Understanding the Influence of Web-Based Information, Misinformation, Disinformation, and Reinformation on COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance: Protocol for a Multicomponent Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an explosion in the amount of information shared on the internet, including false and misleading information on SARS-CoV-2 and recommended protective behaviors. Prior to the pandemic, web-based misinformation and disinformation were already identified as having an impact on people's decision to refuse or delay recommended vaccination for themselves or their children. OBJECTIVE: The overall aims of our study are to better understand the influence of web-based misinformation and disinformation on COVID-19 vaccine decisions and investigate potential solutions to reduce the impact of web-based misinformation and disinformation about vaccines. METHODS: Based on different research approaches, the study will involve (1) the use of artificial intelligence techniques, (2) a web-based survey, (3) interviews, and (4) a scoping review and an environmental scan of the literature. RESULTS: As of September 1, 2022, data collection has been completed for all objectives. The analysis is being conducted, and results should be disseminated in the upcoming months. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study will help with understanding the underlying determinants of vaccine hesitancy among Canadian individuals and identifying effective, tailored interventions to improve vaccine acceptance among them. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/41012.

Are Organizational Interventions Effective in Protecting Healthcare Worker Mental Health during Epidemics/Pandemics? A Systematic Literature Review.

It is unclear how to effectively protect healthcare workers' mental health during infectious disease epidemics. Targeting the occupational determinants of stress may hold more promise than individual stress management, which has received more focus. Through a systematic review of the 2000-2021 English- and French-language scientific literature, we evaluated the effectiveness of organizational and psychosocial work environment interventions to protect healthcare workers' mental health in an epidemic/pandemic context. Evidence from medium- and high-quality studies was synthesized using GRADE. Among 1604 unique search results, 41 studies were deemed relevant, yielding 34 low-quality and seven medium-quality studies. The latter reported on promising multi-component prevention programs that combined staffing adjustments, work shift arrangements, enhanced infection prevention and control, recognition of workers' efforts, psychological and/or logistic support during lockdowns (e.g., accommodation). Our confidence in the effectiveness of reviewed interventions is low to very low, however, owing to methodological limitations. We highlight gaps in the reporting of intervention process and context elements and discuss theory and implementation failure as possible explanations for results. We conclude by urging authors of future studies to include and document detailed risk assessments of the work environment, involve workers in solution design and implementation and consider how this process can be adapted during an emergency.

Hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccines on social media in Canada.

To effectively end the pandemic, the acceptance of effective vaccines against COVID-19 is critical. Comments posted in online platforms act as a barometer for understanding public concerns regarding vaccination and can be used to inform communication strategies for the 'moveable middle'. The aim of this exploratory study was to identify online dialogue regarding the nature of vaccine hesitancy related to COVID-19 vaccine(s). We analyzed user comment threads in response to news reports regarding COVID-19 vaccines on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation national news website (with as many as 9.4 million unique visitors per day). User comments (n = 1145) were extracted from 19 articles between March 2020 and June 15th, 2020. Comments were then coded inductively for content to establish a coding framework that was subsequently applied to the dataset. Our data provide empirical support for misrepresentation as a form of misinformation and further demonstrate the utility of social media content as data for social research that informs public health communication materials. The data point to the need for, and value of, rapid communication interventions to foster vaccine acceptance. False information will continue to create challenges for delivering COVID-19 vaccines. Communication strategies to get ahead of the pace of misinformation are critical, particularly in light of boosters and the possibility of COVID-19 vaccination on an annual basis.

Prebunking messaging to inoculate against COVID-19 vaccine misinformation: an effective strategy for public health

Background Objective Method Results Conclusion Vaccination coverage needs to reach more than 80% to resolve the COVID-19 pandemic, but vaccine hesitancy, fuelled by misinformation, may jeopardize this goal. Unvaccinated older adults are not only at risk of COVID-19 complications but may also be misled by false information. Prebunking, based on inoculation theory, involves ‘forewarning people [of] and refuting information that challenges their existing belief or behavior’.To assess the effectiveness of inoculation communication strategies in countering disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines among Canadians aged 50 years and older, as measured by their COVID-19 vaccine intentions.Applying an online experiment with a mixed pre–post design and a sample size of 2500 participants, we conducted a national randomized survey among English and French-speaking Canadians aged 50 years and older in March 2021. Responses to two different disinformation messages were evaluated. Our primary outcome was the intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, with attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine a secondary outcome. The McNemar test and multivariate logistic regression analysis on paired data were conducted when the outcome was dichotomized. Wilcoxon sign rank test and Kruskal–Wallis were used to test difference scores between pre- and post-tests by condition.Group comparisons between those who received only disinformation and those who received the inoculation message show that prebunking messages may safeguard intention to get vaccinated and have a protective effect against disinformation.Prebunking messages should be considered as one strategy for public health communication to combat misinformation. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Communication in Healthcare is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Integrating infoveillance, infodemiology, and consequential intervention research in our public health systems to better protect and promote the health of Canadians: ideas and perspectives.

There is no longer any doubt that exposure to the tsunami of health information which is sometimes evidence-based and sometimes unfounded and even misleading, is a public health issue. The term infodemic is used to describe this phenomenon. Research conducted over the past two decades has provided a measure of the extent of information overload and of the quality of information to which populations are exposed. Selected harmful effects have also been observed. It is urgent to mobilize and structure public health systems by involving all the required expertise to combat health misinformation and better manage the infodemic. Towards this end, we are launching a call for critical thinking around three themes: the infosphere as a social determinant of health, the development of skills in infodemiology, and finally, the development, cocreation, and evaluation of consequential interventions to better manage the infodemic and combat disinformation. We believe that lessons learned collectively from the successful integration of infoveillance, infodemiology, and consequential intervention research in our public health systems will serve to better address issues emerging from infodemics.

RéSUMé: Il ne fait désormais aucun doute que l'exposition au raz-de-marée d'informations en santé tantôt fondées sur les données probantes, tantôt sans fondement et même fallacieuses est un enjeu de santé publique. Le vocable infodémie est utilisé pour désigner ces phénomènes. Les études menées depuis deux décennies ont permis de mesurer l'ampleur de la surcharge d'informations et la qualité des informations auxquelles sont exposées les populations. Certains effets néfastes ont aussi été documentés. Il apparaît urgent de mobiliser et structurer les systèmes de santé publique en mobilisant toutes les expertises nécessaires à la lutte contre la désinformation en santé et la gestion de l'infodémie. Pour cela, nous lançons un appel à la réflexion autour de trois axes soit, l'infosphère comme un déterminant social de la santé, le développement de compétences en infodémiologie et finalement, le développement, la cocréation et l'évaluation d'interventions conséquentes pour mieux gérer l'infodémie et lutter contre la désinformation. Nous pensons que les leçons tirées collectivement d'une intégration réussie de l'infosurveillance, de l'infodémiologie et d'une recherche interventionnelle conséquente dans nos systèmes de santé publique serviront à mieux aborder les enjeux associés à l'infodémie.