The term COVID-19 “long haul” originated on social media and was later studied by the scientific community. This study describes content related to persistent COVID-19 symptoms on YouTube. The 100 most viewed English-language videos identified with the keywords “COVID-19 long haul” were assessed for video origin, engagement, and content related to COVID-19 long-haul. The findings indicate that the majority of videos were uploaded by television or internet news (56%), followed by consumers (members of the public, 32%), health professionals (only 9%), and lastly by entertainment TV (non-news programs, 3%). Videos originating from entertainment TV were significantly more likely to be “liked” than videos from other sources. The most commonly mentioned long-haul symptoms in the videos were physical (fatigue, 73%; difficulty breathing/shortness of breath, 56%; and joint or muscle pain, 49%) and cognitive (difficulty thinking or concentrating; 69%). The case of COVID-19 long haul demonstrates that social media are significant fora whereon the public identify health concerns. It is necessary for healthcare professionals to assume an active and responsible role in social media.
Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States. The incidence and prevalence of CRC have historically increased with age. Although rates of CRC in the United States have been decreasing over the past decades among those aged ≥65 years, there has been an uptick among those in younger age brackets. Google News is one of the biggest traffic drivers to top news sites. It aggregates and shares news highlights from multiple sources worldwide and organizes them by content type. Despite the widespread use of Google News, research is lacking on the type of CRC content represented in this news source. Objective The purpose of this study was to analyze content related to CRC screening and prevention in Google News articles published during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (March 2022). Methods Data collection for this cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2022—National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Using the term colorectal cancer, 100 English-language Google News articles were extracted and coded for content. A combined approach—deductive and inductive coding—was utilized. Descriptive analyses were conducted, and frequency distributions were reported. Univariable analyses were performed to assess differences between articles that mentioned CRC screening and those that did not via chi-square tests. Results Of the 100 articles reviewed, nearly half (n=49, 49%) were created by health news organizations, and another 27% (n=27) were created by television news services. The predominant themes in the content included age at the onset of disease (n=59, 59%), mortality related to CRC (n=57, 57%), and the severity of disease (n=50, 50%). Only 18% (n=18) of articles discussed CRC disparities, 23% (n=23) mentioned that there are hereditary forms of the disease, 36% (n=36) spoke of colonoscopy to screen for the disease, and 37% (n=37) mentioned how the disease is treated. Although most articles mentioned CRC screening (n=61, 61%), it was striking that sex was only mentioned in 34% (21/61) of these articles, colonoscopy was mentioned in 46% (28/61), and diet was mentioned in 30% (18/61). Conclusions Heightening the public’s awareness of this disease is important, but it is critical that messages related to how preventable this cancer is, who is the most likely to develop CRC, and what can be done to detect it in the early stages when the disease is the most curable be the critical elements of dialogue, particularly during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. There is a need to disseminate information about early-onset CRC and the importance of screening, especially among populations with low rates of uptake. Web-based news is potentially an underutilized communication mechanism for promoting CRC screenings as secondary prevention measures for high-risk groups.
Background: Health information-seeking behavior (HISB) of college students is of importance due to health information inconsistencies at a time when personal independence and concurrent personal health decision making may be increased. Currently, there is a dearth of research about the HISB of college students, especially from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and describe the sources college students use when engaging in HISB; and to explore associations between HISB and demographic factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with undergraduate students at a diverse, public institution in New York City. The sample was drawn from an institutional social science research pool and asked to complete a survey on HISB. A total of 226 respondents completed the survey. Results: The believed accuracy of the information found online was positively correlated with related behaviors and beliefs. The number of followers on Instagram proved to be an important mediator of HISB of college students. The number of followers a health information provider has was fittingly positively correlated with the belief that social media is a helpful resource for health information r(233)=0.18, P=0.01. Students from families with two or more generations living in the United States accessed health professionals more frequently than students from one or less generation (χ2=8.107(2), P=0.017). Conclusion: Targeted educational programs designed to increase health information seeking skills, including discernment of information quality should be a priority for college students.
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