scholarly journals Encouraging Indonesians to Pray From Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Kuipers ◽  
Saiful Mujani ◽  
Thomas Pepinsky
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Health Threat ◽  
Suggestive Evidence ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Public Health Threat ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Nationally Representative

Abstract Despite the introduction of social restrictions designed to stem the spread of COVID-19, many Indonesians have continued to attend places of worship. This poses a major public health threat, as congregational prayer involves large numbers of worshippers gathering under conditions known to enable the spread of the virus. Using a nationally representative survey, we evaluated the efficacy of messages delivered from different authorities in encouraging Indonesians to worship at home. We find no consistent evidence that public health messages change Indonesians’ attitudes toward communal prayer or their willingness to forgo communal prayer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, however, looking at well-defined subpopulations – non-Muslims and supporters of the president – we find suggestive evidence that messages were effective in increasing the likelihood of individuals to indicate a willingness to forgo communal prayer in the forthcoming week. Our results suggest that public health officials should eschew blanket messaging strategies in favor of more targeted approaches.

Explaining the association of race and COVID-19 vaccination intentions: the role of behavioral beliefs and trust in COVID-19 information sources

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chioma Woko ◽  
Leeann Siegel ◽  
Robert Hornik
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Black Americans ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Behavioral Beliefs ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Nationally Representative

The development of a COVID-19 vaccine is a critical strategy for combatting the pandemic. However, in order for vaccination efforts to succeed, there must be widespread willingness to vaccinate. Prior research has found that Black Americans, who have already been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, report lower intentions to get a vaccine than do other populations. In this study, we investigate potential causes of this disparity, focusing on vaccine-related behavioral beliefs and trust in four COVID-19 information sources (mainstream media, social media, President Trump, and public health officials and agencies). Using a nationally-representative survey (n=889), we demonstrate that differences in vaccine beliefs explain the lower vaccine intentions reported by Black participants compared to non-Black participants. However, while we find associations between trust in information sources and vaccine beliefs, we do not find evidence that differences in trust accounted for the observed differences in vaccine beliefs by race. Furthermore, we found evidence of moderation; the association of trust in two sources, Trump and public health officials and agencies, with beliefs were smaller among Black participants. Overall, our results suggest that trust in information sources alone does not explain the observed relationship between race and vaccine beliefs. This relationship warrants further investigation.

scholarly journals Public perceptions of cooking and the implications for cooking behaviour in the USA

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 1606-1615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia A Wolfson ◽  
Katherine Clegg Smith ◽  
Shannon Frattaroli ◽  
Sara N Bleich
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Modern Life ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Poisson Models ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Nationally Representative

AbstractObjectiveDespite the importance of cooking in modern life, public perceptions about what it means to cook are unknown. We aimed to examine perceptions of cooking and their association with cooking confidence, attitudes and behaviours in the USA.DesignWe designed and fielded a nationally representative survey among US adults (n 1112) in April 2015. We used factor analysis to identify perceptions about cooking and multivariate ordered logit and Poisson models to explore associations between those perceptions and cooking confidence, attitudes and behaviours.SettingNationally representative web-based survey of US adults.SubjectsUS adults aged ≥18 years.ResultsAmericans conceptualized cooking in three ways: the use of scratch ingredients, convenience foods and not using heat. Respondents who perceived cooking as including convenience foods were less confident in their ability to cook from scratch (OR=0·52, P<0·001) and less likely to enjoy cooking (OR=0·68, P=0·01) than those who did not. Although individuals who perceived cooking as including only scratch ingredients reported cooking dinner (4·31 times/week) and using packaged/boxed products (0·95 times/week) the least frequently, few notable differences in the frequency of cooking meals were observed.ConclusionsCooking frequency is similar among US adults regardless of how they perceive cooking, but cooking confidence and enjoyment are lowest among Americans who perceive cooking as including the use of convenience foods. These insights should inform the development of more specific measures of cooking behaviour as well as meaningful and targeted public health messages to encourage healthier cooking.

scholarly journals ReOpen demands as public health threat: a sociotechnical framework for understanding the stickiness of misinformation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Bolla Tripodi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Institutional Trust ◽  
False Information ◽  
Health Threat ◽  
Public Health Threat ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Tight Connection ◽  
State And Local

AbstractIn the absence of a national, coordinated, response to COVID-19, state and local representatives had to create and enforce individualized plans to protect their constituents. Alongside the challenge of trying to curb the virus, public health officials also had to contend with the spread of false information. This problematic content often contradicted safeguards, like masks, while promoting unverified and potentially lethal treatments. One of the most active groups denying the threat of COVID is The Reopen the States Movement. By combining qualitative content analysis with ethnographic observations of public ReOpen groups on Facebook, this paper provides a better understanding of the central narratives circulating among ReOpen members and the information they relied on to support their arguments. Grounded in notions of individualism and self-inquiry, members sought to reinterpret datasets to downplay the threat of COVID and suggest public safety workarounds. When the platform tried to flag problematic content, lack of institutional trust had members doubting the validity of the fact-checkers, highlight the tight connection between misinformation and epistemology.

scholarly journals Social Network Analysis of COVID-19 Public Discourse on Twitter: Implications for Risk Communication

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Paola Pascual-Ferrá ◽  
Neil Alperstein ◽  
Daniel J. Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
Public Health Officials

ABSTRACT Objectives: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the use of social network analysis to understand public discourse on Twitter around the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We examined different network properties that might affect the successful dissemination by and adoption of public health messages from public health officials and health agencies. Methods: We focused on conversations on Twitter during 3 key communication events from late January to early June of 2020. We used Netlytic, a Web-based software that collects publicly available data from social media sites such as Twitter. Results: We found that the network of conversations around COVID-19 is highly decentralized, fragmented, and loosely connected; these characteristics can hinder the successful dissemination of public health messages in a network. Competing conversations and misinformation can hamper risk communication efforts in a way that imperil public health. Conclusions: Looking at basic metrics might create a misleading picture of the effectiveness of risk communication efforts on social media if not analyzed within the context of the larger network. Social network analysis of conversations on social media should be an integral part of how public health officials and agencies plan, monitor, and evaluate risk communication efforts.

Policy Views and Negative Beliefs About Vaccines in the United States, 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (10) ◽  
pp. 1561-1563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik A. Stecula ◽  
Ozan Kuru ◽  
Dolores Albarracin ◽  
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Personal Belief ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Relevant Variables ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Implementing Strategies

Objectives. To determine whether holding vaccine misconceptions, in the form of negative beliefs about vaccines, correlates with opposing governmental action at all levels designed to increase vaccination (e.g., removing personal belief and religious vaccine exemptions). Methods. Drawing on data from a nationally representative survey of 1938 US adults, we assessed the relation between negative beliefs about vaccines and provaccination policies. Results. Beyond sociodemographic and policy-relevant variables, such as gender and partisan affiliation, questionable negative beliefs about vaccines are the strongest predictor of opposition to policies designed to increase vaccination. Conclusions. Negative beliefs about vaccines in the general population may thwart the passage or implementation of policies designed to increase vaccination. Implementing strategies that reduce these negative beliefs should be a priority of educators and public health officials.

scholarly journals Perceived public health threat a key factor for willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Australia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael H Dodd ◽  
Kristen Pickles ◽  
Erin Cvejic ◽  
Samuel Cornell ◽  
Jennifer MJ Isautier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Free Text ◽  
List Type ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Threat ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Public Health Threat ◽  
Nationally Representative

ABSTRACTBackgroundVaccination rollout against COVID-19 has begun across multiple countries worldwide. Although the vaccine is free, rollout might still be compromised by hesitancy or concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.MethodsWe conducted two online surveys of Australian adults in April (during national lockdown; convenience cross-sectional sample) and November (virtually no cases of COVID-19; nationally representative sample) 2020, prior to vaccine rollout. We asked about intentions to have a potential COVID-19 vaccine (If a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, I will get it) and free-text responses (November only).ResultsAfter adjustment for differences in sample demographics, the estimated proportion agreeing to a COVID-19 vaccine if it became available in April (n=1146) was 76.2%. In November (n=2034) this was estimated at 71.4% of the sample; additional analyses identified that the variation was driven by differences in perceived public health threat between April and November. Across both surveys, female gender, being younger, having inadequate health literacy and lower education were associated with reluctance to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Lower perceived susceptibility to COVID-19, belief that data on the efficacy of vaccines is ‘largely made up’, having lower confidence in government, and lower perception of COVID-19 as a public health threat, were also associated with reluctance to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The top three reasons for agreeing to vaccinate (November only) were to protect myself and others, moral responsibility, and having no reason not to get it. For those who were indifferent or disagreeing to vaccinate, safety concerns were the top reason, followed by indecision and lack of trust in the vaccine respectively.CONCLUSIONSThese findings highlight some factors related to willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine prior to one being available in Australia. Now that the vaccine is being offered, this study identifies key issues that can inform public health messaging to address vaccine hesitancy.HIGHLIGHTSPerceived public health threat is associated with intentions to vaccinateThose believing the efficacy of vaccines is made up were less willing to get vaccinatedTo protect myself and others was the top reason for getting the vaccineSafety concerns was the top reason against getting the vaccine

Non-stigmatising alternatives to anti-obesity public health messages: Consequences for health behaviour and well-being

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532199970
Author(s):  
Joanne A Rathbone ◽  
Tegan Cruwys ◽  
Jolanda Jetten
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Total N ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
Size Acceptance

This project investigated how alternative non-stigmatising public health messages influence people’s health behaviours and well-being, relative to traditional stigmatising weight-loss messages. We conducted three experimental studies (total N = 1281) that compared traditional weight-loss messages to weight-neutral messages (Study 1), weight-inclusive messages (Study 2) and size acceptance messages (Study 3). Results revealed that public health messages have differential effects on health behaviours and well-being, depending on the audience’s BMI or perceived weight. However, campaigns that challenge weight stigma and promote body positivity have positive effects on some psychological indicators of health and well-being for people of all body sizes.

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