The Effects of Social Media Use on Preventive Behaviors during Infectious Disease Outbreaks: The Mediating Role of Self-relevant Emotions and Public Risk Perception

Background:Infectious disease outbreaks require decision makers to make rapid decisions under time pressure and situations of scientific uncertainty, and yet the role of evidence usage in these contexts is poorly understood. Aims and objectives:To define and contextualise the role of scientific evidence in the governance of infectious disease outbreaks and to identify recommendations for overcoming common barriers to evidence-informed decision making. Methods:A scoping review and an expert workshop to provide additional input into recommendations on enhancing evidence uptake during infectious disease outbreaks taking place in European settings. Findings:Forty-nine records reporting on multiple decision-making processes during infectious disease outbreaks of the past ten years were included in the study. Decision makers prioritise expert advice, epidemiological data and mathematical modelling data for risk characterisation and management, but tend to be challenged by scientific uncertainties, which allow for conflicting interpretations of evidence and for public criticism and contestation of decision-making processes. There are concrete opportunities for optimising evidence usage to improve public health policy and practice through investment in decision-making competencies, relationship building, and promoting transparent decision-making processes. Discussion and conclusions:It is not necessarily a disregard of evidence that puts a strain on decision making in health crises, but rather competing interests and the lack of clear, unambiguous and rapidly available evidence for risk characterisation and effectiveness of response measures.The relationship between science and public health decision making is relatively understudied but is deserving of greater attention, so as to ensure that the pursuit of evidence for decision making does not challenge timely and effective crisis management.

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The mediating role of depressive and anxiety symptoms in the association between obesity and problematic social media use in young adults

Obesity Science & Practice ◽

10.1002/osp4.434 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

pp. 454-459

Author(s):

Anna F Jolliff ◽

Megan A Moreno ◽

Jonathan D'Angelo

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Young Adults ◽

Media Use ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Problematic Social Media Use

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Social media use and entrepreneurial intention: The mediating role of self-efficacy

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.9451 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (11) ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Yan Huang ◽

Jie Zhang

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Media Use ◽

Entrepreneurial Intention ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Mediating Role

Social media is becoming a platform for student entrepreneurship; however, little is known about the influence of social media use on students' entrepreneurial intention. This study investigated social media use as a predictor of students' entrepreneurial intention, with consideration given to the mediating role of self-efficacy. Questionnaires were given to undergraduate students at three Chinese public universities, and 524 effective responses were received. We used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. The results show that social media use was indirectly related to students' entrepreneurial intention via self-efficacy. Our findings extend the literature on the social media use–entrepreneurial intention link, and highlight the importance of self-efficacy in this link. Thus, educators could endorse social media tools and encourage students to incorporate these into their entrepreneurial activities.

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The Role of Animal Research in Pandemic Responses

Comparative Medicine ◽

10.30802/aalas-cm-21-000062 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jacqueline K Brockhurst ◽

Jason S Villano

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Animal Research ◽

Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽

Treatment And Prevention ◽

Infectious Disease Research ◽

Spanish Flu ◽

Epidemic Response ◽

Major Infectious Disease

The significant advances made by the global scientific community during the COVID-19 pandemic, exemplified by thedevelopment of multiple SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in less than 1 y, were made possible in part because of animal research.Historically, animals have been used to study the characterization, treatment, and prevention of most of the major infectious disease outbreaks that humans have faced. From the advent of modern ‘germ theory’ prior to the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic through the more recent Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks, research that uses animals has revealed or supported key discoveries in disease pathogenesis and therapy development, helping to save lives during crises. Here we summarize the role of animal research in past pandemic and epidemic response efforts, as well as current and future considerations for animal research in the context of infectious disease research.

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Social media use and employee innovative behavior: The mediating role of employee voice

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.9014 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Qingjiang Han ◽

Lei Xia

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Media Use ◽

Employee Voice ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Innovative Behavior ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Social

We examined employee voice as the mediator in the social media use–employee innovative behavior relationship in the current Web 2.0 age. We used structural equation modeling to test this mediating role with 178 employees of a large enterprise in China. The results showed a significant positive relationship between social media use and employee voice, and between employee voice and innovative behavior, and a positive but not significant relationship between social media use and employee innovative behavior. Results also supported a full mediating role for employee voice in the social media use–employee innovative behavior relationship. Our findings extend prior research and suggest some mechanisms of social media use. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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