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), this article used community worker data to evaluate the matching of service supply and demand during the epidemic period and used co-word analysis to analyze the content and the residents’ demands for community service from the threshold period to the normal period of the epidemic. Results—According to the results of the DEA model, early in the epidemic, 13 of the 15 districts’ DEA values were invalid, indicating that there was a shortage in community workers in Wuhan. The results of public opinion analysis showed that from the threshold to the normal period of the epidemic, the emphasis on community service gradually transformed from epidemic prevention to an integrated service, which effectively met the composite service needs of community residents for both prevention and life. Conclusions—In the face of public health emergencies, the government should ensure an adequate number of service personnel, mobilize the service resources, refine the service content, and adjust the incentive policy, which can help to improve the quality of residents’ lives and the coordination degree of the prevention and control as part of the epidemic control in the emergency period and the social and economic recovery after the epidemic.

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More effective strategies are required to strengthen public awareness of COVID-19: Evidence from Google Trends

Cited by 93 publications

References 21 publications

The COVID‐19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: reflections on the roles of librarians and information professionals

The COVID‐19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: reflections on the roles of librarians and information professionals

Implications of Public Understanding of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia for Fostering Effective Communication Through Awareness Framework

Exploration of the Evaluation and Optimization of Community Epidemic Prevention in Wuhan Based on a DEA Model

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