scholarly journals COVID-19 Vaccine Perceptions in the Initial Phases of US Vaccine Roll-out: An Observational Study on Reddit

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navin Kumar ◽  
Isabel Corpus ◽  
Meher Hans ◽  
Nikhil Harle ◽  
Nan Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Trial ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Vaccine Trials ◽  
Vaccine Information ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Early Phases ◽  
Roll Out

Abstract Background: Open online forums like Reddit provide an opportunity to quantitatively examine COVID-19 vaccine perceptions early in the vaccine timeline. We examine COVID-19 misinformation on Reddit following vaccine scientific announcements, in the initial phases of the vaccine timeline. Methods: We collected all posts on Reddit from January 1 2020 - December 14 2020 (n=266,840) that contained both COVID-19 and vaccine-related keywords. We used topic modeling to understand changes in word prevalence within topics after the release of vaccine trial data. Social network analysis was also conducted to determine the relationship between Reddit communities (subreddits) that shared COVID-19 vaccine posts, and the movement of posts between subreddits. Results: There was an association between a Pfizer press release reporting 90\% efficacy and increased discussion on vaccine misinformation. We observed an association between Johnson and Johnson temporarily halting its vaccine trials and reduced misinformation. We found that information skeptical of vaccination was first posted in a subreddit (r/Coronavirus) which favored accurate information and then reposted in subreddits associated with antivaccine beliefs and conspiracy theories (e.g. conspiracy, NoNewNormal). Conclusions: Our findings can inform the development of interventions where individuals determine the accuracy of vaccine information, and communications campaigns to improve COVID-19 vaccine perceptions, early in the vaccine timeline. Such efforts can increase individual- and population-level awareness of accurate and scientifically sound information regarding vaccines and thereby improve attitudes about vaccines, especially in the early phases of vaccine roll-out. Further research is needed to understand how social media can contribute to COVID-19 vaccination services.

scholarly journals COVID-19 vaccine perceptions: An observational study on Reddit

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navin Kumar ◽  
Isabel Corpus ◽  
Meher Hans ◽  
Nikhil Harle ◽  
Nan Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Vaccine Trial ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Yale University ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Vaccine Trials ◽  
Vaccine Information ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractObjectivesAs COVID-19 vaccinations accelerate in many countries, narratives skeptical of vaccination have also spread through social media. Open online forums like Reddit provide an opportunity to quantitatively examine COVID-19 vaccine perceptions over time. We examine COVID-19 misinformation on Reddit following vaccine scientific announcements.MethodsWe collected all posts on Reddit from January 1 2020 - December 14 2020 (n=266,840) that contained both COVID-19 and vaccine-related keywords. We used topic modeling to understand changes in word prevalence within topics after the release of vaccine trial data. Social network analysis was also conducted to determine the relationship between Reddit communities (subreddits) that shared COVID-19 vaccine posts, and the movement of posts between subreddits.ResultsThere was an association between a Pfizer press release reporting 90% efficacy and increased discussion on vaccine misinformation. We observed an association between Johnson and Johnson temporarily halting its vaccine trials and reduced misinformation. We found that information skeptical of vaccination was first posted in a subreddit (r/Coronavirus) which favored accurate information and then reposted in subreddits associated with antivaccine beliefs and conspiracy theories (e.g. conspiracy, LockdownSkepticism).ConclusionsOur findings can inform the development of interventions where individuals determine the accuracy of vaccine information, and communications campaigns to improve COVID-19 vaccine perceptions. Such efforts can increase individual- and population-level awareness of accurate and scientifically sound information regarding vaccines and thereby improve attitudes about vaccines. Further research is needed to understand how social media can contribute to COVID-19 vaccination services.FundingStudy was funded by the Yale Institute for Global Health and the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University. The funding bodies had no role in the design, analysis or interpretation of the data in the study.

scholarly journals Interest in COVID-19 vaccine trials participation among young adults in China: Willingness, reasons for hesitancy, and demographic and psychosocial determinants

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shufang Sun ◽  
Danhua Lin ◽  
Don Operario
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
University Students ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Vaccine Trial ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Vaccine Trials

Background: With the demand for rapid COVID-19 vaccine development and evaluation, this paper aimed to describe the prevalence and correlates of willingness to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials among university students in China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey with 1,912 Chinese university students was conducted during March and April 2020. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify variables associated with willingness to participate. Results: The majority of participants (64.01%) indicated willingness to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials. Hesitancy over signing informed consent documents, concerns over time necessary for participating in a medical study, and perceived COVID-19 societal stigma were identified as deterrents, whereas lower socioeconomic status, female gender, perception of likely COVID-19 infection during the pandemic, and COVID-19 prosocial behaviors were facilitative factors. Further, public health mistrust and hesitancy over signing informed consent documents had a significant interactive effect on vaccine trial willingness. Conclusions: High standards of ethical and scientific practice are needed in COVID-19 vaccine research, including providing potential participants full and accurate information and ensuring participation free of coercion, socioeconomic inequality, and stigma. Attending to the needs of marginalized groups and addressing psychosocial factors including stigma and public health mistrust may also be important to COVID-19 vaccine development and future uptake.

HPV VACCINE AND CERVICAL CANCER

2011 ◽  
pp. 108-115
Author(s):  
Vu Quoc Huy Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Relative Risk ◽  
Hpv Vaccine ◽  
Hpv Vaccination ◽  
Preventive Strategy ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Papilloma Virus ◽  
Vaccine Trials ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Relationship

Persistent infection with high-risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) has been identified as the causal factor of cervical cancer, with relative risk up to 300-400 folds. This very close relationship leads to the preventive strategy of vaccination against HPV infections and HPV-related lesions. The article describes molecular and immunologic characteristics of HPV, currently available HPV vaccines and its protective effects; the relationship between HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening, and an introduction to therapeutic HPV vaccine trials.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Suicidality and Socio-Demographic Variables, Physical Disorders, and Psychiatric Disorders: Results from the Singapore Mental Health Study 2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4365
Author(s):  
Kundadak Ganesh Kudva ◽  
Edimansyah Abdin ◽  
Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar ◽  
Boon Yiang Chua ◽  
Saleha Shafie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Epidemiological Survey ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Physical Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Study ◽  
The Relationship

Suicidality encompasses suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts. This paper aims to establish associations between suicidality and sociodemographic variables, physical disorders, and psychiatric disorders. The Singapore Mental Health Study 2016 was a population-level epidemiological survey, which determined the prevalence of physical disorders, psychiatric disorders, and suicidality. Questionnaires were used to determine socio-demographic information. A total of 6216 respondents were interviewed. Lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts were 7.8%, 1.6%, and 1.6%, respectively. All components of suicidality were more likely in those with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol use disorder, and chronic pain. Suicidal ideation and attempts were more likely in those with diabetes. Age above 65, being male, and a monthly household income of ≥ SGD 10,000 were associated with a lower likelihood of suicidal ideation. These findings indicate that there are high-risk groups for whom suicidality is a concern, and for whom interventions may be needed.

scholarly journals Faster than warp speed: early attention to COVD-19 by anti-vaccine groups on Facebook

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth C Kalichman ◽  
Lisa A Eaton ◽  
Valerie A Earnshaw ◽  
Natalie Brousseau
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Vaccine Information

Abstract Background The unprecedented rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has faced SARS-CoV- (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy, which is partially fueled by the misinformation and conspiracy theories propagated by anti-vaccine groups on social media. Research is needed to better understand the early COVID-19 anti-vaccine activities on social media. Methods This study chronicles the social media posts concerning COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines by leading anti-vaccine groups (Dr Tenpenny on Vaccines, the National Vaccine Information Center [NVIC] the Vaccination Information Network [VINE]) and Vaccine Machine in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (February–May 2020). Results Analysis of 2060 Facebook posts showed that anti-vaccine groups were discussing COVID-19 in the first week of February 2020 and were specifically discussing COVID-19 vaccines by mid-February 2020. COVID-19 posts by NVIC were more widely disseminated and showed greater influence than non-COVID-19 posts. Early COVID-19 posts concerned mistrust of vaccine safety and conspiracy theories. Conclusion Major anti-vaccine groups were sowing seeds of doubt on Facebook weeks before the US government launched its vaccine development program ‘Operation Warp Speed’. Early anti-vaccine misinformation campaigns outpaced public health messaging and hampered the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

scholarly journals The dangers of blind trust: Examining the interplay among social media news use, misinformation identification, and news trust on conspiracy beliefs

2021 ◽  
pp. 096366252199802
Author(s):  
Xizhu Xiao ◽  
Porismita Borah ◽  
Yan Su
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
News Consumption ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Moderation Model ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Significant Moderator ◽  
News Use

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation has been circulating on social media and multiple conspiracy theories have since become quite popular. We conducted a U.S. national survey for three main purposes. First, we aim to examine the association between social media news consumption and conspiracy beliefs specific to COVID-19 and general conspiracy beliefs. Second, we investigate the influence of an important moderator, social media news trust, that has been overlooked in prior studies. Third, we further propose a moderated moderation model by including misinformation identification. Our findings show that social media news use was associated with higher conspiracy beliefs, and trust in social media news was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between social media news use and conspiracy beliefs. Moreover, our findings show that misinformation identification moderated the relationship between social media news use and trust. Implications are discussed.

Are misinformation, antiscientific claims, and conspiracy theories for political extremists?

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-605
Author(s):  
Adam M. Enders ◽  
Joseph E. Uscinski
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Political Orientations ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Political Left ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Groups ◽  
Representative Samples

Extremist political groups, especially “extreme” Republicans and conservatives, are increasingly charged with believing misinformation, antiscientific claims, and conspiracy theories to a greater extent than moderates and those on the political left by both a burgeoning scholarly literature and popular press accounts. However, previous investigations of the relationship between political orientations and alternative beliefs have been limited in their operationalization of those beliefs and political extremity. We build on existing literature by examining the relationships between partisan and nonpartisan conspiracy beliefs and symbolic and operational forms of political extremity. Using two large, nationally representative samples of Americans, we find that ideological extremity predicts alternative beliefs only when the beliefs in question are partisan in nature and the measure of ideology is identity-based. Moreover, we find that operational ideological extremism is negatively related to nonpartisan conspiracy beliefs. Our findings help reconcile discrepant findings regarding the relationship between political orientations and conspiracy beliefs.

scholarly journals Strategies for Disseminating and Implementing the COVID-19 Vaccines in Rural Areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Prusaczyk
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Urban Health ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Residents ◽  
Rural Residents ◽  
Vaccination Programs ◽  
Vaccine Information ◽  
Roll Out

Abstract The United States has well-documented rural-urban health disparities and it is imperative that these are not exacerbated by an inefficient roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas. In addition to the pre-existing barriers to delivering and receiving healthcare in rural areas, such as high patient:provider ratios and long geographic distances between patients and providers, rural residents are significantly more likely to say they have no intention of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to urban residents. To overcome these barriers and ensure rural residents receive the vaccine, officials and communities should look to previous research on how to communicate vaccine information and implement successful vaccination programs in rural areas for guidance and concrete strategies to use in their local efforts.

scholarly journals Deservingness for "Family 500 +" Benefit in Poland: Qualitative Study of Internet Debates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Michoń
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Social Surveys ◽  
Cash Benefit ◽  
Internet Forums ◽  
Welfare Attitudes ◽  
New Criterion ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe need for qualitative research of deservingness perception is strongly emphasised in the literature. This article studies the perception of deservingness for a "Family 500 +"—cash benefit in Poland. For the first time, data from online forums was used in the studies of deservingness and welfare attitudes. It allowed to avoid numerous limitations associated with social surveys. The qualitative analysis showed how participants of Internet debates perceive the criteria of deservingness: control, attitude, reciprocity, identity, need, and what are the relations between the criteria. The impurity of all deservingness criteria was indicated and a new criterion “adequacy” was proposed. Moreover due to the fact that the study concerned a concrete, non-abstract family cash benefit addressed the relationship between the perceived deservingness of children and their parents was pointed out. The vast majority of posts on Internet forums referred to deservingness of parents, not children. This is particularly evident in relation to the criteria of control and reciprocity. Presenting the hypothesis of jealousy and scapegoat strategy, the article also shows the direction of future research on deservingness.

scholarly journals Investigating hot-Jupiter inflated radii with hierarchical Bayesian modelling

2018 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. A76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko Sestovic ◽  
Brice-Olivier Demory ◽  
Didier Queloz
Keyword(s):  
Large Fraction ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Mass Range ◽  
Hierarchical Bayesian ◽  
Incident Flux ◽  
Hot Jupiters ◽  
Probabilistic Relation ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Level Analysis

Context. As of today, hundreds of hot Jupiters have been found, yet the inflated radii of a large fraction of them remain unexplained. A number of mechanisms have been proposed to explain these anomalous radii, however most of these can only work under certain conditions and may not be sufficient to explain the most extreme cases. It is still unclear whether a single mechanism can sufficiently explain the entire distribution of radii, or whether a combination of these mechanisms is needed. Aims. We seek to understand the relationship of radius with stellar irradiation and mass and to find the range of masses over which hot Jupiters are inflated. We also aim to find the intrinsic physical scatter in their radii, caused by unobservable parameters, and to constrain the fraction of hot Jupiters that exhibit inflation. Methods. By constructing a hierarchical Bayesian model, we inferred the probabilistic relation between planet radius, mass, and incident flux for a sample of 286 gas giants. We separately incorporated the observational uncertainties of the data and the intrinsic physical scatter in the population. This allowed us to treat the intrinsic physical scatter in radii, due to latent parameters such as the heavy element fraction, as a parameter to be inferred. Results. We find that the planetary mass plays a key role in the inflation extent and that planets in the range ~0.37−0.98  MJ show the most inflated radii. At higher masses, the radius response to incident flux begins to decrease. Below a threshold of 0.37 ± 0.03  MJ we find that giant exoplanets as a population are unable to maintain inflated radii ≿1.4  RJ but instead exhibit smaller sizes as the incident flux is increased beyond 106 W m−2. We also find that below 1  MJ, there is a cut-off point at high incident flux beyond which we find no more inflated planets, and that this cut-off point decreases as the mass decreases. At incident fluxes higher than ~1.6 × 106 W m−2 and in a mass range 0.37−0.98  MJ, we find no evidence for a population of non-inflated hot Jupiters. Our study sheds a fresh light on one of the key questions in the field and demonstrates the importance of population-level analysis to grasp the underlying properties of exoplanets.

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