Ebola: limitations of correcting misinformation

Chandler, Clare I R; Fairhead, James; Kelly, Ann H.; Leach, Melissa; Martineau, Fred; Mokuwa, Esther Yei; Parker, Melissa; Richards, Paul; Wilkinson, Annie

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(14)62382-5

Cited by 109 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Doing so would not have been feasible as there were various simultaneous campaigns across the districts. In addition, other factors may have influenced KAP [34] that were not captured by the assessments such as financial constraints, levels of trust in local authorities and having some direct Ebola experience (e.g. witnessing a loved one or neighbour become infected or die from Ebola).The variability in socio-demographic characteristics in samples from the two locations may have influenced the results.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessments of Ebola knowledge, attitudes and practices in Forécariah, Guinea and Kambia, Sierra Leone, July–August 2015

Jalloh

Bunnell

Robinson

et al. 2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The border region of Forécariah (Guinea) and Kambia (Sierra Leone) was of immense interest to the West Africa Ebola response. Cross-sectional household surveys with multi-stage cluster sampling procedure were used to collect random samples from Kambia ( n = 635) in July 2015 and Forécariah ( n = 502) in August 2015 to assess public knowledge, attitudes and practices related to Ebola. Knowledge of the disease was high in both places, and handwashing with soap and water was the most widespread prevention practice. Acceptance of safe alternatives to traditional burials was significantly lower in Forécariah compared with Kambia. In both locations, there was a minority who held discriminatory attitudes towards survivors. Radio was the predominant source of information in both locations, but those from Kambia were more likely to have received Ebola information from community sources (mosques/churches, community meetings or health workers) compared with those in Forécariah. These findings contextualize the utility of Ebola health messaging during the epidemic and suggest the importance of continued partnership with community leaders, including religious leaders, as a prominent part of future public health protection. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The 2013–2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control’.

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Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessments of Ebola knowledge, attitudes and practices in Forécariah, Guinea and Kambia, Sierra Leone, July–August 2015

Jalloh

Bunnell

Robinson

et al. 2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Scientists and health professionals expressed tremendous frustration over the relationship between misinformation circulating on the Internet and the global public's perceptions and responses during the Ebola epidemic that originated in West Africa (Chandler et al, 2015;The Lancet, 2014;Merino, 2014;Mitman, 2014;Oyeyemi, Gabarron, & Wynn, 2014;Ratzan & Moritsugu, 2014;Trad, Fisher, & Tambyah, 2014). Their interpretation of the situation was often unidirectional: misinformation shaped public sentiment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their interpretation of the situation was often unidirectional: misinformation shaped public sentiment. Thus, corresponding solutions were frequently too simplistic, aimed at correcting the misinformation in an effort to redirect public sentiment globally, an ultimately ineffective approach (Chandler et al, 2015). New network theory research suggests the true relationship between misinformation and public perception is much more complex: the networked public sphere is no longer merely a target audience but is now a major contributor to the online health communication arena, shaping the conversations with individual sentiments and social engagements.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Health Communication and Global Public Influence: A Study of the Ebola Epidemic

Roberts

Seymour

Fish

et al. 2017

Journal of Health Communication

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“…Social media is also useful during public health emergencies, for instance using Twitter as a way to better understand the public perception of the Ebola Virus through the access of both correct and incorrect information [24]. In the case of Ebola, professionals with understanding of social media were able to see miscommunication and misperceptions and work toward better informing the public [25]. Another example is Google Flu Tracker which used search terms to predict (albeit not very successfully [26]) spikes in influenza [27].…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Social Media as a Pedagogical Tool in Graduate Public Health Education and Training

Patel¹,

Sl²

2016

Journal of Healthcare Communications

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Public health is a complex field where current information and evidence available to inform best practices are constantly changing. With the rise of social media influencing public health actions, it is becoming more important for those working in the sector to have a proficient understanding of this form of communication. Social media use amongst public health organizations is also on the rise. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have been used to disseminate timely information as well as for public health education. We argue that formally integrating social media as a pedagogical tool in public health graduate programs would benefit both, educators and students as well as the public health field in which students will work. Communication skills have been included in core competencies for public health professionals as an essential skill. Critical in that skill is the ability to work with new methods of communication, such as social media. We bring forward the idea that social media should both be used in teaching and taught as an essential skill. Using social media as an educational tool is an opportunity to ensure that graduate public health programs train students with the competencies to work in public health.

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Ebola: limitations of correcting misinformation

Cited by 109 publications

References 5 publications

Assessments of Ebola knowledge, attitudes and practices in Forécariah, Guinea and Kambia, Sierra Leone, July–August 2015

Assessments of Ebola knowledge, attitudes and practices in Forécariah, Guinea and Kambia, Sierra Leone, July–August 2015

Digital Health Communication and Global Public Influence: A Study of the Ebola Epidemic

Using Social Media as a Pedagogical Tool in Graduate Public Health Education and Training

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