scholarly journals The Credibility of Health Information Sources as Predictors of Attitudes toward Vaccination—The Results from a Longitudinal Study in Poland

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 933
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Stasiuk ◽  
Mateusz Polak ◽  
Dariusz Dolinski ◽  
Jozef Maciuszek

Background: The research focused on the relationships between attitudes towards vaccination and the trust placed in different sources of information (science, experts and the information available on the Internet) before and during COVID-19. Method: A longitudinal design was applied with the first measurement in February 2018 (N = 1039). The second measurement (N = 400) was carried out in December 2020 to test if the pandemic influenced the trust in different sources of information. Results: The final analyses carried out on final sample of 400 participants showed that there has been no change in trust in the Internet as a source of knowledge about health during the pandemic. However, the trust in science, physicians, subjective health knowledge, as well as the attitude towards the vaccination has declined. Regression analysis also showed that changes in the level of trust in physicians and science were associated with analogous (in the same direction) changes in attitudes toward vaccination. The study was also focused on the trust in different sources of health knowledge as possible predictors of willingness to be vaccinated against SARS-nCoV-2. However, it appeared that the selected predictors explained a small part of the variance. This suggests that attitudes toward the new COVID vaccines may have different sources than attitudes toward vaccines that have been known to the public for a long time.

Author(s):  
N. I. Briko ◽  
A. Ya. Mindlina ◽  
R. V. Polibin ◽  
N. P. Galina ◽  
A. S. Gorokhova ◽  
...  

Aim. The study the attitude of population towards the necessity of vaccination. Materials and methods. The survey about the attitude towards vaccination among different groups of population was held. In total there were 1209 respondents: 1031 students of medical, humanitarian and technical universities and 178 parents of children under 2. Results. The most positive attitude towards vaccination was shown by medical students (77%) and parents (71%) and only 33% and 37% of humanitarian and technical students correspondency realize the significance of vaccination. It is worth noting that large number of people could not define their attitude to vaccination. The majority of respondents notices the lack of knowledge about vaccination wherein less than 50% of respondents get the information from doctors. The rest gets it from different sources mostly from the Internet. About 80% of respondents would prefer to get answers to their questions about vaccination in the Internet. Conclusion. The adherence of population of Russia to vaccination has a rather low level. The main reason for it is the lack ofknowledge and availability of true information about vaccination. It is necessary to use diverse sources of information to provide the population with true facts about vaccination, its significance and safety via mass media and the Internet as well.


Author(s):  
Emanuele Bardone ◽  
Lorenzo Magnani

Recently the impressive growth of the Web, and the Internet in general, has been considered as a promise that may both challenge and boost our representation of democratic institutions. It is well known that modern democracies are based on the possibility to control and even replace who rules by the force of the best arguments. More generally, the control of the government, and the effectiveness of democracy, is possible, if the citizens can access information. Hence, the promise of the Internet mainly relies on the fact that people may more freely access information, because it seems it cannot be controlled or manipulated by the political power. In the first part of this outline we will depict a cognitive framework to deal with the relationships between Internet and democracy. We shall show that Internet, as an information technology, can be considered as a cognitive and moral mediator; it can provide stories, texts, images, combined with sounds, so that the information fosters not only a cognitive, but also an emotional and moral understanding. In this sense, the Internet represents a kind of redistribution of the moral effort through managing objects and information to overcome the poverty and the unsatisfactory character of the options available. In the last part we will illustrate that Internet, as a moral mediator, may enhance democracy in two respects. First, it affords civic engagement and participation; second, it allows people to face different sources of information so that almost everyone can verify and test the information delivered by traditional media.


Author(s):  
Robert Rosa ◽  
Agnieszka Ginter ◽  
Jolanta Franczuk ◽  
Anna Zaniewicz-Bajkowska ◽  
Edyta Kosterna-Kelle ◽  
...  

The purpose of the research was identification sources of knowledge about the nutritional value of vegetables among the rural population on the example of two voivodships, Mazowieckie and Lubelskie. The paper presents the assessment of the relevance of individual types of information sought by respondents. The basic research tool was questionnaire survey conducted in the group of 200 people, 100 out of each voivodship. The study was conducted in 2015. Analysis of the obtained results showed that six different sources of information on the nutritional value of vegetables were indicated. In the group the most important sources in the first place was the family and friends. The Internet and specialist journals included in the second place ex aeguo. The opinion of the seller of vegetables was of the least importance.


Author(s):  
Emanuele Bardone ◽  
Lorenzo Magnani

Recently the impressive growth of the Web, and the Internet in general, has been considered as a promise that may both challenge and boost our representation of democratic institutions. It is well known that modern democracies are based on the possibility to control and even replace who rules by the force of the best arguments. More generally, the control of the government, and the effectiveness of democracy, is possible, if the citizens can access information. Hence, the promise of the Internet mainly relies on the fact that people may more freely access information, because it seems it cannot be controlled or manipulated by the political power. In the first part of this outline we will depict a cognitive framework to deal with the relationships between Internet and democracy. We shall show that Internet, as an information technology, can be considered as a cognitive and moral mediator; it can provide stories, texts, images, combined with sounds, so that the information fosters not only a cognitive, but also an emotional and moral understanding. In this sense, the Internet represents a kind of redistribution of the moral effort through managing objects and information to overcome the poverty and the unsatisfactory character of the options available. In the last part we will illustrate that Internet, as a moral mediator, may enhance democracy in two respects. First, it affords civic engagement and participation; second, it allows people to face different sources of information so that almost everyone can verify and test the information delivered by traditional media.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (54) ◽  
pp. 96-115
Author(s):  
Urszula Kurcewicz

Though in the present age the Internet is an important resource for gathering information, there are also plenty of significant and helpful traditional sources. The best data collection strategy in information broker activity is one that employs techniques from both. The first part of the text is focused on the methodology of obtaining information. The author points out the place of information broker in the information process. One of the key aspects of the following analysis is an attempt to indicate the main definitions and classifications of the traditional sources of information in a field of historical knowledge as well as in the information science. The second part of the article considers information broker professional qualifications, since for him is important to know how to search, gather and integrate information from institution such as the national and private archives, libraries or museums.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Johannes Schulz ◽  
Annalisa Pessina ◽  
Uwe Hartung ◽  
Serena Petrocchi

BACKGROUND Health knowledge held and health information processed have become more important than ever due to the accumulation of scientific medical knowledge and ideals of patient autonomy. Health literacy and its tremendous success as a concept can be considered an admission that not all is well in the distribution of health knowledge. The Internet makes health information much more easily available than ever, but it introduces its own problems, of which health disinformation is a major one OBJECTIVE To help determine whether objective and subjective health literacy are one or two concepts. To test which of the two is associated more strongly with an adequate judgment of the quality of a medical website and with behavioral intentions beneficial to health. METHODS A survey (n = 362) was conducted online on mental health, and specifically on depression and its treatments. Newest Vital Sign was employed as objective, performance-based measure; the eHealth Literacy Scale as subjective, perception-based. Correlation, comparison of means, linear and binary logistic regression, and mediation models were used to determine the associations RESULTS Objective and subjective health literacy were hardly associated (r = .06, P = .24). High objective health literacy went along with an inclination to behave in ways that are beneficial to one’s own or others’ health (Exp(B) = 2.068, P = .004), and it made people recognize a website of dubious quality for what it is (β = -0.4698, P = .0053). The recognition also improved participants’ preferences for treatment (β = -0.3345, P < .001). Objective health literacy helped people to recognize poor quality in health websites and improved their judgment on the treatment of depression CONCLUSIONS Self-reported and perception-based health literacy should be treated as a different concept from performance-based objective literacy. Only objective literacy appears to have the potential to prevent people from falling for health disinformation


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margret Plloçi ◽  
Macit Koc

Abstract Purpose of the article There is relatively a big number of brands in the market of laptops nowadays in Albania. It appears that the number of brands offered in this market could easily be compared to the number of brands in Europe and even broader. The purpose of this study is to help Albanian vendors understand the criteria that consumers take into consideration when they make the decision to purchase a laptop. Methodology/methods The research is based on the collection and the analyses of the primary data collected through interviews to people like managers or employees who work in the sector of trading laptops or in businesses like education where laptops are broadly used recently; then a survey is done through a questionnaire delivered to customers who already own and use a laptop and customers who are potential buyers of laptops. Scientific aim The aim of the research is to identify if there are any relationships between the demographics of the consumers and the criteria of buying a laptop; on the other hand, to find out how is the relationship between the demographics and the features of different brands. Findings The study found out that Albanian consumers have good knowledge of laptops and their brands, and they use different sources of information for making their decisions in buying a laptop; it is found that there are relationships between some demographics like age or gender and the appraisal for some attributes of the laptops like price, design and high graphics card; it is also found that some technical features and other attributes of using laptops are some of the determinants that influence the laptops’ purchases. Conclusions It is realized that one of the most important demographics of the consumers is their age. Some core features like RAM, ROM, battery life, processor quality, light weight or attributes that are connected to the purposes of using the laptop computers like practicality and mobility in using them, work and studying processes, quick access to the internet are determinant factors which influence the decision making process of purchasing a laptop. I would recommend that future researches be focused also on the relationship between the customers’ income and their preferred brand or ranking brands according to the customers’ preferences. Such studies should also extend outside the city of Tirana.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seigo Mitsutake ◽  
Ai Shibata ◽  
Kaori Ishii ◽  
Rina Miyawaki ◽  
Koichiro Oka

BACKGROUND To develop websites that enhance Internet users’ health knowledge, it is important to identify relevant factors associated with obtaining health knowledge via the Internet. Although an association between eHealth literacy (eHL) and knowledge of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported, little is known whether eHL is associated with obtaining knowledge of CRC via the Internet. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the results obtained from Internet users with high or low eHL in searching and using a reputable cancer website to gain CRC knowledge. METHODS This study used respondents to Internet based pre-and post-surveys conducted in 2012. Potential respondents (n = 3,307) were identified from registered individuals aged 40–59 years (n = 461,160) in a Japanese Internet survey company. A total of 1,069 participants responded (response rate: 32.3%), and these pre-survey responders were then divided into high or low eHL groups using the Japanese eHealth Literacy Scale median score (23.5 points). From each group, 130 randomly selected individuals were invited to review the contents of a reputable CRC website, the Cancer Information Service managed by the National Cancer Center, and to respond to a post-survey via e-mail; responses were obtained from 107 individuals from each group. Twenty responses to knowledge statements regarding the definition, risk factors, screening prevention and symptoms of CRC were obtained at pre- and post-surveys, and differences in the correct responses between high and low eHL groups compared using the McNemar test. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 49.1 (5.5) years. Four statements showed a significant increase in correct responses in both eHL groups pre- and post-survey: “S4. The risk of CRC is greater as a person gets older” (high eHL: P = 0.039, low eHL: P = 0.012), “S8. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for CRC” (high eHL: P < 0.001, low eHL: P = 0.020), “S11. Obesity is a risk factor for CRC” (high eHL: P = 0.030, low eHL: P = 0.047), and “S12. Excess alcohol consumption is a risk factor for CRC” (high eHL: P = 0.002, low eHL: P = 0.003). Three statements showed a statistically significant increase in correct responses in the high eHL group only: “S1. CRC is cancer of the colon or rectum” (P = 0.003), “S5. The risk of CRC is the same between men and women” (P = 0.041), and “S9. Red meat intake is a risk factor for CRC” (P = 0.002), whereas only one response did in the low eHL group: “S17. Bloody stools are a symptom of CRC” (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS Low eHL Internet users appeared less capable of obtaining knowledge of CRC through searching and understanding information from a reputable cancer website than high eHL Internet users.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 1013-1029
Author(s):  
Zeeshan Zeeshan ◽  
Qurat ul Ain ◽  
Uzair Aslam Bhatti ◽  
Waqar Hussain Memon ◽  
Sajid Ali ◽  
...  

With the increase of online businesses, recommendation algorithms are being researched a lot to facilitate the process of using the existing information. Such multi-criteria recommendation (MCRS) helps a lot the end-users to attain the required results of interest having different selective criteria – such as combinations of implicit and explicit interest indicators in the form of ranking or rankings on different matched dimensions. Current approaches typically use label correlation, by assuming that the label correlations are shared by all objects. In real-world tasks, however, different sources of information have different features. Recommendation systems are more effective if being used for making a recommendation using multiple criteria of decisions by using the correlation between the features and items content (content-based approach) or finding a similar user rating to get targeted results (Collaborative filtering). To combine these two filterings in the multicriteria model, we proposed a features-based fb-knn multi-criteria hybrid recommendation algorithm approach for getting the recommendation of the items by using multicriteria features of items and integrating those with the correlated items found in similar datasets. Ranks were assigned to each decision and then weights were computed for each decision by using the standard deviation of items to get the nearest result. For evaluation, we tested the proposed algorithm on different datasets having multiple features of information. The results demonstrate that proposed fb-knn is efficient in different types of datasets.


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