The novelty of COVID-19 has created unique challenges to successful public health efforts because it has required the public to quickly learn and formulate knowledge and attitudes about the virus as information becomes available. The need to stay apprised of new information has also created a critical role for mass media and public institutions in shaping the public's knowledge of, attitudes about, and responses to the unfolding pandemic. In this study, we examine how media consumption and reliance on specific institutions for information shapes three critical outcomes associated with public health epidemics: the accumulation of knowledge and the endorsement of misinformation about COVID-19, and prejudicial responses to the virus. We surveyed 1,141 adults residing across the United States in March 2020. Using multivariate regression and t-tests, we found that participants had greater knowledge, were less likely to endorse misinformation, and reported less bias toward Asian Americans when they had higher trust in the CDC and lower trust in President Trump. Reliance on certain news formats and sources was also associated with knowledge, misinformation, and prejudice. Our findings suggest that trust and news consumption can pose critical barriers to health literacy and foster negative prejudicial responses that further undermine public health efforts surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives This paper empirically examines whether and how COVID-19 may be activating bias and discrimination toward individuals of Asian descent. Methods In March 2020, we used a national online survey to collect data from 1141 US residents. Using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression, we estimated the prevalence and COVID-19-related predictors of bias toward people of Asian descent. Results We found over 40% of our sample reported they would engage in at least one discriminatory behavior toward people of Asian descent. Respondents who were fearful of COVID-19 ( b = .09, p < 0.001) and had less accurate knowledge about the virus ( b = − .07, p < 0.001) reported more negative attitudes toward Asians as did respondents with less trust in science ( b = − .06, p < 0.001) and more trust in President Trump ( b = .04, p < 0.001). Conclusions Public health leaders must confront fear of the virus, improve knowledge, and bolster trust in science as these factors may evoke negative attitudes toward Asians and increase prejudice and discrimination. Specifically, our findings warrant the adoption of public health campaigns that provide health information and build trust in scientific knowledge.

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Context: Virtually all nonprofit hospitals are in compliance with the Affordable Care Act's new Community Health Needs Assessments requirements. Objective: To assess what needs have emerged in the Community Health Needs Assessments hospitals complete nationally, the degree to which identified needs reflect the most pressing community health issues, and the extent to which hospitals address identified needs. Design: Using both bivariate and logistic regressions, we analyzed the Community Health Needs Assessments and implementation strategies of nonprofit hospitals to determine whether identified needs overlapped with county health-ranking indicators of need and whether institutional or community-level factors predicted hospital willingness to address identified needs. Participants: We included a 20% random sample of US nonprofit hospitals (n = 496). Main Outcome Measures: Our main outcome measures were whether nonprofit hospitals addressed each of the most common needs. Results: Mental health, access to care, obesity, substance abuse, diabetes, cancer, and the social determinants of health were the most commonly identified needs across the sample. The rate at which hospitals chose to address each of these needs in their implementation strategies, however, varied considerably, ranging from 56% (cancer) to 85% (obesity). We found that several institutional and community characteristics predicted hospital willingness to address each need; whether the community ranked a need as number 1 was a better predictor of hospital investment than the severity of the need, as measured by county health-rankings data. Conclusions: These findings may help inform local, state, and federal policy makers as they consider interventions aimed at encouraging hospitals to invest in improving the health of their communities.

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Purpose: Racism is an essential factor to understand racial health disparities in infection and mortality due to COVID-19 and must be thoroughly integrated into any successful public health response. But highlighting the effect of racism generally does not go far enough toward understanding racial/ethnic health disparities or advocating for change; we must interrogate the various forms of racism in the United States, including behaviors and practices that are not recognized by many as racism. Methods: In this article, we explore the prevalence and demographic distribution of various forms of racism in the United States and how these diverse racial ideologies are potentially associated with racialized responses to the COVID-19 crisis. Results: We find that among white Americans, more than a quarter express traditional racist attitudes, whereas more than half endorse more contemporary and implicit forms of racist ideology. Each of these types of racism helps us explain profound disparities related to COVID-19. Conclusions: Despite a robust literature documenting persistent patterns of racial disparities in the United States, a focus on the role that various forms of racism play in perpetuating these disparities is absent. These distinctions are essential to realizing health equity and countering disparities in COVID-19 and other health outcomes among people of color in the United States.

Social capital refers to the social norms and networks that build trust and enable individuals to pursue shared objectives; it can vary considerably between communities and across time. Considerable evidence suggests that the presence of social capital at the local or state level is associated with improved individual health and lower community-level mortality, chronic illness, and diseases of despair such as substance abuse. Social capital may influence health outcomes because community-engaged institutions are more common in communities with strong social bonds and cross-sector partnerships are more easily leveraged. This study examines the impact of social capital on the effectiveness of health care organizations, specifically hospitals, in establishing population health partnerships which are critical for addressing health disparities and reducing preventable deaths. In a national sample of hospitals, we find that in communities with high social capital, hospitals are more likely to hold partnerships with public health and social service agencies. Social capital within communities may create the conditions in which hospitals are able to easily identify possible partnerships and engage in collaborative efforts to improve population health.

Previous studies have focused on the role anchor institutions play in community development. However, less attention has been directed to how hospitals can effectively partner with community-organizations and residents as part of population health efforts. This article examines community views of one initiative developed by a major American children's hospital in partnership with local community organizations. The data for this study come from 35 in-depth interviews with local residents from the neighborhood adjacent to the hospital and two interviews with hospital administrators. Our findings suggest that the contexts in which hospitals and other non-profit corporations operate pose unique challenges to effective communication. In particular, hospitals and community organizations may think differently about the merits and nature of open communication. Especially when acting as anchor institutions working beyond their formal medical expertise, hospitals may struggle to communicate the scope and goals of their non-medical work in the community.