Health information exposure from information and communication technologies and its associations with health behaviors: Population-based survey

Shen, Chen; Wang, Man Ping; Wan, Alice; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Chan, Sophia Siu Chee; Lam, Tai Hing

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.05.018

Cited by 49 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Mobile instant messaging apps (eg, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat) are popular and inexpensive alternatives to SMS for interactive messaging. Our population-based survey 8 found that adults exposed to health information from instant messaging smoked less and were more physically active than those who were not exposed, suggesting that instant messaging might be a viable way of promoting preventive behaviours. Our pilot trial 9 found counsellor-moderated WhatsApp social groups to be effective in preventing relapse among individuals who had recently quit.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Chat-based instant messaging support integrated with brief interventions for smoking cessation: a community-based, pragmatic, cluster-randomised controlled trial

Wang

Luk

et al. 2019

The Lancet Digital Health

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Background Mobile instant messaging apps offer a modern way to deliver personalised smoking cessation support through real-time, interactive messaging (chat). In this trial, we aimed to assess the effect of chat-based instant messaging support integrated with brief interventions on smoking cessation in a cohort of smokers proactively recruited from the community. Methods In this two-arm, pragmatic, cluster-randomised controlled trial, we recruited participants aged 18 years or older who smoked at least one cigarette per day from 68 community sites in Hong Kong, China. Community sites were computer randomised (1:1) to the intervention group, in which participants received chat-based instant messaging support for 3 months, offers of referral to external smoking cessation services, and brief advice, or to the control group, in which participants received brief advice alone. The chat-based intervention included personalised behavioural support and promoted use of smoking cessation services. Masking of participants and the research team was not possible, but outcome assessors were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was smoking abstinence validated by exhaled carbon monoxide concentrations lower than 4 parts per million and salivary cotinine concentrations lower than 10 ng/mL at 6 months after treatment initiation (3 months after the end of treatment). The primary analysis was by intention to treat and accounted for potential clustering effect by use of generalised estimating equation models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03182790. Findings Between June 18 and Sept 30, 2017, 1185 participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n=591) or control (n=594) groups. At the 6-month follow-up (77% of participants retained), the proportion of validated abstinence was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (48 [8%] of 591 in intervention vs 30 [5%] of 594 in control group, unadjusted odds ratio 1•68, 95% CI 1•03-2•74; p=0•040). Engagement in the chatbased support in the intervention group was low (17%), but strongly predicted abstinence with or without use of external smoking cessation services. Interpretation Chat-based instant messaging support integrated with brief cessation interventions increased smoking abstinence and could complement existing smoking cessation services. Funding Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Chat-based instant messaging support integrated with brief interventions for smoking cessation: a community-based, pragmatic, cluster-randomised controlled trial

Wang

Luk

et al. 2019

The Lancet Digital Health

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“…Knowledge of infectious disease, social norms and perceived effectiveness of the measurements were reported to be decisive regarding level of compliance [32]. Timely epidemiological reports, combined with minute-by-minute case reports and open contact tracing, may have strengthened health communication and population-wide adoption of precautionary measures during this pandemic [3,33].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Distancing Compliance under COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health Impacts: A Population-Based Study

Zhao

Wong

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The success of public health measures for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic relies on population compliance. We analyzed compliance with social distancing and its associations with mental health. The Hong Kong COVID-19 Health Information Survey was conducted from 9–23 April 2020 on 1501 adults randomly sampled for landline telephone interviews (n = 500) and online surveys (n = 1001). Compliance with social distancing and staying-at-home, stress (Perceived Stress Scale-4), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorders-2), and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2) were collected. The associations between mental health symptoms and compliance were examined by multivariable regression models. Of the 1501 respondents (52.5% female, 72.3% aged 18–59 years), 74.2%, 72.7%, and 59.7% reported avoiding going out, going to crowded places, and attending social gatherings of more than four people, respectively. Most respondents had stayed-at-home for at least four of the past seven days (58.4%; mean 4.12, Standard Deviation 2.05). Adoption, perceived effectiveness, and perceived compliance with social distancing were associated with lower stress levels and less anxiety and depressive symptoms (all p < 0.01). However, more days stayed-at-home were associated with more depressive symptoms (adjusted Odds Ratio 1.09; 95%Confidence Interval 1.00, 1.18). The long-term psychological impact in relation to social distancing and staying-at-home requires further investigation.

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“…First, more men than women were exposed to such misinformation, which may reflect the male predominance in tobacco and alcohol use in Chinese cultures. The higher rate of exposure in younger and higher educated respondents can be explained by the greater use of social networking tools, 5 which facilitated dissemination of health (mis)information. Second, the proportion of reduction in alcohol drinking (36.8%) was much larger than that of increase (5.5%).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to survey methods (landline vs mobile), we adjusted for factors that might be associated with health information exposure via social networking sites and/or changes in tobacco and alcohol consumption. These included sex, age, education, 5 home isolation, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. 9 10 Since tobacco use and alcohol drinking are often linked, tobacco and alcohol use status was also mutually adjusted.…”

Section: Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The smartphone penetration rate in Hong Kong is among the highest in the world (91.5% in 2019), 4 and social networking sites have become a major medium for communicating health information. 5 We examined if exposure to misinformation that smoking/alcohol drinking can protect against COVID-19 was associated with self-reported changes in tobacco and alcohol consumption in current users in Hong Kong.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure to health misinformation about COVID-19 and increased tobacco and alcohol use: a population-based survey in Hong Kong

et al. 2020

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IntroductionHealth information about COVID-19 has been circulating in social networking sites, including unproven claims that smoking and alcohol drinking could protect against COVID-19. We examined if exposure to such claims was associated with changes in tobacco and alcohol consumption.MethodsWe conducted a population-based, landline and mobile phone survey of 1501 randomly sampled adults aged 18 years or older (47.5% male) in Hong Kong in April 2020. Respondents reported if they had ever seen claims that ‘smoking/alcohol drinking can protect against COVID-19’ from popular social networking platforms. Current tobacco and alcohol users reported if they had increased or reduced their consumption since the outbreak. Prevalence data were weighted by sex, age and education of the general adult population.Results19.0% (95% CI 16.8% to 21.4%) of all respondents reported having seen claims that ‘smoking/alcohol drinking can protect against COVID-19’ from social networking sites. Multinomial logistic regression showed that exposure to the claims was significantly associated with increased tobacco use (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.08 to 5.20) in current tobacco users (N=280) and increased alcohol use (OR 4.16, 95% CI 2.00 to 8.67) in current drinkers (N=722), adjusting for sex, age, education level, alcohol/tobacco use status, home isolation, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and survey method.ConclusionOur results first showed that exposure to health misinformation that smoking/alcohol drinking can protect against COVID-19 was associated with self-reported increases in tobacco and alcohol consumption in Chinese during the pandemic.

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Health information exposure from information and communication technologies and its associations with health behaviors: Population-based survey

Cited by 49 publications

References 25 publications

Chat-based instant messaging support integrated with brief interventions for smoking cessation: a community-based, pragmatic, cluster-randomised controlled trial

Chat-based instant messaging support integrated with brief interventions for smoking cessation: a community-based, pragmatic, cluster-randomised controlled trial

Social Distancing Compliance under COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health Impacts: A Population-Based Study

Exposure to health misinformation about COVID-19 and increased tobacco and alcohol use: a population-based survey in Hong Kong

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