Social Media Coverage of Public Health Issues in China: A Content Analysis of Weibo News Posts

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic is the first pandemic where social media platforms relayed information on a large scale, enabling an “infodemic” of conflicting information which undermined the global response to the pandemic. Understanding how the information circulated and evolved on social media platforms is essential for planning future public health campaigns. OBJECTIVE This study investigated what types of themes about COVID-19 were most viewed on YouTube during the first 8 months of the pandemic, and how COVID-19 themes progressed over this period. METHODS We analyzed top-viewed YouTube COVID-19 related videos in English from from December 1, 2019 to August 16, 2020 with an open inductive content analysis. We coded 536 videos associated with 1.1 billion views across the study period. East Asian countries were the first to report the virus, while most of the top-viewed videos in English were from the US. Videos from straight news outlets dominated the top-viewed videos throughout the outbreak, and public health authorities contributed the fewest. Although straight news was the dominant COVID-19 video source with various types of themes, its viewership per video was similar to that for entertainment news and YouTubers after March. RESULTS We found, first, that collective public attention to the COVID-19 pandemic on YouTube peaked around March 2020, before the outbreak peaked, and flattened afterwards despite a spike in worldwide cases. Second, more videos focused on prevention early on, but videos with political themes increased through time. Third, regarding prevention and control measures, masking received much less attention than lockdown and social distancing in the study period. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that a transition of focus from science to politics on social media intensified the COVID-19 infodemic and may have weakened mitigation measures during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is recommended that authorities should consider co-operating with reputable social media influencers to promote health campaigns and improve health literacy. In addition, given high levels of globalization of social platforms and polarization of users, tailoring communication towards different digital communities is likely to be essential.

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Normalisation and Stigmatisation of Obesity in UK Newspapers: a Visual Content Analysis

The Open Obesity Journal ◽

10.2174/1876823720131001011 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 82-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mr. Chris Patterson ◽

Dr. Shona Hilton

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Media Coverage ◽

The Body ◽

Health Concern ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Obese Adults ◽

Manifest Content ◽

Body Sizes ◽

The Uk

Obesity represents a major and growing global public health concern. The mass media play an important role in shaping public understandings of health, and obesity attracts much media coverage. This study offers the first content analysis of photographs illustrating UK newspaper articles about obesity. The researchers studied 119 articles and images from five major national newspapers. Researchers coded the manifest content of each image and article and used a graphical scale to estimate the body size of each image subject. Data were analysed with regard to the concepts of the normalisation and stigmatisation of obesity. Articles’ descriptions of subjects’ body sizes were often found to differ from coders’ estimates, and subjects described as obese tended to represent the higher values of the obese BMI range, differing from the distribution of BMI values of obese adults in the UK. Researchers identified a tendency for image subjects described as overweight or obese to be depicted in stereotypical ways that could reinforce stigma. These findings are interpreted as illustrations of how newspaper portrayals of obesity may contribute to societal normalisation and the stigmatisation of obesity, two forces that threaten to harm obese individuals and undermine public health efforts to reverse trends in obesity.

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Young adults know that their issues are not represented in the news: Israeli young adults and mainstream news media

Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society ◽

10.1108/jices-02-2021-0026 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Benny Nuriely ◽

Moti Gigi ◽

Yuval Gozansky

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Young Adults ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Social Relations ◽

News Media ◽

Media Coverage ◽

Online News ◽

Content Type ◽

Mainstream Media ◽

The Media

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the ways socio-economic issues are represented in mainstream news media and how it is consumed, understood and interpreted by Israeli young adults (YAs). It examines how mainstream media uses neo-liberal discourse, and the ways YAs internalize this ethic, while simultaneously finding ways to overcome its limitations. Design/methodology/approach This was a mixed methods study. First, it undertook content analysis of the most popular Israeli mainstream news media among YAs: the online news site Ynet and the TV Channel 2 news. Second, the authors undertook semi-structured in-depth interviews with 29 Israeli YAs. The analysis is based on an online survey of 600 young Israelis, aged 18–35 years. Findings Most YAs did not perceive mainstream media as enabling a reliable understanding of the issues important to them. The content analysis revealed that self-representation of YAs is rare, and that their issues were explained, and even resolved, by older adults. Furthermore, most of YAs' problems in mainstream news media were presented using a neo-liberal perspective. Finally, from the interviews, the authors learned that YAs did not find information that could help them deal with their most pressing economic and social issue, in the content offered by mainstream media. For most of them, social media overcomes these shortcomings. Originality/value Contrary to research that has explored YAs’ consumerism of new media outlets, this article explores how YAs in Israel are constructed in the media, as well as the way in which YAs understand mainstream and new social media coverage of the issues most important to them. Using media content analysis and interviews, the authors found that Young Adults tend to be ambivalent toward media coverage. They understand the lack of media information: most of them know that they do not learn enough from the media. This acknowledgment accompanies their tendency to internalize the neo-liberal logic and conservative Israeli national culture, in which class and economic redistribution are largely overlooked. Mainstream news media uses neo-liberal discourse, and young adults internalize this logic, while simultaneously finding ways to overcome the limitations this discourse offers. They do so by turning to social media, mainly Facebook. Consequently, their behavior maintains the logic of the market, while also developing new social relations, enabled by social media.

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COVID-19 in Ebola’s Wake

Current History ◽

10.1525/curh.2021.120.826.167 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 120 (826) ◽

pp. 167-171

Author(s):

Adia Benton

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health System ◽

Sierra Leone ◽

Media Coverage ◽

International Travel ◽

Previous Experience ◽

Health Issues ◽

Global Crisis ◽

The Government ◽

Western Media

Like other African nations, Sierra Leone seemed to avoid the worst pandemic scenarios. Its previous experience with Ebola may have led to improved preparedness in the health system. But the government has once again reverted to a militarized response, and elites returning from international travel may pose a risk of spreading the coronavirus. The author also reflects on the challenges of tracking the situation from afar, in the midst of a global crisis, and critically assesses Western media coverage of African public health issues.

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Media, Social Media, and the Securitization of Mental Health Problems in Nepal

Research Anthology on Mental Health Stigma, Education, and Treatment ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-8544-3.ch049 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 838-859

Author(s):

Sudeep Uprety ◽

Rajesh Ghimire

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Media Coverage ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

Health Issues ◽

Mainstream Media ◽

Mental Health Issues ◽

Securitization Theory ◽

Journalistic Professionalism

This chapter attempts to unfold the trend and nature of mainstream and social media coverage on mental health issues in Nepal through suicide case of Yama Buddha, a popular musician. Using the securitization theory and concepts of threat construction and threat neutralization, major findings through content analysis and key informant interviews reveal reputed mainstream media following cautious route towards threat neutralization and therefore, maintaining a level of journalistic professionalism. However, especially in the other online media, blogs, and other social media, there were sensationalist words and tone used to attract the audience, triggering various sorts of emotional responses, thereby fulfilling the act of securitization. Major recommendations from this chapter include more awareness and understanding about the nature and type of mental health problems; capacity building of journalists and media professionals to better understand and report on mental health problems; development and proper implementation of media guidelines on reporting mental health issues.

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Infodemia and COVID-19: a text mining analysis

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.065 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

W De Caro

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Text Mining ◽

Real Time ◽

Public Perception ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Health Agencies ◽

Use Of Social Media ◽

Twitter Activity

Abstract Introduction Covid-19 epidemic lead a huge use of social media to comment and spread information from the widest sources. Infodemia looks at excessive amount of information circulating, which makes it difficult to orientate communities on a given topic due to the difficulty of identifying reliable sources. Using text mining analysis it is possible to identify what drives public conversation and impact of Covid-19. Methods Public perceptions in emergencies is traditionally measured with surveys. However, to have a global sight of the pandemia, Twitter represents a powerful tool which gives real-time monitoring of public perception. The study aimed to: 1) monitor the use of the terms “Covid-19” or “Coronarivus” over time; and 2) to conduct a specific text and sentiment analysis. Results Between January 10 and May 8, 2020, over 600 million tweets were retrieved. Of those 600.000 tweets were randomly selected, coded, and analyzed. About 10% of cases were identified as misinformation. Public figures, experts in public health, and virologists represent the most popular sources in comparison to the official government and health agencies. There is a positive correlation between Twitter activity peaks and COVID-19 infection peaks. Text mining analysis was carried out, as well as a content analysis, also in order to identify changing emotions and sentiments during time. This analysis, particularly during the lockdown, clearly shows that participation on social media can potentially have an effect on building social capital and social support. Conclusions This study confirms that using social media to conduct infodemic studies is an important area of development in public health arena. COVID-19 tweets were primarily used to disseminate information from credible sources, but were also a source of opinions, emotion and experiences. Tweets can be used for real-time content analysis and knowledge translation research, allowing health authorities to respond to public concerns. Key messages Social media is crucial for health information. Infodemia as new way for study health.

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Blurred Shots: Investigating the Information Crisis Around Vaccination in Italy

American Behavioral Scientist ◽

10.1177/0002764220910245 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 000276422091024

Author(s):

Alessandro Lovari ◽

Valentina Martino ◽

Nicola Righetti

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Public Opinion ◽

Public Relations ◽

Health Communication ◽

News Media ◽

Media Coverage ◽

Social Consequences ◽

Combining Data ◽

Italian Context

This article aims at exploring a case of information crisis in Italy through the lens of vaccination-related topics. Such a controversial issue, dividing public opinion and political agendas, has received diverse information coverage and public policies over time in the Italian context, whose situation appears quite unique compared with other countries because of a strong media spectacularization and politicization of the topic. In particular, approval of the “Lorenzin Decree,” increasing the number of mandatory vaccinations from 4 to 10, generated a nationwide debate that divided public opinion and political parties, triggering a complex informative crisis and fostering the perception of a social emergency on social media. This resulted in negative stress on lay publics and on the public health system. The study adopted an interdisciplinary framework, including political science, public relations, and health communication studies, as well as a mixed-method approach, combining data mining techniques related to news media coverage and social media engagement, with in-depth interviews to key experts, selected among researchers, journalists, and communication managers. The article investigates reasons for the information crisis and identifies possible solutions and interventions to improve the effectiveness of public health communication and mitigate the social consequences of misinformation around vaccination.

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Conversations and Medical News Frames on Twitter: Infodemiological Study on COVID-19 in South Korea

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/18897 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. e18897 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Han Woo Park ◽

Sejung Park ◽

Miyoung Chong

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Network Analysis ◽

South Korea ◽

Medical Information ◽

Systematic Research ◽

News Frames ◽

Starting Point ◽

Significant Difference

Background SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2) was spreading rapidly in South Korea at the end of February 2020 following its initial outbreak in China, making Korea the new center of global attention. The role of social media amid the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has often been criticized, but little systematic research has been conducted on this issue. Social media functions as a convenient source of information in pandemic situations. Objective Few infodemiology studies have applied network analysis in conjunction with content analysis. This study investigates information transmission networks and news-sharing behaviors regarding COVID-19 on Twitter in Korea. The real time aggregation of social media data can serve as a starting point for designing strategic messages for health campaigns and establishing an effective communication system during this outbreak. Methods Korean COVID-19-related Twitter data were collected on February 29, 2020. Our final sample comprised of 43,832 users and 78,233 relationships on Twitter. We generated four networks in terms of key issues regarding COVID-19 in Korea. This study comparatively investigates how COVID-19-related issues have circulated on Twitter through network analysis. Next, we classified top news channels shared via tweets. Lastly, we conducted a content analysis of news frames used in the top-shared sources. Results The network analysis suggests that the spread of information was faster in the Coronavirus network than in the other networks (Corona19, Shincheon, and Daegu). People who used the word “Coronavirus” communicated more frequently with each other. The spread of information was faster, and the diameter value was lower than for those who used other terms. Many of the news items highlighted the positive roles being played by individuals and groups, directing readers’ attention to the crisis. Ethical issues such as deviant behavior among the population and an entertainment frame highlighting celebrity donations also emerged often. There was a significant difference in the use of nonportal (n=14) and portal news (n=26) sites between the four network types. The news frames used in the top sources were similar across the networks (P=.89, 95% CI 0.004-0.006). Tweets containing medically framed news articles (mean 7.571, SD 1.988) were found to be more popular than tweets that included news articles adopting nonmedical frames (mean 5.060, SD 2.904; N=40, P=.03, 95% CI 0.169-4.852). Conclusions Most of the popular news on Twitter had nonmedical frames. Nevertheless, the spillover effect of the news articles that delivered medical information about COVID-19 was greater than that of news with nonmedical frames. Social media network analytics cannot replace the work of public health officials; however, monitoring public conversations and media news that propagates rapidly can assist public health professionals in their complex and fast-paced decision-making processes.

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O pensamento econômico em saúde de Hésio Cordeiro sobre o financiamento da saúde pública no Brasil e a intervenção anticíclica em Claudio Napoleoni

Tiempo y economía ◽

10.21789/24222704.1629 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 95-122

Author(s):

Leonardo Carnut ◽

◽

Glauce Araújo Taborda Teixeira ◽

Gabriela Araújo Valencia ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Health Financing ◽

Health Issues ◽

The Third ◽

Final Consideration ◽

Theoretical Reflection ◽

The Way

This paper introduces a theoretical reflection about the problem of health financing from the perspective of Hésio Cordeiro, one of the most important sanitarians of the 1980s in Brazil, and how this author was influenced by the work of Claudio Napoleoni. For this purpose, the essay was used as textual unit and content analysis was incorporated as methodology. The content is structured in three parts. The first describes a brief intellectual and political-institutional biography of Cordeiro and Napoleoni, trying to situate both authors in their historical contexts. The second part shows how Cordeiro was inspired by Napoleoni’s work, which influenced the way Cordeiro addressed countercyclical solutions to rethink public health issues during the 1980s. The third points to a brief final consideration on the importance of Cordeiro as an intellectual who proposed progressist solutions for health back in his time.

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Prevalence and Characteristics of Twitter Posts About Court-Ordered, Tobacco-Related Corrective Statements: Descriptive Content Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12878 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Dannielle E Kelley ◽

Meredith Brown ◽

Alice Murray ◽

Kelly D Blake

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Health Organizations ◽

Descriptive Content ◽

Additional Information ◽

Philip Morris ◽

The Social ◽

Public Health Organizations ◽

Initial Release

BACKGROUND Three major US tobacco companies were recently ordered to publish corrective statements intended to prevent and restrain further fraud about the health effects of smoking. The court-ordered statements began appearing in newspapers and on television (TV) in late 2017. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine the social media dissemination of the tobacco corrective statements during the first 6 months of the implementation of the statements. METHODS We conducted a descriptive content analysis of Twitter posts using an iterative search strategy through Crimson Hexagon and randomly selected 19.74% (456/2309) of original posts occurring between November 1, 2017, and March 27, 2018, for coding and analysis. We assessed post volume over time, source or author, valence, linked content, and reference to the industry (eg, big tobacco, tobacco industry, and Philip Morris) and media outlet (TV or newspaper). Retweeted content was coded for source/author and prevalence. RESULTS Most posts were published in November 2017, surrounding the initial release of the corrective statements. Content was generally neutral (58.7%, 268/456) or positive (33.3%, 152/456) in valence, included links to additional information about the statements (94.9%, 433/456), referred to the industry (87.7%, 400/456), and did not mention a specific media channel on which the statements were aired or published (15%). The majority of original posts were created by individual users (55.2%, 252/456), whereas the majority of retweeted posts were posted by public health organizations (51%). Differences by source are reported, for example, organization posts are more likely to include a link to additional information compared with individual users (<italic>P</italic>=.03). CONCLUSIONS Conversations about the court-ordered corrective statements are taking place on Twitter and are generally neutral or positive in nature. Public health organizations may be increasing the prevalence of these conversations through social media engagement.

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