Evaluation of the readability, understandability, and actionability of COVID-19 public health messaging in Atlantic Canada

IntroductionEffective communication of COVID-19 information involves clear messaging to ensure that readers comprehend and can easily apply behavioral recommendations. This study evaluated the readability, understandability, and actionability of public health resources produced by the four provincial governments in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island). MethodsA total of 400 web-based resources were extracted in June 2022 and evaluated using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, CDC Clear Communication Index, and the Patient and Education Materials Assessment Tool. Descriptive statistics and a comparison of mean scores were conducted across provinces and type of resources (e.g., text, video). ResultsOverall, readability of resources across the region exceeded recommendations, requiring an average Grade 11 reading level. Videos and short form communication resources, including infographics, were the most understandable and actionable. Mean scores across provinces differed significantly on each tool;Newfoundland and Labrador produced materials that were most readable, understandable, and actionable, followed by New Brunswick. DiscussionRecommendations on improving clarity of COVID-19 resources are described. Careful consideration in the development of publicly available resources is necessary in supporting COVID-19 knowledge uptake, while reducing the prevalence of misinformation.

Understanding communication about the COVID-19 vaccines: analysis of emergent sentiments and topics of discussion on Twitter during the initial phase of the vaccine rollout

We assess the underlying topics, sentiment, and types of information regarding COVID-19 vaccines cycling through Twitter during the initiation of the vaccine rollout. Once tweets about COVID-19 vaccine posted between 1 December 2020 and 28 February 2021 were collected and preprocessed, they were categorized as either relevant or irrelevant by a classifier trained by the research team. Latent Dirichlet Allocation was used to discover the topics of discussion in the relevant tweets. The NRC lexicon was used to quantify positive and negative sentiment found in the tweets. The types of information (information, misinformation, opinion, or question) in positive and negative sentiment tweets were assessed and distributions were compared. A total of 1,386,390 tweets were collected, out of which 210,657 relevant tweets were identified by the relevancy classifier. Eight topics provided the best representation of the corpus of relevant tweets. Tweets with a negative sentiment were associated with a higher percentage of misinformation whereas tweets with positive sentiment showed a higher percentage of information, opinions, and questions. The proliferation of information and misinformation on social media platforms is associated with building public trust and mitigating negative sentiment associated with COVID-19 vaccines. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Accuracy-sensitisation promotes the sharing of pro- (but not anti-) vaccine information.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated (i) factors predicting the seeking and sharing of vaccinerelated information, and (ii) the effect of an accuracy-sensitisation prime on sharing intentions. Design:This was a preregistered online survey with 213 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (who were exposed to an accuracy-sensitisation prime) or a control group. DESIGN: This was a preregistered online survey with 213 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (who were exposed to an accuracy-sensitisation prime) or a control group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures included decision-making style, COVID-19 anxiety, and percentages of pro and anti-vaccine friends. We also measured preferences to seek pro or anti-vaccine-related information and sharing intentions with respect to this information. RESULTS: Compared with those seeking both pro and anti-vaccine information, participants seeking only pro-vaccine information had lower hypervigilance and buck-passing and higher COVID-19 anxiety. The likelihood of sharing anti-vaccine information was positively predicted by the percentage of one's anti-vaccine friends, the size of one's social network, and conservative political orientation. Conversely, the likelihood of sharing pro-vaccine information was positively predicted by the percentage of one's pro-vaccine friends, and liberal political orientation. Participants sensitised to accuracy were significantly more likely to share provaccine information; however, accuracy-sensitisation had no effect on anti-vaccine information sharing. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who seek anti-vaccine information have a tendency towards disorganised and impulsive decision-making. Accuracy-sensitisation may prime people to internalise a norm promoting truth-sharing.

Prevalence and Correlates of COVID-19 Vaccine Information on Family Medicine Practices' Websites in the United States: Cross-sectional Website Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Primary care providers are regarded as trustworthy sources of information about COVID-19 vaccines. Although primary care practices often provide information about common medical and public health topics on their practice websites, little is known about whether they also provide information about COVID-19 vaccines on their practice websites. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 vaccine information on family medicine practices' website home pages in the United States. METHODS: We used the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid National Provider Identifier records to create a sampling frame of all family medicine providers based in the United States, from which we constructed a nationally representative random sample of 964 family medicine providers. Between September 20 and October 8, 2021, we manually examined the practice websites of these providers and extracted data on the availability of COVID-19 vaccine information, and we implemented a 10% cross-review quality control measure to resolve discordances in data abstraction. We estimated the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine information on practice websites and website home pages and used Poisson regression with robust error variances to estimate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios for correlates of COVID-19 vaccine information, including practice size, practice region, university affiliation, and presence of information about seasonal influenza vaccines. Additionally, we performed sensitivity analyses to account for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Of the 964 included family medicine practices, most (n=509, 52.8%) had ≥10 distinct locations, were unaffiliated with a university (n=838, 87.2%), and mentioned seasonal influenza vaccines on their websites (n=540, 56.1%). In total, 550 (57.1%) practices mentioned COVID-19 vaccines on their practices' website home page, specifically, and 726 (75.3%) mentioned COVID-19 vaccines anywhere on their practice website. As practice size increased, the likelihood of finding COVID-19 vaccine information on the home page increased (n=66, 27.7% among single-location practices, n=114, 52.5% among practices with 2-9 locations, n=66, 56.4% among practices with 10-19 locations, and n=304, 77.6% among practices with 20 or more locations, P<.001 for trend). Compared to clinics in the Northeast, those in the West and Midwest United States had a similar prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine information on website home pages, but clinics in the south had a lower prevalence (adjusted prevalence ratio 0.8, 95% CI 0.7 to 1.0; P=.02). Our results were largely unchanged in sensitivity analyses accounting for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, primary care practitioners who promote and provide vaccines should strongly consider utilizing their existing practice websites to share COVID-19 vaccine information. These existing platforms have the potential to serve as an extension of providers' influence on established and prospective patients who search the internet for information about COVID-19 vaccines.

I have decided about my COVID-19 vaccine, what about my child?

Vaccination has been instrumental in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, with numbers of new cases decreasing rapidly even as restrictions to control the spread of the virus were removed. The first stage of the vaccination campaign in Israel covered individuals aged 16 and older, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of the vaccine. While the campaign was later extended to those aged 12 and older, some parents continue to have doubts and concerns about the vaccine. Data were collected via an online questionnaire during April 2021; 516 parents participated. This research adopted a holistic approach that combines factors relating to vaccine acceptance previously reported in the literature. The acceptance of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination among parents varied by their children's age groups, at 44.7%, 53.2%, and 66.4% among parents with children aged 0-6, 6-12, and 12-16, respectively. The results of this study indicate that different sets of variables affect the willingness of parents to vaccinate their children, depending on their child's age. Moreover, a holistic approach is necessary in order to correctly verify the significant variables. Parents who evaluate the vaccine as more beneficial have a higher probability of being willing to vaccinate. In addition, for ages 12-16, parental willingness to vaccinate is associated with access to information, trust, and neighborhood norms. Those evaluating information about the vaccine as more fake news show higher probability to vaccinate their children. The timing of the survey is highly relevant, especially considering the uncertainty about the effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine.

Linking the Pathway from Exposure to Online Vaccine Information to Cyberchondria During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Cyberchondria describes excessive health information seeking on the Internet is associated with escalating concerns and anxiety. Drawing upon the stimulus-organism-response model, this study proposes a moderated mediation model to explore how people develop cyberchondria when they search for COVID-19 vaccine-related information on the Internet. To test the proposed model, an online survey was conducted in China. Results showed that there was a direct and positive relationship between exposure to online vaccine information and cyberchondria. This relationship was also partially mediated by perceived information overload. Moreover, e-health literacy negatively moderated the indirect relationship between exposure to online vaccine information and cyberchondria through perceived information overload. The results from this study can advance our knowledge on the development of cyberchondria during public health crises, and inform health professionals and social media operators on developing evidence-based interventions to manage this issue.

COVID Vaccine Information Sources Utilized by Female Healthcare Workers.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials of the messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccines excluded individuals with active reproductive needs (attempting to conceive, currently pregnant, and/or lactating). Women comprise three-quarters of healthcare workers in the United States-an occupational field among the first to receive the vaccine. Professional medical and government organizations have encouraged shared decision-making and access to vaccination among those with active reproductive needs. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the information sources used by pregnancy-capable healthcare workers for information about the COVID-19 vaccines and to compare the self-reported "most important" source by the respondents' active reproductive needs, if any. STUDY DESIGN: This was a web-based national survey of female, US-based healthcare workers in January 2021. Recruitment was done using social media and subsequent sharing via word of mouth. We classified the respondents into 6 groups on the basis of self-reported reproductive needs as follows: (1) preventing pregnancy, (2) attempting pregnancy, (3) currently pregnant, (4) lactating, (5) attempting pregnancy and lactating, and (6) currently pregnant and lactating. We provided respondents with a list of information sources (friends, family, obstetrician-gynecologists, pediatrician, news, social media, government organizations, their employer, and "other") and asked respondents which source(s) they used when looking for information about the vaccine and their most important source. We used descriptive statistics to characterize the information sources and compared the endorsement of government organizations and obstetrician-gynecologists, which were the most important information source between reproductive groups, using the chi-square test. The effect size was calculated using Cramér V. RESULTS: Our survey had 11,405 unique respondents: 5846 (51.3%) were preventing pregnancy, 955 (8.4%) were attempting pregnancy, 2196 (19.3%) were currently pregnant, 2250 (19.7%) were lactating, 67 (0.6%) were attempting pregnancy and lactating, and 91 (0.8%) were currently pregnant and lactating. The most endorsed information sources were government organizations (88.7%), employers (48.5%), obstetrician-gynecologists (44.9%), and social media (39.6%). Considering the most important information source, the distribution of respondents endorsing government organizations was different between reproductive groups (P<.001); it was most common among respondents preventing pregnancy (62.6%) and least common among those currently pregnant (31.5%). We observed an inverse pattern among the respondents endorsing an obstetrician-gynecologist as the most important source; the source was most common among currently pregnant respondents (51.4%) and least common among those preventing pregnancy (5.8%), P<.001. The differences in the endorsement of social media as an information source between groups were significant but had a small effect size. CONCLUSION: Healthcare workers use government and professional medical organizations for information. Respondents attempting pregnancy and those pregnant and/or lactating are more likely to use social media and an obstetrician-gynecologist as information sources for vaccine decision-making. These data can inform public health messaging and counseling for clinicians.

COVID-19 Concerns, Vaccine Acceptance and Trusted Sources of Information among Patients Cared for in a Safety-Net Health System.

We examined COVID-19 concerns, vaccine acceptance, and trusted sources of information among patients in a safety-net health system in Louisiana. The participants were surveyed via structured telephone interviews over nine months in 2021. Of 204 adult participants, 65% were female, 52% were Black, 44.6% were White, and 46.5% were rural residents. The mean age was 53 years. The participants viewed COVID-19 as a serious public health threat (8.6 on 10-point scale). Black adults were more likely to perceive the virus as a threat than White adults (9.4 vs. 7.6 p < 0.0001), urban residents more than rural (9.0 vs. 8.2 p = 0.02), females more than males (8.9 vs. 8.1 p = 0.03). The majority (66.7%) had gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, with females being more likely than males (74.7 vs. 54.5% p = 0.02). There was no difference by race or rural residence. Overall, participants reported that physicians were the most trusted source of COVID-19 vaccine information (77.6%); followed by the CDC/FDA (50.5%), State Department of Health (41.4%), pharmacists (37.1%), nurses (36.7%); only 3.8% trusted social media. All sources were more trusted among black adults than White adults except family and social media. These findings could help inform efforts to design trustworthy public health messaging and clinical communication about the virus and vaccines.

COVID-19 Korkusunun Aşı Tutumuna Etkisinde Bilgi Arama Davranışının ve Aşı Bilgisi Ínancının Aracı Rolü

Amaç: Araştırmada bireylerin COVID-19 korkularının, COVID-19 bağışıklaması için üretilen aşılarla ilgili tutumlarına etkisini belirlemek, bu etkide bireylerin aşılarla ilgili bilgi arama davranışlarının ve aşılar ile ilgili inançlarının aracı rolünü belirlemek amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Araştırmada beş bölümden oluşan online anket formu aracılığıyla veriler toplanmıştır. Araştırmanın evrenini Konya ilinde ikamet eden 18 yaş üstü bireyler oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma, katılmaya gönüllülük gösteren 384 kişi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bulgular: Araştırmada bireylerin COVID-19 korkularının olumlu aşı tutumunu etkilediği (β=0.25, t=6.44, p<0.05) ve bu etkide aşı bilgisi arama davranışının aracı rolünün olduğu (β=0.12, t= 4.91, p<0.05) ve COVID-19 korkusunun olumlu aşı tutumuna etkisini güçlendirdiği bulunmuştur (β=0.37). Çalışmanın bir diğer bulgusuna göre katılımcıların aşı bilgisi inançları olumlu aşı tutumunu pozitif yönlü (β=0.45, t=12.14, p<0.05), olumsuz aşı tutumunu ise negatif yönlü (β=-0.47, t=11.33, p<0.05) etkilemektedir. Sonuç: Toplumda olumlu aşı tutumunu geliştirmek için politika yapıcıların bireylerin aşı tutumlarını etkileyen faktörleri göz önünde bulundurmasının COVID-19 pandemisi ile mücadelede önemli bir rol oynayacağı düşünülmektedir.Alternate :Objective: The study aimed to determine the effect of individuals' COVID-19 fears on their attitudes towards COVID-19 and to determine the mediating role of individuals' vaccine information belief and vaccine information-seeking behaviors in this effect. Materials and Methods: Data was collected through an online survey form consisting of five parts in the study. Individuals over the age of 18 residing in Konya province constitute the universe of the research. The study was conducted with 384 people who volunteered to participate. Results: According to the research findings, individuals' fear of COVID-19 affects positive vaccination attitude (β=0.25, t = 6.44, p <0.05) and vaccine information-seeking behavior has a mediator role in this effect (β=0.12, t=4.91, p <0.05). Accordingly, fear of COVID-19 and the behavior of seeking vaccine information together create a more positive vaccine attitude (β=0.37). According to another finding of the study, participants' beliefs about vaccine knowledge affect positive vaccine attitude positively (β=0.45, t=12.14, p<0.05) and affect negative vaccination attitude negatively (β=-0.47, t=11.33, p<0.05). Conclusion: It is thought that policymakers' consideration of the factors which can affect individuals' vaccine attitudes to improve positive vaccination attitudes in society will play an important role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Linking Online Vaccine Information Seeking to Vaccination Intention in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines how online vaccine information seeking is related to vaccination intention in the United States and China during the initial stage of their coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination programs. Analysis of the pooled sample showed a positive relationship between online vaccine information seeking and vaccination intention. There was also a negative indirect effect via perceived information overload, vaccine risk perception, and negative affective response. Multigroup analysis revealed differences between the United States and China. This study highlights the bright and dark sides of online health information during a global pandemic and has practical implications for communication campaigns to promote health-related behaviors. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Science Communication is the property of Sage Publications Inc. 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.)

Anticipation of COVID-19 vaccines reduces willingness to socially distance.

We investigate how the anticipation of COVID-19 vaccines affects voluntary social distancing. In a large-scale preregistered survey experiment with a representative sample, we study whether providing information about the safety, effectiveness, and availability of COVID-19 vaccines affects the willingness to comply with public health guidelines. We find that vaccine information reduces peoples' voluntary social distancing, adherence to hygiene guidelines, and their willingness to stay at home. Getting positive information on COVID-19 vaccines induces people to believe in a swifter return to normal life. The results indicate an important behavioral drawback of successful vaccine development: An increased focus on vaccines can lower compliance with public health guidelines and accelerate the spread of infectious disease. The results imply that, as vaccinations roll out and the end of a pandemic feels closer, policies aimed at increasing social distancing will be less effective, and stricter policies might be required.

Changes and remaining challenges for the Japanese immunization program: Closing the vaccine gap.

The Japanese immunization program has made considerable progress since 2009: several new vaccines have been introduced and most are included in the National Immunization Program (NIP). In October 2020, the Japanese law on immunization was revised, which resulted in a few laudable achievements. First, rotavirus vaccines were added to the NIP, 10 years after their introduction, and noteworthy studies of vaccine effectiveness and the incidence of intussusception in Japanese children were published. Second, rules on vaccine intervals-which had been a longstanding concern-were withdrawn. In addition to this revision of the law, the Japanese version of the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) was released by the Japan Pediatric Society in 2018. The VIS provides useful caregiver information on general immunization concepts and individual vaccines. Further challenges for the Japanese immunization program include (1) administering a booster dose of pertussis-containing vaccine to preschool children or teenagers, (2) reestablishing the active recommendation for human papilloma virus vaccines, (3) adding the mumps and influenza vaccines to the NIP, and (4) ensuring optimal dosing of seasonal influenza vaccines. During the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, vaccination rates among children have been decreasing in many countries. In Japan, vaccination rates have been stable in infants, but declining among toddlers and school-aged children, despite public awareness of the need for timely administration of vaccines during the pandemic. Clearly, further action is needed if we are to adequately protect children living in Japan from vaccine-preventable diseases.