J Med Internet Res. 2022 Jul 13.
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused not only a disease epidemic but also an infodemic. Due to the increased use of the Internet and social media, along with the development of communication technology, information has spread faster and farther during the COVID-19 infodemic. Moreover, the increased choice of information sources has made it more difficult to make sound decisions regarding information. Although social media is the most common source of misinformation, it can also be spread through other forms of media. However, the media sources used by people with high health literacy and COVID-19 knowledge to obtain information is unclear. Furthermore, the association between the use of multiple information sources and health literacy or COVID-19 knowledge is ill-defined.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the following three aspects regarding COVID-19 infodemic: (1) the relationship between health literacy, COVID-19 knowledge, and the number of information sources used; (2) the impact of media use on health literacy; (3) the impact of media use on COVID-19 knowledge.
METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2021. Participants were 477 individuals aged 20-69 years. After obtaining consent to participate in the study, participants were asked about sociodemographic indicators, sources of health-related information, health literacy, and COVID-19 knowledge. Sources of health-related information were categorized into four types: mass media, digital media, social media, and face-to-face communication. Spearman's rank correlation test was conducted to determine the relationship between health literacy, number of correct answers to COVID-19 knowledge, and number of information sources used. Multiple regression analysis was conducted with health literacy and the number of correct answers as dependent variables, the four media types as independent variables, and age and gender as adjustment variables.
RESULTS: Mass media was the most frequently used source of information, followed by digital media, face-to-face communications, and social media. Social media use was significantly higher among individuals aged 20-29 years than among other age groups. Significant positive correlations were found between health literacy, number of positive responses to COVID-19 knowledge, and number of information sources used. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that health literacy was associated with access to information from digital media and face-to-face communication. Additionally, COVID-19 knowledge was associated with access to information from mass media, digital media, and face-to-face communication.
CONCLUSIONS: Health literacy and COVID-19 knowledge could be improved using diverse information sources, especially by providing opportunities to use digital media and face-to-face communication. Furthermore, it may be important to improve health literacy and provide accurate knowledge about COVID-19 to young adults.