Abstract
Coronavirus-19 misinformation poses a unique challenge for public health communication efforts. In rural communities, COVID-19 misinformation is not well studied. We investigate patients’ ability to discriminate COVID-19 fact from fiction from their news sources, as well as general COVID-19 knowledge, perceptions, public health practices, and their primary news sources in 258 adult patients at a primary health clinic in rural Michigan. Most of the population surveyed was able to correctly differentiate reliable COVID-19 public health information from fabricated information. However, only 55.4% of participants reported that they would be somewhat or extremely likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The most reported news source was mainstream broadcast television channels such as CBS and ABC. Our data support those older participants are better informed and more likely to practice safe public health practices than younger participants. Based on our data, we offer strategies for public health campaigns in rural communities, such as targeted interventions towards younger people and utilizing local television stations and community institutions to disseminate public health communications and health promotions. Public health interventions beyond education should be considered to mitigate the gap between COVID-19 knowledge and prevention behaviors. Future studies should investigate the role of health care providers in COVID-19 communication with patients, understanding hesitations toward COVID-19 vaccination, and communication strategies to best increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in rural communities.
Highlights
Implementing effective public health communication strategies to combat COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, continues to be a challenge in the United States and worldwide
This study investigates current knowledge and public health practices regarding COVID-19 in Gladwin, MI, the types of media and communications the community uses to keep updated on COVID-19 news and safety guidelines, trends between misinformation and specific news sources, as well as considerations for health communication efforts in combating COVID-19
Our study found that this sample of rural respondents was well informed about appropriate public health guidelines and virus transmission and suggest the current health communication practices have been effective in conveying COVID-19 public health messages
Summary
Implementing effective public health communication strategies to combat COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, continues to be a challenge in the United States and worldwide. Media stories and safety guidelines quickly became outdated and updated, resulting in public confusion and mistrust [1,2], making public health interventions difficult to implement. Problems interpreting fact from fiction in the media may potentially have devastating effects. Competency in deciphering misinformation in the media is crucial in keeping communities safe during these times [3]. The novelty of COVID-19 coupled with a universal lack of information about the virus generated an environment that allowed misinformation to thrive. Social media allowed for quick dissemination of both truthful and untruthful COVID-19 information
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