Behavioral predictors associated with HIV screening needs in gay Korean men during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, the capacity of medical resources focused on testing, diagnosing and treating COVID-19 has severely limited public access to health care. In particular, HIV screening, for which homosexual males in Korea received free and anonymous testing at public health centers, was completely halted. This study investigated behavioral predictors related to the HIV screening needs of Korean male homosexuals during the pandemic. Data were collected by conducting a web survey targeting members of the largest homosexual portal site in Korea with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea (n = 1,005). The key independent variables are COVID-19-related characteristics and sexual risk behavior. The moderating variable is health information search behavior, and the dependent variable is the need for HIV screening. For a statistical analysis, a hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted while controlling for potential confounding variables. According to the results of this study, the need for HIV screening was 0.928 times lower for older people (p<0.05, 95% CI = 0.966-0.998). However, if the respondent had a primary partner, the need for HIV screening was 1.459 times higher (p<0.01, 95% CI = 1.071-1.989). In addition, the need for screening was 1.773 times higher for those who preferred anal intercourse (p<0.01, 95% CI = 1.261-2.494) and 2.034 times higher (p<0.01, 95% CI = 1.337-3.095) if there was a history of being diagnosed with an STD. Finally, health information-seeking behavior was marginally significant. This study revealed that male Korean homosexuals who were young, preferred anal sex with a primary partner, and who had a history of a sexually transmitted disease had a high need for HIV screening at public health centers. They are more likely to be susceptible to HIV infection because they are usually consistent with gay men, characterized by risky behavior. Therefore, an intervention strategy that provides health information using a communication campaign is needed.

Changes in information-seeking patterns and perception of health crisis management in a year of COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study.

AIM: To assess the changes in the health information search patterns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of this information in Croatia. METHODS: This repeated cross-sectional study was based on an online survey among adults in Croatia from June 5 to July 5 2020 and from May 25 to June 15 2021. The survey inquired about demographic characteristics, health information search patterns, and emotional reactions to health information. The differences between the year 2020 and the year 2021 were assessed. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 569 respondents (median age 38.5 years) in 2020 and by 598 respondents (median age 40 years) in 2021. In 2020, institutional governmental bodies were perceived to be a reliable source of information, but this perception declined in 2021. Whereas in 2020 TV was the most used source of health-related information, online media prevailed in 2021. After one year of the pandemic, respondents attributed significantly greater importance to the reliability of the information obtained from different sources. CONCLUSION: Our results may be valuable in designing public health communication strategies and campaigns, in selecting communication channels and sources, and in tailoring health information according to the characteristics and habits of the studied population.

Cyberchondria in the age of COVID-19.

The global epidemic of (mis)information, spreading rapidly via social media platforms and other outlets, can be a risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders among vulnerable individuals. Cyberchondria can be a vulnerability factor for developing anxiety in a pandemic situation, particularly when the Internet is flooded with (mis)information. The aim of our study was to examine how cyberchondria is related to changes in levels of COVID-19 concern and safety behaviours among persons living in Croatia during the period in which the first COVID-19 case was identified and when the country recorded its first fatality. Repeated cross-sectional data collection was conducted during two waves over a period of three weeks (N1 = 888; N2 = 966). The first began on the day of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Croatia (February 24th, 2020) and the second wave began three weeks later, on the day the first COVID-19 fatality was recorded in Croatia (March 19th, 2020). Participants completed an online questionnaire regarding various COVID-19 concerns and safety behaviours aimed at disease prevention (information seeking, avoidance and hygiene) and a measure of cyberchondria (Short Cyberchondria Scale, SCS). We analysed whether changes to the epidemiological situation during the period between the two waves of data collection led to an increase in COVID-19 related behaviour directly and indirectly via an increase in COVID-19 concerns. The results indicated that, between the two waves of research, there was a pronounced increase in concerns regarding COVID-19 (b = 1.11, p < .001) as well as significant behavioural changes (b = 1.18-2.34, p < .001). Also, results demonstrated that cyberchondria plays a moderating role in these changes. In the first wave, persons with severe cyberchondria were already intensely concerned with safety behaviours. High cyberchondria and high levels of concern about the COVID-19 are associated with intense avoidance behaviours, R2 = .63, p < .001. A moderated partial mediation model was confirmed, in which the effect of the epidemiological situation was weaker for those with higher results on the SCS (as indicated by index of moderated mediation between -.10 and -.15, p < .05). As such, cyberchondria is a contributing factor to long-term anxiety and its impact during pandemic on the general mental health burden should therefore be further investigated.

Positive Emotion and Media Dependence: Measuring Risk Information Seeking and Perception in the COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention.

Risk perception and information seeking behaviors are affected by individual psychological and situational factors. In the background of COVID-19 prevailing for a long period, this study examined Chinese people's information seeking and processing behavior by the RISP model, which focused on the impact of individual risk perception, affective response, perceived information-gathering capacity, and media trust and the impact of the above factors on information seeking. This study designed an online survey with gender and age quotas among the Chinese population, including a total of 675 valid samples. It was found that the Chinese public's risk perception to pandemic had a positive effect on perceived information-gathering capacity and media trust. Furthermore, both positive emotional responses and negative emotional responses had a positive effect on information seeking behavior. Nurturing positive emotion engendered a holistic perception in pandemic information seeking. In addition, media trust, perceived information-gathering capacity, and subjective norms also positively impact information seeking behavior.

The invisible burden of managing COVID-19 for Australian women: Cognitive labor and public health information.

Providing accurate and timely public health information is an ongoing challenge for public health officials. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated such challenges and presented unique difficulties in providing public health information, through the parallel rise of an "infodemic" of mis/dis-information. Understanding why individuals select, use and change their public health information seeking behaviors around COVID-19, and the relationship of these decisions relative to participant characteristics, is therefore an important step in understanding and responding to infodemics. This study used a qualitative survey (n = 255) and free-text qualitative questions to ask (1) Why participants use an information source, (2) How participants used an information source, and (3) How information seeking behavior has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were primarily women, born in Australia, with de-facto/married relationships, without children at home, with university/college qualifications, and employed full-time or unemployed/retired. Most participants identified "easiness" and "immediacy" as reasons why they chose and used information, with sources primarily used for planning, communication, and decision making. A minority of participants changed their information seeking behavior since the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who did change, desired more immediate and accurate information. Emergent themes of care and anxiety were also noted, raising questions around the impact of mental load and cognitive labor in some female populations. Women may be suffering from increased cognitive labor and a gendering of public health information seeking behavior in the context of COVID-19. The impact of these attributes on women requires greater empirical research and consideration amongst front line practitioners and public health professionals.

Information seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic: Application of the risk information seeking and processing model.

BACKGROUND: To limit the risk of contracting the coronavirus, it is crucial for individuals to attain accurate COVID-19 related information. Once equipped with such information, they can engage in risk preventive behaviors. OBJECTIVE: Applying the risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model, this study examined the sociopsychological factors predisposing individuals' information-seeking intentions. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Using an online survey platform, study participants were recruited from US adults. A total of 510 valid responses were included in the analyses. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted in a hierarchical fashion while controlling for numerous covariates to determine the relationships between the sociopsychological variables and information-seeking intentions. RESULTS: Sociodemographic disparities were found in perceptions of COVID-19 risk. Perceived risk of coronavirus infection was higher among females, individuals with a history of COVID-19 symptoms, and those in a lower health status. Individuals' perceived risk provoked affective responses (e.g., worry and fear), which then increased self-perceived information insufficiency. This finding indicated individuals experienced worry and fear after perceiving the risk of coronavirus. Such affective responses made them realize that their current COVID-19 related knowledge was insufficient. Subjective norms were also found to increase information insufficiency. In other words, individuals who desired to comply with others' expectations to acquire knowledge about the risk recognized that their current knowledge about coronavirus was insufficient. Finally, individuals who acknowledged information insufficiency were motivated to seek information about the coronavirus. The relation between information insufficiency and information-seeking intentions was moderated by perceived information gathering capacity, but not by relevant channel beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that policy makers and clinicians assist the public in obtaining accurate information from reliable sources.

Information-seeking behaviour of community pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic: an ecological study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the information-seeking behaviour of pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relation to COVID-19 and related infections and deaths within the local prefecture. DESIGN: Ecological study. SETTING: Japan-47 prefectures. METHODS: The number of accesses to a Japanese web page established by the Pharmacy Informatics Group to disseminate information about infection control and the number of infections and deaths in 47 prefectures were investigated from 6 April to 30 September 2020 using the access information on the web page and publicly available information. RESULTS: During the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the total number of accesses was 226 130 (range: 10 984-138 898 per month), the total number of infections was 78 761 (1738-31 857) and the total number of deaths was 1470 (39-436). The correlation between the total number of accesses and that of infections per 100 000 individuals in 47 prefectures was r=0.72 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.83, p<0.001), and between the total number of accesses and deaths per 100 000 individuals in 47 prefectures was r=0.44 (95% CI 0.17 to 0.65, p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The information-seeking behaviour of community pharmacists correlated positively with infection status within the community.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic impact urticaria information-seeking behavior in China? A retrospective longitudinal study.

Purpose: To investigate information-seeking behavior related to urticaria before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Methods: Search query data for terms related to urticaria were retrieved using Baidu Index database from October 23, 2017 to April 23, 2022, and daily COVID-19 vaccination doses data were obtained from the website of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the 23 eligible urticaria search terms, four urticaria themes were generated as classification, symptom, etiology, and treatment of urticarial, respectively. Baidu Search Index (BSI) value for each term were extracted to analyze and compare the spatial and temporal distribution of online search behavior for urticaria before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to also explore the correlation between search query and daily COVID-19 vaccination doses. Results: The classification of urticaria accounted for nearly half of the urticaria queries on the internet. Regular seasonal patterns of BSI were observed in urticaria-related online search, by attaining its highest level in spring and summer and lowest level in winter. The BSIs of all urticaria themes significantly increased after the COVID-19 pandemic than that before the pandemic (all P<0.05). Xizang, Qinghai and Ningxia are the most active geographical areas for increased urticaria-searching activities after the COVID-19 pandemic. There was also a significant positive correlation between daily BSIs and daily COVID-19 vaccination doses in each urticaria theme. Cross-correlation analysis found that the search of symptom, etiology, and treatment attained their strongest correlation with daily COVID-19 vaccination doses at 11-27 days before the injection of vaccine, imply vaccination hesitation related to concerns of urticaria. Conclusions: This study used the internet as a proxy to provide evidence of public search interest and spatiotemporal characteristics of urticaria, and revealed that the search behavior of urticaria have increased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccination. It is anticipated that the findings about such increase in search behavior, as well as the behavior of urticaria-related vaccine-hesitancy, will help guide public health education and policy regulation.

Digital Trends, Digital Literacy, and E-Health Engagement Predictors of Breast and Colorectal Cancer Survivors: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Survey.

Introduction: Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) and post-COVID-19 tectonic changes in healthcare delivery have made it possible for cancer survivors to obtain disease-related information for remote management online rather than through healthcare providers. To comprehend and evaluate health information, digital literacy is crucial. Objectives: This study examined cancer survivors' information-seeking behaviour, information sources, digital health literacy, and digital trends, as well as potential determinants of e-health information receptivity and online resource use. Methods: A national 30-item cross-sectional survey using a representative random sample of cancer survivors from Jordan's cancer registry was conducted. Chi-square tests established categorical variable relationships. Using the mean and standard deviation, we calculated the Likert scale's ordinal data average. A p-value < 0.05 was statistically significant. Logistic regression identified predictors of interest in late-trajectory information acquisition and use of e-health platforms (apps, portals) for cancer self-management. Results: Lower digital literacy and electronic searching were associated with older age and lower income, education, and employment status (p ≤ 0.001). Digital literacy independently predicted m-health app use for remote management and interest in cancer supportive care information. Digitally literate survivors preferred the use of digital platforms (p ≤ 0.001). Information acquisition barriers included "reliability" (26%, n = 25) and "health information trustworthiness" (16.2%, n = 25). Following treatment completion, Internet-seeking behaviour decreased significantly when compared to the early cancer trajectory. Conclusion: Our findings imply that Jordanian cancer survivors' low digital literacy may hinder information acquisition and technology-enabled cancer care. Digital interventions for cancer survivors should be adaptable to varying levels of digital health literacy. Healthcare policymakers should recognise digital inequities and devise focused initiatives to bridge the digital divide while responding to the urgent need to digitalise cancer care delivery.

Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking in the Era of COVID-19: Gender Differences Emerged from a Florentine University Experience.

Gender appears to be a strong predictor of online health information-seeking behaviour (OHISB), which is related to Digital Health Literacy (DHL). Gender differences in OHISB have been studied in different countries with different results, but no studies have investigated gender-specific OHISB among University students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to investigate any gender differences in OHISB in the period between the first and second waves of the pandemic in Italian university students. A questionnaire developed by the global COVID-HL network, including existing and adapted validated scales and self-developed scales, was administered to 2996 University students in Florence. Gender differences were tested using the χ2 test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Male students reported a higher score in DHL than females (p < 0.001). However, female students seek COVID-19 information more often on different sources (for themselves and other people), on various topics, consider various aspects of information quality to be "very important'' (p < 0.05) and are more likely to be "often dissatisfied'' or "partly satisfied'' with information (p < 0.001). Our study confirmed gender as an important dimension to explain students' OHISB differences, which could help institutions promote gender-specific education programmes and provide gender-oriented health information.

Understanding Health Communication Through Google Trends and News Coverage for COVID-19: Multinational Study in Eight Countries.

BACKGROUND: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health information related to COVID-19 has spread across news media worldwide. Google is among the most used internet search engines, and the Google Trends tool can reflect how the public seeks COVID-19-related health information during the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand health communication through Google Trends and news coverage and to explore their relationship with prevention and control of COVID-19 at the early epidemic stage. METHODS: To achieve the study objectives, we analyzed the public's information-seeking behaviors on Google and news media coverage on COVID-19. We collected data on COVID-19 news coverage and Google search queries from eight countries (ie, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand) between January 1 and April 29, 2020. We depicted the characteristics of the COVID-19 news coverage trends over time, as well as the search query trends for the topics of COVID-19-related "diseases," "treatments and medical resources," "symptoms and signs," and "public measures." The search query trends provided the relative search volume (RSV) as an indicator to represent the popularity of a specific search term in a specific geographic area over time. Also, time-lag correlation analysis was used to further explore the relationship between search terms trends and the number of new daily cases, as well as the relationship between search terms trends and news coverage. RESULTS: Across all search trends in eight countries, almost all search peaks appeared between March and April 2020, and declined in April 2020. Regarding COVID-19-related "diseases," in most countries, the RSV of the term "coronavirus" increased earlier than that of "covid-19"; however, around April 2020, the search volume of the term "covid-19" surpassed that of "coronavirus." Regarding the topic "treatments and medical resources," the most and least searched terms were "mask" and "ventilator," respectively. Regarding the topic "symptoms and signs," "fever" and "cough" were the most searched terms. The RSV for the term "lockdown" was significantly higher than that for "social distancing" under the topic "public health measures." In addition, when combining search trends with news coverage, there were three main patterns: (1) the pattern for Singapore, (2) the pattern for the United States, and (3) the pattern for the other countries. In the time-lag correlation analysis between the RSV for the topic "treatments and medical resources" and the number of new daily cases, the RSV for all countries except Singapore was positively correlated with new daily cases, with a maximum correlation of 0.8 for the United States. In addition, in the time-lag correlation analysis between the overall RSV for the topic "diseases" and the number of daily news items, the overall RSV was positively correlated with the number of daily news items, the maximum correlation coefficient was more than 0.8, and the search behavior occurred 0 to 17 days earlier than the news coverage. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed public interest in masks, disease control, and public measures, and revealed the potential value of Google Trends in the face of the emergence of new infectious diseases. Also, Google Trends combined with news media can achieve more efficient health communication. Therefore, both news media and Google Trends can contribute to the early prevention and control of epidemics.

Online Health Information Seeking: An Italian Case Study for Analyzing Citizens' Behavior and Perception.

This study aims to understand people's behavior when searching for online health information (and COVID-19 information) and their perception of the trustworthiness and credibility of the searched information, the actors, and sources used to obtain it. A questionnaire addressed to people who permanently live in Italy between ages 19 and 60 has been used to collect data. Data extracted from the analysis are reassuring from the point of view of trust and credibility both in the actors and in the sources used to obtain information on health and COVID-19. A correlation between the analyzed individual features, the online health information-seeking behavior, and perception resulted from the analysis. The study also underlined a positive correlation between the perception of the influence of information on the knowledge of health problems and the ability to identify false online health information, and between the experience in detecting false health online information and the ability to detect it. Finally, a positive correlation also resulted between the experience in finding online health information and the experience in finding false COVID-19 information.

What did the pandemic teach us about effective health communication? Unpacking the COVID-19 infodemic.

BACKGROUND: The spread of unvetted scientific information about COVID-19 presents a significant challenge to public health, adding to the urgency for increased understanding of COVID-19 information-seeking preferences that will allow for the delivery of evidence-based health communication. This study examined factors associated with COVID-19 information-seeking behavior. METHODS: An online survey was conducted with US adults (N = 1800) to identify key interpersonal (e.g., friends, health care providers) and mediated (e.g., TV, social media) sources of COVID-19 information. Logistic regression models were fitted to explore correlates of information-seeking. RESULTS: Study findings show that the first sought and most trusted sources of COVID-19 information had different relationships with sociodemographic characteristics, perceived discrimination, and self-efficacy. Older adults had greater odds of seeking information from print materials (e.g., newspapers and magazines) and TV first. Participants with less educational attainment and greater self-efficacy preferred interpersonal sources first, with notably less preference for mass media compared to health care providers. Those with more experiences with discrimination were more likely to seek information from friends, relatives, and co-workers. Additionally, greater self-efficacy was related to increased trust in interpersonal sources. CONCLUSION: Study results have implications for tailoring health communication strategies to reach specific subgroups, including those more vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19. A set of recommendations are provided to assist in campaign development.

COVID-19 Information-Seeking, Health Literacy, and Worry and Anxiety During the Early Stage of the Pandemic in Switzerland: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: To describe COVID-19 information-seeking behavior (CISB) during the first stage of the pandemic in Switzerland and identify its determinants. Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey (4 May to 6 July 2020). Participants self-reported their CISB (information sources and frequency), personal COVID-19 situation (e.g., perception about having had COVID-19), sociodemographic information, and completed validated measures of health literacy, and worry and anxiety. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regressions. Results: We included 1,505 participants (24.7% male; mean age = 43.0 years, SD = 13.9). Most participants reported searching for information daily (n = 1,023, 68.0%) and referring to multiple information sources (mean 3.7, SD = 1.5). Commonly used sources were official websites (n = 1,129, 75.0%) and newspapers (n = 997, 66.2%). Participants with higher health literacy were more likely to seek information daily and use online resources, but less likely to use personal networks than those with lower health literacy. We did not find any association between CISB and worry and anxiety. Conclusion: More opportunities for personal dialogue and education about reliable online information resources should be encouraged to optimize the CISB of groups with lower health literacy.

Decreased online hepatitis information seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic: an Infodemiology study.

Introduction: Viral hepatitis remains a public health concern worldwide, mainly in developing countries. The public's awareness and interest in viral hepatitis information are essential in preventing and controlling this disease. Infodemiology has been used as a surrogate to assess the general understanding of disease and measure public awareness of health topics. However, this analysis has not been applied to viral hepatitis. Thus, this study investigated the online global search interest for viral hepatitis in the last decade, focusing on the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Global online search interest for hepatitis was measured using the Google Trends™ database. Spearman's rank-order correlation correlated country-specific characteristics and prevalence data with search volume index. Results: There was a significant reduction in online search interest for hepatitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). People searching for hepatitis are also interested in hepatitis vaccination. Search volume index is positively correlated with viral hepatitis and HIV prevalence and negatively correlated with GDP. This correlation mirrors the high burden of viral hepatitis in developing countries and their citizens' desire to be informed about this disease. Conclusions: Our study found decreased global online interest in viral hepatitis during the pandemic. Moreover, higher online interest in hepatitis was observed in countries with a lower gross domestic product and high viral hepatitis and HIV prevalence. We demonstrated that global online interest toward viral hepatitis could be assessed through the infodemiologic approach using Google Trends™.

Public Health Information Seeking, Trust, and COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors: Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Preventative health measures such as shelter in place and mask wearing have been widely encouraged to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease. People's attitudes toward preventative behaviors may be dependent on their sources of information and trust in the information. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between trusting in COVID-19 information and preventative behaviors in a racially and politically diverse metropolitan area in the United States. METHODS: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey of residents in St. Louis City and County in Missouri. Individuals aged ≥18 years were eligible to participate. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling approach through social media and email. The Health Belief Model and the Socioecological Model informed instrument development, as well as COVID-19-related questions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We performed an ordinary least squares linear regression model to estimate social distancing practices, perceptions, and trust in COVID-19 information sources. RESULTS: Of the 1650 eligible participants, the majority (n=1381, 83.7%) had sought or received COVID-19-related information from a public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or both. Regression analysis showed a 1% increase in preventative behaviors for every 12% increase in trust in governmental health agencies. At their lowest levels of trust, women were 68% more likely to engage in preventative behaviors than men. Overall, those aged 18-45 years without vulnerable medical conditions were the least likely to engage in preventative behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Trust in COVID-19 information increases an individual's likelihood of practicing preventative behaviors. Effective health communication strategies should be used to effectively disseminate health information during disease outbreaks.

Information seeking, mental health and loneliness: Longitudinal analyses of adults in the UK COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing study.

Information seeking has generally been seen as an adaptive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it may also result in negative outcomes on mental health. The present study tests whether reporting COVID-related information seeking throughout the pandemic is associated with subsequently poorer mental health outcomes. A quota-based, non-probability-sampling methodology was used to recruit a nationally representative sample. COVID-related information seeking was assessed at six waves along with symptoms of depression, anxiety, mental wellbeing and loneliness (N = 1945). Hierarchical linear modelling was used to assess the relationship between COVID-related information seeking and mental health outcomes. Information seeking was found to reduce over time. Overall, women, older and higher socioeconomic group individuals reported higher levels of information seeking. At waves 1-4 (March-June 2020) the majority of participants reported that they sought information on Covid 1-5 times per day, this decreased to less than once per day in waves 5 and 6 (July-November 2020). Higher levels of information seeking were associated with poorer mental health outcomes, particularly clinically significant levels of anxiety. Use of a non-probability sampling method may have been a study limitation, nevertheless, reducing or managing information seeking behaviour may be one method to reduce anxiety during pandemics and other public health crises.

Infodemiology for oral health and disease: A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Increasing affordability, accessibility and penetration of internet services worldwide, have substantially changed the ways of gathering health-related information. This has led to the origin of concept infodemiology that allows the information to be collected and analysed in near real time. Globally, oral diseases affect nearly 3.5 billion people; thus, volume and profile of oral health searches would help in understanding specific community dental needs and formulation of pertinent oral health strategies. AIM: To review the published literature on infodemiological aspects of oral health and disease. METHODOLOGY: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Electronic search engines (Google Scholar) and databases (PubMed, Web of science, Scopus) were searched from 2002 onwards. RESULTS: Thirty-eight articles were included in this review. The infodemiological studies for oral health and disease were mainly used in two domains. Out of 38 articles, 24 accessed the quality of available online information and 15 studied online oral health-related information seeking behaviour. CONCLUSION: The most commonly searched oral diseases were toothache, oral cancer, dental caries, periodontal disease, oral maxillofacial surgical procedures and paediatric oral diseases. Most of the studies belonged to developed countries and Google was the most researched search engine.

COVID-19 information seeking pattern and perceived benefits in Nigeria: a cross-sectional survey.

Introduction: access to COVID-19 related information is fundamental to making accurate decisions and performing evidence-based actions aimed to control its spread and improve health. This study assessed pattern and perceived benefits of COVID-19 related information in Nigeria. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out among adult Nigerian residents aged 18-years and above in the geopolitical zones using multistage sampling strategy. Questionnaire developed by World Health Organization (WHO) was adapted and pretested. Descriptive statistics were carried on the data and presented in frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics (Chi-square) was used to test differences between some categorical variables. Data obtained were analysed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software version 22. Results: from responses, 498 (47.9%) of participants highly desired information on COVID-19, while 311 (29.9%) frequently sought COVID-19 information. Majority 647 (62.3%) were interested in getting information on treatment protocols/home remedies for COVID-19 prevention. Also, 934 (89.9%) found information on COVID-19 beneficial. A significant difference existed between male and female respondents regarding government guidelines on public interaction (p=0.026) and home remedies to prevent COVID-19 infection (p=0.013). Consistently, more urban residents than rural sought information on majority of the COVID-19 related information. Conclusion: information on COVID-19 is highly sought by Nigerian residents and such should be widely disseminated regularly through authentic and verified social media channels. Nigerians are highly desirous of information on treatment protocols and home remedies to prevent COVID-19. Adequate provision of accurate and timely information by authorities through trusted sources will improve health literacy and help curb the spread of COVID-19.