Gender Pay Gap in Sports on a Fan-Request Celebrity Video Site

The internet is often thought of as a democratizer, enabling equality in aspects such as pay, as well as a tool introducing novel communication and monetization opportunities. In this study we examine athletes on Cameo, a website that enables bi-directional fan-celebrity interactions, questioning whether the well-documented gender pay gaps in sports persist in this digital setting. Traditional studies into gender pay gaps in sports are mostly in a centralized setting where an organization decides the pay for the players, while Cameo facilitates grass-roots fan engagement where fans pay for video messages from their preferred athletes. The results showed that even on such a platform gender pay gaps persist, both in terms of cost-per-message, and in the number of requests, proxied by number of ratings. For instance, we find that female athletes have a median pay of 30$ per-video, while the same statistic is 40$ for men. The results also contribute to the study of parasocial relationships and personalized fan engagements over a distance. Something that has become more relevant during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, where in-person fan engagement has often been limited. © 2023 Owner/Author.

An assessment of the impact of formal and informal messages about COVID-19 on the knowledge and practices for prevention and control among rural and urban communities in Ecuador

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of formal and informal messages transmitted to urban and rural communities in Ecuador, on the knowledge of prevention and control of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Six focus groups were carried out with six to eight people per group through Zoom platform, from August 2020 to April 2021;NVivo 12 software was used for the thematic analysis of the data. Thirtynine people, including male and female, participated in the study with mean age 39 years. Main outcomes included: use of alternative medicine for prevention and control of COVID-19;religious acceptance;impact of COVID-19 on mental health;lack of understanding and knowledge of the disease;and the mixed messages shared through official and unofficial channels about virus prevention and control. The study demonstrates the importance of using formal channels of communication to transmit accurate information, to reach people regardless of their geographical location. © 2023 Author(s).

Analysis of COVID-19 risk communication and community engagement on social media in Nigeria

Health promotion messages, especially in pandemics like COVID-19 with its massive global health, social and economic impacts, are designed to reduce risky behaviour and emphasise community engagement in its mitigation. The social media in Nigeria are a powerful channel of communication, especially among younger people, whose actions may determine the success or otherwise of the proposed health interventions. In this study, the health belief model is used to analyse the contents, appeals and strategies employed in selected COVID-19 messages in Nigerian social media. Recommendations are given on how message developers can use knowledge of the receivers' cultural, social and political contexts to develop effective messages. This should facilitate compliance with the health promotion interventions, especially in a country like Nigeria with its low literacy level and deep-seated mistrust of government and elites. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. All rights reserved.

Should health communication regarding covid-19 emphasize self- or other-focused impacts of mitigation behaviors? Insights from two message matching studies

Mask-wearing, social distancing, and vaccination remain effective ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Yet, many hesitate to enact some or all these preventive behaviors. We created three persuasive messages-framed to promote benefits to either (1) oneself, (2) close-others, or (3) distant-others-to determine whether the effectiveness of these messages varied based on personality differences (specifically independent/interdependent self-construal and chronic construal level). In two online experiments (N = 862), we measured individual differences and showed participants one of the three messages. Consistent interactions between interdependent self-construal and message conditions showed that those high in interdependent self-construal responded most positively to the self-focused messages promoting mask-wearing, social distancing, and COVID-19 vaccination. Those low in interdependent self-construal responded most negatively to the self-focused messages. Although no interaction effect was observed for independent self-construal, and inconsistent evidence emerged for construal level, other-focused messages performed either better or equally well to the self-focused messages for most participants and may thus be promising for future public health communication efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Social Support Expectations of Managers and Employees from Croatia, Thailand, and the United States Amid COVID-19: An Organizational Support Theory Perspective

Social support can help buffer against stressors and build employees' resilience. However, workers of different cultures may vary in their expectation of support. Drawing on organizational support theory (OST), this qualitative study explored the types of support managers and employees (n = 668) from Croatia, Thailand, and the United States expected from each other amid COVID-19. A cluster analysis showed US workers expected more understanding and transparent communication from their supervisors while Thai workers desired stronger leadership and more protective gear. US supervisors expected employees to proactively ask for help while Thai supervisors encouraged their employees to adapt to change. Both Croatian supervisors and employees expected each other to maintain business as usual. Overall, the results resonate with previous OST research that expectations of support vary by cultures and highlight how leaders across countries can enhance the efficacy of social support and promote both supervisors' and subordinates' well-being during future crises.

Secure Practices to Prevent Cyber Attacks in E-Commerce Sites

E-commerce sites are flourishing nowadays in lockdown. A lot of entrepreneurs are making their own sites and selling them online. In 2020, one of INTERPOL's private sector partners detected 907,000 spam messages, 737 malware incidents, and 48,000 malware URLs connected to COVID-19 during the period from January to April. 'Cybercriminals are developing and boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, exploiting the fear and uncertainty caused by the unstable social and economic situation created by COVID-19.' states Jürgen Stock, INTERPOL Secretary General. The main threats during this pandemic are Malware/Ransomware(36%), Phishing/Scam(59%), Fake News(14%) and Malicious Domains(22%). Cybercriminals are active in these pandemic times and the developers designing stunning user interfaces without basic cybersecurity knowledge is a great attraction for these criminals. Our goal is to explain how easily hackers gain access by selecting 10 top vulnerabilities from OWASP and exploiting them. © 2023 IEEE.

Visualizing the Unspeakable in Thought: A Multi-Model Discourse Analysis of Cartoons as a Device for Communicating COVID-19 Messages in Ghana

Cartoons have become one of the social artifacts used to express ideas in the world. These ideas often represent the views, perspectives, behaviors and the core patterns of human life. This is so because cartoons are designed to contain social events or activities, typically combining satiric and hyperbolic features to reflect various social mores that affect all facets of society. Such a development has demonstrated a genuine role of cartoons in providing knowledge to specific human activity. this esoteric role of cartoons in edifying human society has led to the development of several studies of which the current study is not exceptional. By this, the nature of the current study is to examine how cartoons have been used as a social model to communicate COVID-19 messages in Ghana.The study employs content analysis in its development and applies (Kress, van Leeuwen's (1996) Reading images: the grammar of visual design. Routledge, London;Kress, van Leeuwen's (2006) Reading images: the grammar of visual design. Routledge, London) Grammar of Visual Design theory as the core theoretical framework. The data for the study are taken from the canon of ‘Tilapia Da Cartoonist' of Media General Group. In all, seven different forms of cartoons were purposively sampled and used for the study. The study later revealed that cartoons were used to signal hope, caution, relief, warning and anxiety on the dangers associated with COVID-19 pandemic. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Automated Text-Based Psychological Support to Improve Work-Life Balance and Sleep Quality: A Pilot Study Report of Work-from-Home Workers in Indonesia

BACKGROUND: Work-at-home jobs may raise the risk of mental health concerns as they blur the boundaries between one's job and personal responsibility. This study aimed to develop and test the feasibility of an online psychological intervention using the WhatsApp (c) messaging application.MATERIALS AND METHOD: During the 14-day intervention period, two messages were sent twice a day consisting of positive psychological affirmation aimed at assisting participants (N= 48;13 males and 35 females) to achieve work-life balance and better sleep quality. The Indonesian-adapted Fisher's work-life balance scale and the sleep disturbance scale were used to measure both constructs. These measures were administered at the beginning and end of the intervention. In addition, we provided participants with brief open-ended questions to check the program's feasibility and acceptance of the intervention.RESULTS: A paired t-test analysis revealed that although there was an increase in work-life balance scores in the post-test com pared to the pre-test, the difference was not significant (t (47) =-1.75, p >.05). Nevertheless, individuals' sleep quality scores improved significantly after the intervention (t (47) = - 2.85, p <.05). DISCUSSION: The findings of this study are expected to provi de a preliminary argument to further pursue the development of behavioral interventions using online strategies in Indonesia during the pandemic.

A meta-analysis on the effects of product scarcity

Product scarcity can influence purchase decisions, but this relationship is multifaceted due to the influence of various cues. This study aims to integrate knowledge of this subject through a meta-analysis. The findings suggest that the likelihood of purchasing a scarce product is greater under (i) scarcity conditions of excessive demand (rather than restricted supply) and variety (rather than a category), but not urgency (limited quantity and limited time) scarcity, and (ii) product conditions of enduring luxuries (as opposed to transitory luxuries) and the presence (rather than absence) of social signaling and seasonality. From a theoretical standpoint, this study offers a typology of product and scarcity cues and employs a meta-analysis to enhance our understanding of the relationships between product scarcity, product and scarcity cues, and purchase decisions, resulting in the establishment of a heterogeneous theory of product scarcity. From a managerial standpoint, the study suggests that product scarcity can affect purchase decisions and can be ethically utilized as a marketing strategy.

Individualism, economic development, and democracy as determinants of COVID-19 risk information on 132 government websites.

Little is known about how governments transparently communicate about COVID-19. This study conducted a content analysis of 132 government COVID-19 websites to identify the salience of health messages (i.e., perceived threat, perceived efficacy, and perceived resilience) and cross-national determinants of information provision. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between country-level predictors (i.e., economic development, democracy scores, and individualism index) and information salience. The numbers of deaths, discharged patients, and daily new cases were prevalent on the main webpages. Subpages provided information about vulnerability statistics, government responses, and vaccination rates. Less than 10% of governments included messages that may instill self-efficacy. Democratic countries had higher chances of providing threat statistics on subpages, including daily new cases (Relative Risk Ratio, RRR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.16-2.37), mortalities (RRR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.23-2.33), hospitalizations (RRR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.12-2.37), and positivity rates (RRR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.07-2.23). On subpages, democratic governments emphasized information about perceived vulnerability (RRR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.50-3.73), perceived response efficacy (RRR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.06-2.06), recovery numbers (RRR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.31-2.60), and vaccinations (RRR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.39-3.30). Developed countries reported the number of daily new cases, perceived response efficacy, and vaccination rates on their COVID-19 main pages. Individualism scores predicted the salience of vaccination rates on main pages and the omission of information related to perceived severity and perceived vulnerability. Democracy levels were more predictive of reporting information about perceived severity, perceived response efficacy, and perceived resilience on subpages of dedicated websites. Improving public health agencies' communication about COVID-19 is warranted.

Scenario-based messages on social media motivate COVID-19 information seeking

Communicating information about health risks empowers individuals to make informed decisions. To identify effective communication strategies, we manipulated the specificity, self-relevance, and emotional framing of messages designed to motivate information seeking about COVID-19 exposure risk. In Study 1 (N = 221,829), we conducted a large-scale social media field study. Using Facebook advertisements, we targeted users by age and political attitudes. Episodic specificity drove engagement: Advertisements that contextualized risk in specific scenarios produced the highest click-through rates, across all demographic groups. In Study 2, we replicated and extended our findings in an online experiment (N = 4,233). Message specificity (but not self-relevance or emotional valence) drove interest in learning about COVID-19 risks. Across both studies, we found that older adults and liberals were more interested in learning about COVID-19 risks. However, message specificity increased engagement across demographic groups. Overall, evoking specific scenarios motivated information seeking about COVID-19, facilitating risk communication to a broad audience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have weighed risks and benefits when making choices about everyday activities. Learning about the current local risk of COVID-19 exposure is important for making informed decisions. Social media can be a platform for rapidly disseminating health information, but it can also contribute to misinformation and confirmation bias. Here, we tested strategies for risk communication on social media, targeting users by age and political attitudes. In Study 1, we used Facebook advertisements to motivate users to learn about COVID-19 exposure risk. Users who clicked on an ad were directed to interactive risk assessment tools on a public website. We varied the specificity of the advertisements by describing national ("in the United States"), local ("in your area"), or scenario ("at your favorite restaurant") risks. We also manipulated emotional valence by using positive ("stay safe and healthy") or negative ("avoid danger and illness") language. Specificity drove engagement: In all demographic groups, users were the most likely to click on scenario ads. In Study 2, we replicated and extended our findings in a sample of paid participants. In addition to varying the specificity and valence of the ads, we manipulated self-relevance (e.g., "a restaurant" vs. "your favorite restaurant") and tested an alternative scenario (grocery store instead of restaurant). Consistent with Study 1, specificity (but not valence or self-relevance) drove interest in learning about COVID-19 risk. In both studies, we also found that older adults and liberals were more interested in COVID-19 information, whereas conservatives were less engaged and more likely to feel angry or disgusted. However, scenario ads reliably increased engagement across demographic groups. Overall, we found that evoking specific scenarios motivated information seeking about COVID-19 risks. Health messages with improved specificity can be readily disseminated on social media, reaching a broad audience to support public health goals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Willingness-to-pay for robot-delivered tourism and hospitality services-An exploratory study

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate potential consumers' willingness to pay for robot-delivered services in travel, tourism and hospitality, and the factors that shape their willingness to pay. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey yielded a sample of 1,573 respondents from 99 countries. Independent samples t-test, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), cluster, factor and regression analyses were used. Findings: Respondents expected to pay less for robot-delivered services than human-delivered services. Two clusters were identified: one cluster willing to pay nearly the same price for robotic services as for human-delivered services, whilst the other expected deep discounts for robotic services. The willingness-to-pay was positively associated with the attitudes towards robots in tourism, robotic service experience expectations, men and household size. It was negatively associated to travel frequency, age and education. Research limitations/implications: The paper's main limitation is its exploratory nature and the use of a hypothetical scenario in measuring respondents' willingness to pay. The data were gathered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and do not reflect the potential changes in perceptions of robots due to the pandemic. Practical implications: Practitioners need to focus on improving the attitudes towards robots in tourism because they are strongly and positively related to the willingness to pay. The marketing messages need to form positive expectations about robotic services. Originality/value: This is one of the first papers to investigate consumers' willingness to pay for robot-delivered services in travel, tourism and hospitality and factors that shape their willingness to pay. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of text messages with or without endowment incentives for weight management in men with obesity (Game of Stones): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, mobility problems and some cancers, and its prevalence is rising. Men engage less than women in existing weight loss interventions. Game of Stones builds on a successful feasibility study and aims to find out if automated text messages with or without endowment incentives are effective and cost-effective for weight loss at 12 months compared to a waiting list comparator arm in men with obesity. METHODS: A 3-arm, parallel group, assessor-blind superiority randomised controlled trial with process evaluation will recruit 585 adult men with body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or more living in and around three UK centres (Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow), purposively targeting disadvantaged areas. Intervention groups: (i) automated, theory-informed text messages daily for 12 months plus endowment incentives linked to verified weight loss targets at 3, 6 and 12 months; (ii) the same text messages and weight loss assessment protocol; (iii) comparator group: 12 month waiting list, then text messages for 3 months. The primary outcome is percentage weight change at 12 months from baseline. Secondary outcomes at 12 months are as follows: quality of life, wellbeing, mental health, weight stigma, behaviours, satisfaction and confidence. Follow-up includes weight at 24 months. A health economic evaluation will measure cost-effectiveness over the trial and over modelled lifetime: including health service resource-use and quality-adjusted life years. The cost-utility analysis will report incremental cost per quality-adjusted life years gained. Participant and service provider perspectives will be explored via telephone interviews, and exploratory mixed methods process evaluation analyses will focus on mental health, multiple long-term conditions, health inequalities and implementation strategies. DISCUSSION: The trial will report whether text messages (with and without cash incentives) can help men to lose weight over 1 year and maintain this for another year compared to a comparator group; the costs and benefits to the health service; and men's experiences of the interventions. Process analyses with public involvement and service commissioner input will ensure that this open-source digital self-care intervention could be sustainable and scalable by a range of NHS or public services. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN 91974895 . Registered on 14/04/2021.

A longitudinal analysis of involuntary job loss and communication resilience processes during the COVID-19 pandemic

This longitudinal study explored associations between communication resilience processes, job-search self-efficacy, and well-being for a sample of US adults who involuntarily lost their jobs during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the communication theory of resilience (CTR), we tested four possible models regarding how the enactment of resilience processes would be associated with job-search self-efficacy and well-being over time. Participants (N = 595) described their job loss story and completed measures of communication resilience processes, job-search self-efficacy, and well-being (perceived stress, mental health, and life satisfaction) in February 2021, then completed measures again 2 and 4 months later. Findings from random intercept cross-lagged panel analyses suggested that after accounting for between-person associations, resilience enactment shared significant within-person reciprocal relationships with job-search self-efficacy, perceived stress, and mental health over time. Theoretical implications for CTR, future directions for communication research, and practical implications for supporting diverse job seekers are discussed.

Empirical Study on Social Media Exposure and Fear as Drivers of Anxiety and Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an abundance of news and information dominating media outlets, leading to a widespread atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, potentially having adverse effects on mental health. This study aims to explore whether social media exposure contributes to anxiety and depression. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted using a standardized questionnaire to collect data on social media exposure, fear of COVID-19, depression, and anxiety from 327 employed individuals in the United States. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the relationships between social media exposure, fear of COVID-19, anxiety, and depression. The results suggest that fear of COVID-19 leads to anxiety and depression, and that social media exposure leads to fear, anxiety, and depression. These findings highlight the potential adverse effects of social media exposure and fear on mental health and suggest that reducing social media exposure could help minimize anxiety levels. It also emphasizes the significance of understanding the impact of fear of COVID-19 on anxiety and depression and provides guidance for managing and coping with fear in this pandemic. This study's relevance lies in gaining critical insights into the pros and cons of using social media for health-related information during a pandemic. The novelty of this study lies in its unique perspective on the impact of adverse information that has distinct psychological and social implications.

When wearing a mask is (not) the norm: Political partisanship and persuasion in the context of COVID-19

This study examined the effects of source partisanship and credentials on persuasion. Democrats and Republicans (N = 206) read a policy statement advocating for a national mask mandate, ostensibly written by either a doctor or layperson, associated either with the Democratic or Republican party. Participants' perceptions of the source and receptivity to the message aligned with their political party's normative position on the issue: Democrats rated the source as more competent and trustworthy, engaged in less counterarguing, and supported the policy more than Republicans. Although the doctor was trusted more than the layperson and Republicans (but not Democrats) attributed more trust and competence to an ingroup than an outgroup source, source characteristics had no effect on message receptivity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19-Associated Misinformation Across the South Asian Diaspora: Qualitative Study of WhatsApp Messages.

Background: South Asians, inclusive of individuals originating in India, Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Nepal, comprise the largest diaspora in the world, with large South Asian communities residing in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, and elsewhere. There is evidence that South Asian communities have disproportionately experienced COVID-19 infections and mortality. WhatsApp, a free messaging app, is widely used in transnational communication within the South Asian diaspora. Limited studies exist on COVID-19-related misinformation specific to the South Asian community on WhatsApp. Understanding communication on WhatsApp may improve public health messaging to address COVID-19 disparities among South Asian communities worldwide. Objective: We developed the COVID-19-Associated misinfoRmation On Messaging apps (CAROM) study to identify messages containing misinformation about COVID-19 shared via WhatsApp. Methods: We collected messages forwarded globally through WhatsApp from self-identified South Asian community members between March 23 and June 3, 2021. We excluded messages that were in languages other than English, did not contain misinformation, or were not relevant to COVID-19. We deidentified each message and coded them for one or more content categories, media types (eg, video, image, text, web link, or a combination of these elements), and tone (eg, fearful, well intentioned, or pleading). We then performed a qualitative content analysis to arrive at key themes of COVID-19 misinformation. Results: We received 108 messages; 55 messages met the inclusion criteria for the final analytic sample; 32 (58%) contained text, 15 (27%) contained images, and 13 (24%) contained video. Content analysis revealed the following themes: "community transmission" relating to misinformation on how COVID-19 spreads in the community; "prevention" and "treatment," including Ayurvedic and traditional remedies for how to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection; and messaging attempting to sell "products or services" to prevent or cure COVID-19. Messages varied in audience from the general public to South Asians specifically; the latter included messages alluding to South Asian pride and solidarity. Scientific jargon and references to major organizations and leaders in health care were included to provide credibility. Messages with a pleading tone encouraged users to forward them to friends or family. Conclusions: Misinformation in the South Asian community on WhatsApp spreads erroneous ideas regarding disease transmission, prevention, and treatment. Content evoking solidarity, "trustworthy" sources, and encouragement to forward messages may increase the spread of misinformation. Public health outlets and social media companies must actively combat misinformation to address health disparities among the South Asian diaspora during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future public health emergencies.

Critically conscious school leaders' sensemaking of social-emotional learning

A growing number of schools are adopting social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to address students' social, emotional, and academic needs. The proliferation of school-based SEL programs has spurred more research to investigate the ways in which educators enact SEL in schools. However, very few studies have considered the role school leaders have in leading and implementing school-based SEL. Scholars have determined that school leaders play a vital role in deciding how school-based initiatives and policies are taken up. Furthermore, research has determined that a person's sensemaking of policy messages, which involves their prior beliefs and consciousness, influences the ways in which a policy or initiative, such as SEL, is enacted. Using sensemaking theory and critical consciousness as an analytical tool, this study analyzes how critically conscious school leaders make sense of SEL in order to center students' race and culture. I amplify the voices of critically conscious school leaders and their leadership actions to offer a robust theorization of unconventional employment of SEL that centers students experiencing marginalization because of their race and culture. This research inquiry answered three interrelated questions centered on education policy, school leadership, social-emotional learning, and race and culture: 1) What are Washington State's school-based SEL policy messages? a) What was the nature of the development of Washington State's school-based SEL standards? 2) How do critically conscious K-5 school leaders make sense of school-based SEL messages? a) What beliefs and conceptions do these K-5 school leaders have about SEL? 3) What are the school leaders' actions that lead towards centering students' race and culture in SEL?I conducted a critical qualitative multiple-case study to answer the research questions guiding this inquiry. I collected SEL documents from Washington State's Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website and received copies of OSPI's meeting agendas, notes, and other materials from their SEL Benchmarks Workgroup, totaling 103 documents. Furthermore, I purposefully selected school leaders from two schools in Washington State to interview and observe. During the 2020-2021 school year, I collected data from Iris Elementary and Pine Elementary during the Covid-19 pandemic, when both schools increased their SEL efforts. Iris is a dual-language immersion school, while Pine resides on a federally recognized Native American reservation. Both schools have a majority of students who are marginalized in schools and society because of their race and culture. During the six months of data collection, I conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with thirteen individual school leaders. Due to the pandemic, I could not observe the school leaders in person;however, I observed 64 meetings via video conferencing platforms. The findings from this study show that the ways in which standards are developed send particular messages to the people charged with implementing the policy. Secondly, this study revealed that school leaders' sensemaking of SEL revealed that their prior beliefs, racial and cultural school context, and opportunities to critically self-reflect mattered for how they made sense of SEL. Lastly, this study found that school leaders' actions illustrated how they shaped and shifted their respective schools' culture by focusing on community values and justice to create an anti-racist environment. In short, I found that policy design matters for messaging, school leaders' ideologies and racial and cultural context dictate how a policy is understood, and SEL has the latitude to disrupt the status quo by attending to students' race and culture. These findings have implications for education policy design, school leadership and SEL research, and sensemaking and critical consciousness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Locked (down) and loaded (language): Effect of policy and speech on COVID-19 outcomes

Just over one year after COVID-19 reached the United States, the number of confirmed cases exceeds 26 million. The Centers for Disease Control has consistently recommended frequent handwashing, avoiding crowds, wearing masks, and staying home as much as possible to prevent the spread of the virus. Additionally, 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico issued stay-at-home orders in the spring of 2020. Length of stay-at-home orders varied and states have also diverged on policies that mandate masks in public places. Through the lens of signaling theory and the emotion as social information model, the current research sheds light on how governors' differing policies and communication have influenced COVID-19 behavior and outcomes. Governor press briefings between January 7, 2020, and January 1, 2021, were run through the linguistic inquiry and word count software. Results indicated that states with longer stay-at-home orders and a stronger mask mandate reported fewer COVID-19 cases. Furthermore, negative emotion in governor press briefings was related to fewer cases and this relationship was mediated by individuals spending less time away from home for an extended period (3-6 h). Practical implications and guidance for future public health messaging, including messaging aimed at bolstering vaccination efforts, are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Use of Electronic Messages in the Follow-Up of Patients With Heart Failure: Randomized Pilot Study.

Heart Failure (HF) has been ide.epsied as an important public health problem, with high morbidity and mortality, despite advances in current therapy. New strategies are demanded to reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths. Telemedicine approaches could improve the management of patients with cardiovascular conditions. Sixty patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) were randomized to this pilot study. Weekly electronic messages were sent for 1 year. The use of telemedicine was effective instrument for the evolutionary follow-up of patients with HFrEF during the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not demonstrate an impact on the reduction of cardiovascular outcomes or hospitalization for HF. REBEC - Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials ide.epsier RBR-5q6x56k. Monitoring heart disease patients via WhatsApp during the COVID-19 pandemic. Available from http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-5q6x56k/.