Importance of effective communication during COVID-19 infodemic

Reddy, B.V. Bhaskara; Gupta, Arti

doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_719_20

Cited by 110 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The official communication from BC MoH we made available on our website prior to the forum and the health literature from the BC MoH given out at the forum were both translated into traditional Chinese. Seeing their cultural beliefs represented, our participants may have been more likely to feel safe while attending and act on that information [ 21 ]. In fact, given the now well-documented disproportionate amount of burden shared by ethnic minorities with regards to COVID-19, it becomes even more important to emphasize the need for culturally tailored programming when passing on health messages or to promote safe practices when conducting mass gatherings in the future [ 22 - 23 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizing a Mass Gathering Amidst a Rising COVID-19 Public Health Crisis: Lessons Learned From a Chinese Public Health Forum in Vancouver, BC

Limbachia¹,

Owens²,

Matean³

et al. 2020

Cureus

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IntroductionThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) evolved from a rising public health concern to a pandemic over mere weeks. Before March 11, 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada had not advised against any mass gatherings. Herein, we highlight practical precautions taken by event organizers to adapt to the rising public health threat from COVID-19 and maintain public safety when conducting a health forum for the Chinese community of Vancouver, British Columbia on February 22, 2020. Materials and MethodsIn the pre-forum phase, we advertised the availability of virtual conferencing for remote participation in the forum and also had an official communication from the Ministry of Health available regarding COVID-19 on our website. At the forum, we ensured that attendees sanitized their hands at registration and had access to sanitizers throughout the forum. Additionally, we provided translated health literature on COVID-19 to participants and had our health professional speakers address COVID-19-related questions. ResultsThis year, 231 older Chinese adults attended the forum in-person, while 150 participated remotely. The total number of 381 participants compares well to previous iterations of the forum, with twice the amount of participants on average attending online than before. Of the participants who attended the forum, 89% suggested that the forum would be effective in improving their overall health and 87% cited the forum's utility in directing them to access community resources. None of the attendees had COVID-19 or are suspected to have contracted it at the forum. ConclusionConducting a mass gathering during a crisis required closely following guidance from local public health authorities, constant and clear communication with attendees, and employing practical risk mitigation strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizing a Mass Gathering Amidst a Rising COVID-19 Public Health Crisis: Lessons Learned From a Chinese Public Health Forum in Vancouver, BC

Limbachia¹,

Owens²,

Matean³

et al. 2020

Cureus

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“…During a pandemic, it is essential that any communicated information is accurate, authoritative, reliable, easy to understand, accessible, leaves little to interpretation, and quickly shuts down any misinformation that can be potentially spread amongst the community. 9 , 10 , 12 , 19 , 20 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Communication Effectiveness During COVID-19 Pandemic Among General Population in Saudi Arabia

Almuzaini

Mushi

Aburas

et al. 2021

RMHP

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Purpose The novel coronavirus (COVID-19), declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020, is an unprecedented occurrence in our recent history. Effective risk communication by health authorities, through relaying reliable and authoritative information, is imperative in combating the spread of the outbreak. We aimed to measure the effectiveness of risk communication campaign and overall awareness during COVID-19 pandemic among the general population in Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods A cross-sectional survey of 5472 individuals in Saudi Arabia was conducted to assess several factors regarding the risk communication messages during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the knowledge and response of the general population toward COVID-19 and MoH efforts. The questionnaire was divided into five main sections: general knowledge of COVID-19, channels and social media platforms used perceived risk and stress or panic toward COVID-19, satisfaction and community perception, most trusted source of information, and type of information received. Results A total of 5472 individuals participated in the study residing in Saudi Arabia. Overall knowledge of COVID-19 was determined to be above average (0.58 + 0.159). Of the general population, 57.1% perceived that the risk of getting sick with COVID-19 is low, while nearly half of the respondents (45.7%) have a high level of stress and panic toward COVID-19. The majority of responders to the questionnaire reinforced that MoH was their most trusted source of information for the COVID-19 pandemic (91.7%). Conclusion This study showed that the risk communication campaign by healthcare authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic has improved the awareness among the general population in Saudi Arabia, where the overwhelming majority placed high trust in the MoH as its main reference for COVID-19 information.

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“…In addition, studies investigating responses during the early stages of prior pandemics have identified a number of important demographic, attitudinal, and psychological factors that could influence compliance ( DiGiovanni et al, 2004 ; Bish and Michie, 2010 ; Reddy and Gupta, 2020 ). With respect to demographic factors, evidence from previous and the current COVID-19 pandemic suggest that age is a key factor, with young adults are likely to be least compliant ( Bish and Michie, 2010 ; Barari et al, 2020 ; Everett et al, 2020 ; Pfattheicher et al, 2020 ; YouGov, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Is Listening? Spokesperson Effect on Communicating Social and Physical Distancing Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021

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Effective communication during a pandemic, such as the current COVID-19 crisis, can save lives. At the present time, social and physical distancing measures are the lead strategy in combating the spread of COVID-19. In this study, a survey was administered to 705 adults from Switzerland about their support and practice of social distancing measures to examine if their responses depended on (1) whether these measures were supported by a government official or an internationally recognized celebrity as a spokesperson, (2) whether this spokesperson was liked, and (3) the respondent’s age. We also considered several attitudinal and demographic variables that may influence the degree to which people support and comply with social distancing measures. We found that the government official was more effective in eliciting responses supportive of social distancing, particularly as manifested in the stated current compliance with social distancing measures. The effect was substantially stronger among older respondents, although these respondents expressed a lower risk perception. Although there was a general trend for greater endorsement of the social distancing measures among participants who liked the spokesperson, this was non-significant. In addition, respondents’ greater support and compliance was positively associated with (1) higher concern for the current situation, (2) higher concern for the well-being of others, and (3) greater belief that others were practicing social distancing, and negatively with (4) greater self-reported mobility. Current compliance correlated negatively with (5) household size. Since different parts of the population appear to have different perceptions of risk and crisis, our preliminary results suggest that different spokespersons may be needed for different segments of the population, and particularly for younger and older populations. The development of evidence-based knowledge is required to further identify who would be the most effective spokesperson, and in particular to groups with low risk perception and low compliance.

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Importance of effective communication during COVID-19 infodemic

Cited by 110 publications

References 6 publications

Organizing a Mass Gathering Amidst a Rising COVID-19 Public Health Crisis: Lessons Learned From a Chinese Public Health Forum in Vancouver, BC

Organizing a Mass Gathering Amidst a Rising COVID-19 Public Health Crisis: Lessons Learned From a Chinese Public Health Forum in Vancouver, BC

Risk Communication Effectiveness During COVID-19 Pandemic Among General Population in Saudi Arabia

Who Is Listening? Spokesperson Effect on Communicating Social and Physical Distancing Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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