Psychometric development of the COVID-19 vaccine misinformation scale and effects on vaccine hesitancy.

To help inform post-COVID-19 pandemic practical health policies, the researchers created the COVID-19 vaccine misinformation scale (CVMS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, falsehoods spread online which casted doubt and concerns about the vaccine. Example misconceptions included vaccination leads to greater vulnerability to other illness and would alter someone's DNA. The researchers performed two large surveys with U.S. participants. The researchers reviewed debunked COVID-19 vaccine falsehoods online. Construction of the CVMS followed standard psychometric scale development steps. Statistical analysis provided support for the 10-item CVMS with satisfactory reliability, discriminant validity, and convergent validity. Predictive validity regression analysis demonstrated the CVMS associated with higher vaccine hesitancy. The prevalence of vaccine misbeliefs broadened pandemic healthcare challenges. On top of existing duties, healthcare workers had to explain vaccine efficacy and safety to dispel fallacies. The researchers discuss implications for the CVMS within the context of motivated reasoning theory.

Psychometric development of the COVID-19 vaccine misinformation scale and effects on vaccine hesitancy

To help inform post-COVID-19 pandemic practical health policies, the researchers created the COVID-19 vaccine misinformation scale (CVMS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, falsehoods spread online which casted doubt and concerns about the vaccine. Example misconceptions included vaccination leads to greater vulnerability to other illness and would alter someone’s DNA. The researchers performed two large surveys with U.S. participants. The researchers reviewed debunked COVID-19 vaccine falsehoods online. Construction of the CVMS followed standard psychometric scale development steps. Statistical analysis provided support for the 10-item CVMS with satisfactory reliability, discriminant validity, and convergent validity. Predictive validity regression analysis demonstrated the CVMS associated with higher vaccine hesitancy. The prevalence of vaccine misbeliefs broadened pandemic healthcare challenges. On top of existing duties, healthcare workers had to explain vaccine efficacy and safety to dispel fallacies. The researchers discuss implications for the CVMS within the context of motivated reasoning theory.

Construct validation of the COVID-19 Cavalier Scale: Analysis of indirect effects with optimism on likelihood to travel.

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that killed hundreds of thousands of people and crippled the tourism industry. Despite potential death, many people resumed life as if there was no pandemic. The obscure nature of diseases and overly optimistic beliefs about personal health fostered a unique COVID-19 cavalier phenomenon. These people professed, "It's just like the flu." Many engaged in passive (e.g., ignoring mask policies) and active (e.g., COVID parties) behaviors that risked exposure, believing it will generate safe immunity. The COVID-19 cavalier believe they are invulnerable to major adverse complications and communal exposure results in immunity. Identifying and understanding caviler individuals will help control the spread of diseases and reopen society for tourism. The design and validation of the 9-item COVID-19 cavalier scale (CCS) provided a tool for researchers to study these individuals. The economical measure demonstrated discriminant validity with practical public health traveling implications.

Validation of the COVID-19 Transmission Misinformation Scale and Conditional Indirect Negative Effects on Wearing a Mask in Public.

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic devastated the world economy. Global infections and deaths altered the behaviors of generations. The Internet acted as an incredible vehicle for communication but was also a source of unfounded rumors. Unfortunately, this freedom of information sharing and fear of COVID-19 fostered unfounded claims about transmission (e.g., 5G networks spread the disease). With negligible enforcement to stop the spread of rumors and government officials spouting unfounded claims, falsities became ubiquitous. Organizations, public health officials, researchers, and businesses spent limited resources addressing rumors instead of implementing policies to overcome challenges (e.g., speaking to defiant mask wearers versus safe reopening actions). The researchers defined COVID-19 transmission misinformation as false beliefs about the spread and prevention of contracting the disease. Design and validation of the 12-item COVID-19 Transmission Misinformation Scale (CTMS) provides a measure to identify transmission misinformation believers. Indirect COVID-19 transmission misinformation beliefs with a fear of COVID-19 decreased wearing a mask in public intentions. Callousness exacerbated COVID-19 transmission misinformation beliefs as a moderator.

Cancer Patients' Willingness to Take COVID-19 Vaccination: A Nationwide Multicenter Survey in Korea.

Considering the high morbidity and mortality of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with malignancy, they are regarded as a priority for COVID-19 vaccination. However, general vaccine uptake rates among cancer patients are known to be lower than in their healthy counterparts. Thus, we aimed to investigate the attitude and acceptance rates for the COVID-19 vaccine in cancer patients and identify predictive factors for vaccination that could be modified to increase vaccine uptake rates, via a paper-based survey (58 items over six domains). A total of 1001 cancer patients participated in this nationwide, multicenter survey between February and April 2021. We observed that 61.8% of respondents were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Positive predictive factors found to be independently associated with vaccination were male gender, older age, obesity, previous influenza vaccination history, absence of cancer recurrence, time since cancer diagnosis over 5 years, and higher EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale scores. Along with the well-known factors that are positively correlated with vaccination, here, we report that patients' disease status and current health status were also associated with their acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination. Moreover, 91.2% of cancer patients were willing to be vaccinated if their attending physicians recommend it, indicating that almost 30% could change their decision upon physicians' recommendation. Unlike other factors, which are unmodifiable, physicians' recommendation is the single modifiable factor that could change patients' behavior. In conclusion, we firstly report that Korean cancer patients' acceptance rate of the COVID-19 vaccination was 61.8% and associated with disease status and current health status. Physicians should play a major role in aiding cancer patients' decision-making concerning COVID-19 vaccines.

Validation of the COVID-19 Disbelief Scale: Conditional indirect effects of religiosity and COVID-19 fear on intent to vaccinate.

The COVID-19 pandemic uprooted economies, infected millions, and altered behaviors. Yet, the invisible nature of the disease, paralleled symptoms to the common flu, and misinformation generated COVID-19 disbelief. Many believed COVID-19 was a hoax. Many believed case numbers were fabricated. Others claimed it was a ruse for sociopolitical reasons. The construction of the 8-item COVID-19 Disbelief Scale (CDS) measures the false belief COVID-19 was not real and life-threatening. The CDS demonstrated discriminant validity and robust reliability across two studies. Predictive analysis evinced COVID-19 disbelievers feared COVID-19 less and had lower intent to get vaccinated. In the U.S., certain religious organizations spread misinformation. Religiosity associated with greater COVID-19 disbelief. Among disbelievers, conditional indirect effects of religiosity associated with greater COVID-19 fear and higher intent to get vaccinated. The moderated mediation model validated utility of the CDS as a concise instrument to study variable relationships.

Mobile Augmented Reality Heritage Applications: Meeting the Needs of Heritage Tourists

As competition intensifies, value co-creation with tourists is essential for successful implementation of mobile augmented reality (AR) heritage applications. This study therefore aims to identify heritage tourists’ needs and involvement when developing mobile AR heritage applications using a grounded theory approach. Since AR applications are still in their infancy in the tourism industry the grounded theory approach was employed. Fifty in-depth interviews were conducted in Macau’s World Heritage Sites. The interview transcripts were analyzed by the open coding method with the NVivo software, the process of axial coding and the selective coding method. This study generated new requirements for mobile AR heritage applications that reflect the needs of the Asian tourist market, which are different from those of the European tourist market. The characteristic of tourist empowerment and the association between co-creation and tourism were also identified. This study contributes to provide a theoretical framework for designing mobile AR heritage applications and has implications for mobile AR application developers and tourism practitioners.