Public Perception Research Articles

The Role of Public Health in Promoting Health Programs

Public health plays an important role in promoting health programs by addressing social determinants of health, preventing disease, and enhancing community well-being. Unlike clinical medicine, which focuses on individual treatment, public health targets population-level interventions to create environments that support health-promoting behaviors. Key strategies include education, media campaigns, advocacy, policy change, and community engagement. However, challenges such as financial constraints, public perception, and systemic barriers can hinder program effectiveness. This paper examines the importance of public health, strategies for promoting health programs, and case studies demonstrating success, ultimately reinforcing the significance of cross-sectoral collaboration in addressing global health challenges. Keywords: Public Health, Health Promotion, Disease Prevention, Social Determinants of Health, Health Education.

A Majority Of Americans Have No Or Low Awareness Of Paxlovid, The At-Home COVID-19 Treatment.

Oral Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) is highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19, yet it has been remarkably underused, even by patients at highest risk from COVID-19, since its December2021 introduction in the US. The reasons behind this underuse are still unclear. To examine public awareness and perceptions of Paxlovid that might help explain its underuse, we conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,430 US adults in July2023. A majority of respondents (85percent) had no or low awareness of Paxlovid, including 31percent who had never heard of it. Even among those who were aware of the drug, many held misperceptions about its effectiveness (39percent), adverse effects (86percent), and requisite timing (61percent) that could lead to underuse. Lower awareness and misperceptions were more common among medically vulnerable and disadvantaged populations who might benefit most from Paxlovid access, including adults unvaccinated against COVID-19, those with lower levels of education, and Black and Hispanic or Latino adults. Results suggest that Paxlovid underuse may be partly driven by a lack of effective public communication to generate awareness and knowledge about the drug, leading to low demand. As Paxlovid loses full government subsidies, further public outreach is needed to ensure that the public accesses it when needed.

Stroke recovery—what are people talking about on Twitter? A content analysis

Purpose Prioritisation exercises seek out what matters to key stakeholders to inform the planning of research. Social media platforms are potentially useful data sources. The aim was to examine the content of tweets, short messages containing text and pictures, to ascertain the priorities of Twitter users regarding stroke recovery. Materials and methods Content analysis of Twitter was conducted. An electronic search used the identifiers: #strokesurvivor and #strokerecovery. Tweets spanning four weeks from January 2021 were analysed. Results There were 1361 tweets extracted and 486 analysed following exclusion of duplicates and unrelated material. Six themes were uncovered (n = number of tweets): maintaining motivation and positivity (153); sharing of resources (146); raising awareness of stroke (74); symptomatic aspects of recovery (39); experience of rehabilitation (63); and concerns about Covid-19 (17). Conclusions Despite the brevity of tweets, a rich picture arose. A key limitation was lack of biographical data about Twitter users. Recommendations about topics requiring attention from stroke researchers, clinicians and policy makers are: management of psychological problems; public perception of stroke; rehabilitation considerations including treatment burden, person-centred care and equality of care; symptom management including fatigue and aphasia. Findings can be used to supplement and validate other priority-setting exercises.

Climate action on Twitter: perceived barriers for actions and actors, and sentiments during COP26

Abstract We studied public perceptions of what climate actions are needed, which actors should and can act, and which factors inhibit or enable those actions using the naturally occurring discourse on climate actions on Twitter during COP26. By incorporating big data computational methods with a theory-based qualitative analysis, we aimed to identify climate actions and actors at the international, national, local, and individual levels, and systematically evaluate the perceived barriers and enablers in taking action and related public sentiments. We find that political and industry leaders are widely perceived as the most responsible and capable of taking action. Yet, their current inaction is perceived as inhibiting net-zero transitions and triggers anger, fear, and blame. In contrast, discourse on citizens and local communities demonstrates hope and solidarity in enacting pro-environmental changes from the bottom up, signaling strong public demand for ambitious climate policies and actions. These findings highlight the importance of removing institutional barriers and catalyzing socio-cultural support to accelerate collective climate progress. Overall, our mixed-method approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of how to step up societal-wide climate actions, paving the way for much-needed communications and collaborations across society to achieve a sustainable future.

Perceptions of Public and Private Sector Stakeholders on the Benefits and Challenges of Public-Private-Partnerships in Nigeria

Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit has become acute because of the country’s burgeoning population. The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, under labels such as Private-Finance Initiative (PFI) and Build Operate-Transfer (BOT), has been touted as the solution to the funding and other challenges confronting the country with regard to infrastructure development. This research sought to examine stakeholder experiences and perceptions on the benefits, abuse and challenges of deploying PPP for infrastructure procurement. The stakeholders investigated were in Lagos and Ogun States of Nigeria, although some of the experiences transcended the two states. Copies of the questionnaire were purposively administered to 115 professionals drawn from the built environment as well as from the legal and financial sectors of the Nigerian economy; the professionals were from the private and public sectors. Eighty-six (86) copies of the questionnaire were returned, with the data subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Ranking highest among the list of thirteen identified challenges investigated was ‘political interference outside the agreed rules of running the PPP framework’, while ‘inability to initiate or package PPP projects’ ranked least. The most significant form of abuse or disadvantage was ‘embezzling of public funds and reinvesting in PPP as private sector investor’, while the least significant form of abuse was determination of the concession period. The inferential statistical analyses found no significant difference between both sectors in the assessment factors except in the matter of ‘more careful approach in investing funds in infrastructure’. It is therefore recommended that there should be a continuous audit of stakeholder perceptions on various PPP issues that can form the baseline for impactful improvement and intervention in PPP projects.

Online media sentiment analysis of shrimp and salmon in the United States

There is a growing interest in the U.S. seafood and aquaculture market; however, studies utilizing online information to understand this market are limited. This study employs online media analytics to obtain insights into consumer perceptions and potential demand signals for shrimp and salmon in the U.S. Our results show that platform X is the preferred medium for shrimp and salmon discussions, with shrimp's physical quality and salmon's environmental impact being the two major perception drivers. Additionally, autoregressive modeling is conducted to explore the dynamics of net sentiments. Farmed shrimp and salmon consistently exhibit lower net sentiments compared to their wild counterparts, indicating that production methods (aquaculture-raised versus wild-harvested) significantly influence people's preferences. Both wild shrimp and salmon sentiments show a more positive trajectory compared to their farmed counterparts. Negative drops in wild shrimp sentiment are linked to boat incidents, while negative wild salmon sentiments are associated with climate change. Regional analysis demonstrates that public attitudes toward farmed shrimp in East South Central and Mountain regions are unstable, as are attitudes toward farmed salmon in the East North Central, Pacific, and West South Central regions. The fitted forecast model serves as a supplementary tool for industry stakeholders to quickly respond to negative sentiments, preparing for possible public perception changes and potentially enhancing demand. Regional statistics also assist the seafood industry in tailoring business strategies to address geographical differences.

Disinformation as an obstructionist strategy in climate change mitigation: a review of the scientific literature for a systemic understanding of the phenomenon.

This study examines the scientific misinformation about climate change, in particular obstructionist strategies. The study aims to understand their impact on public perception and climate policy and emphasises the need for a systemic understanding that includes the financial, economic and political roots. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 model. The sample consisted of 75 articles published between 2019 and 2023, sourced from Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. Methodological triangulation was performed to improve the analysis. The results show that technological approaches to misinformation detection, such as immunisation and fact-checking, are widely used. However, few studies look in depth at the operational structures that support systematic disinformation. The study emphasises the urgent need to expand and deepen research on climate disinformation and argues for more global, comparative and adequately funded studies. It emphasises the importance of addressing the systemic complexity of disinformation and integrating different theoretical and methodological approaches. This will help to develop effective measures against hidden networks of influence and mitigate their disruptive effects. The research findings are relevant for policymakers, scientists, academics, the media and the public and will help to improve strategies to combat climate misinformation and promote science-based climate action.

Essentializing Muslims in Ecuadorian Journalism

The relationship between Latin America and the so-called ‘Muslim World’ is a tenuous one, as public perceptions of Muslims are generally quite negative despite consistent, typically economically beneficial historical and contemporary immigration from the Middle East. Indeed, despite Muslims constituting less than one-tenth of one percent (0.011%) of the total population in the predominantly Catholic country of Ecuador, which is located in northwestern South America, anti-Muslim sentiments are increasing both in frequency and severity. As a result, this article contextualizes the reality and challenges of Muslims in Ecuador by offering a thematic analysis of almost one-thousand articles concerning Muslims in El Comercio, the Quito-based, leading newspaper of Ecuador. Two subcorpora were created and are referenced here, one containing article titles (3,095 words) and one containing article content (543,389 words). By utilizing a computationally-driven, mixed methods approach to extract and examine these articles, this analysis is couched within the understanding that discourses surrounding Muslims overwhelmingly perpetuate and reinforce negative stereotypes through deliberate rhetorical choices.

“Be ready to pay because others are paying”: contested solid waste management transitions and charges in Accra’s open-air markets

ABSTRACT Approaches to solid waste management (SWM) in African cities have gone through various phases. Each phase is shaped by a range of factors, including population growth, urbanisation, government policies and political willingness to invest in SWM infrastructure as well as SWM services. In the Ghanaian context, the latter factor is said to be subject to public perceptions of SWM as a welfare service and hence the reluctance of people to pay for SWM services even though “others” are paying. In this paper, an attempt has been made to investigate how approaches to SWM in Ghana have transitioned over time and its consequences on willingness to pay for SWM services in the Kaneshie, Madina and Kantamanto open-air markets in Accra. Based on the study findings and the vital role that open-air markets (OAMs) play in African cities, a system of standardising SWM fees is recommended for SWM service providers in both formal and informal sectors.

Trends and Public Perception of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging: A Social Media Analysis.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical imaging has generated significant interest and debate among healthcare professionals, researchers, and the general public. This study aims to explore trends and public perception of AI in medical imaging by analyzing social media discussions. Using a retrospective content analysis approach, social media posts from X (formerly known as Twitter) and Reddit were collected, covering discussions from 2019 to 2024. A total of 1,022 posts were analyzed after data cleaning, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine sentiment, themes, and keyword frequencies. The sentiment analysis revealed that 55% of the comments expressed positive sentiments towards AI in medical imaging, emphasizing its potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. Neutral sentiments accounted for 35% of the posts, while 10% expressed negative sentiments, primarily focusing on concerns related to job displacement, ethical issues, and data privacy. Thematic analysis identified four primary themes: ethical and privacy concerns, job displacement, trust and reliability, and workflow efficiency. Keyword frequency analysis highlighted significant discussions around AI, imaging, and radiology. The results underscore both the optimism and concerns associated with AI in medical imaging, emphasizing the need for ongoing dialogue among technology developers, healthcare providers, and the public. Addressing ethical and privacy concerns, and integrating AI responsibly into clinical workflows, is crucial for maximizing its benefits and minimizing potential risks. These findings provide valuable insights into public perceptions and inform strategies for the effective and ethical implementation of AI technologies in healthcare.

Recreator perspectives on harmful algal blooms in Ohio

ABSTRACT Harmful algal and cyanobacterial blooms (HABs) are found in fresh waterbodies across the United States as well as around the world. In recent years, their frequency and intensities have increased. Caused by cellular overgrowth, the toxin produced by HABs can be harmful to aquatic organisms, livestock, and human life. However, as of to date, there is little study on the human psychological, behavioral and social aspects surrounding HABs. It is also unclear as to what recreators know and understand about HABs. However, since recreators use the waterbodies for various activities, they may be exposed to this environmental risk. As such, it is paramount that they be aware of the possible health impacts of HABs and behave sensibly to protect not only themselves but also their children and pets. This study interviewed recreators at Lake Harsha, Ohio, known to have HABs to better understand public HABs awareness, perceptions, behavior, and psychology. Overall, most recreators lacked basic knowledge of HABs and their risks. The ‘unaware’ and ‘cautious’ recreators, in particular, need to be better informed to reduce exposure risks. These findings can contribute to HABs mitigation and management, helping water managers bridge the gaps in HABs communication and creating better and more efficient methods of disseminating HABs knowledge and warnings.

Public perceptions of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria and the European Union

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perception and experience of counter pharmaceuticals in Nigeria compared to the European Union. Design/methodology/approach The findings from this paper are based upon a survey of 362 Nigerians sourced in public places with the data and then compared results from a survey by the European Union. Findings The key findings from this research showed some areas of similarity between Nigerians and Europeans on their views on the acceptability of purchasing counterfeits. However, Nigerians were more open to purchasing counterfeits despite the risks. There was also more anxiety over the risk of purchasing counterfeit medicines compared to the European Union. Research limitations/implications Due to security issues, survey data could only be sourced from Abuja, Lagos and the relatively peaceful southwestern region of Nigeria. The data is, therefore, not representative of Nigeria. Practical implications The purchasing experience of counterfeit medicines by Nigerians along with their anxieties highlights the need for more enforcement action to tackle this problem and reassure the public. Social implications The paper highlights the challenges of securing genuine pharmaceutical products in the Global South and the need for more greater cross-border action to tackle the problem. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first survey of Nigerian citizens on this issue.

Family Concept Representation in English and Chinese Media: A Cognitive Matrix Modelling Approach

This article examines the representation of the FAMILY concept in English and Chinese newspapers. The research material was gathered from ten information sources and included 200 news articles, selected through continuous sampling using the keyword FAMILY / 家庭. The articles were analyzed to identify relevant issues and categorized based on their thematic content. In each article, key content elements—words and phrases that carry significant semantic meaning—were identified and used for cognitive matrix modeling. The findings reveal cognitive asymmetry in how the FAMILY concept is portrayed in English and Chinese media. In English-language media, the concept is centered on fundamental semantic components that form the cognitive core of the FAMILY concept, such as family members and their relationships. The representation also extends to areas like family activities, children, finances, employment, family pets, and legal issues. In contrast, Chinese media emphasizes the government’s role in educating the younger generation on family behavior, fostering a new generation of families that adhere to the country’s ethical norms, traditional cultural values, and moral standards. The central aspect of the FAMILY concept in Chinese media is the significant governmental support and societal focus on family needs and moral education, with family being viewed within the broader context of societal relations. The observed asymmetry is attributed to cultural, economic, social, and political differences. In capital-oriented social systems, the family is seen as an independent unit capable of self-sufficiency without substantial government intervention. This study is particularly relevant for understanding the role of professional discourse in shaping public perceptions of family across different cultures, highlighting how media narratives reflect and influence broader societal values and professional communication practices.

Family Concept Representation in English and Chinese Media: A Cognitive Matrix Modelling Approach

This article examines the representation of the FAMILY concept in English and Chinese newspapers. The research material was gathered from ten information sources and included 200 news articles, selected through continuous sampling using the keyword FAMILY / 家庭. The articles were analyzed to identify relevant issues and categorized based on their thematic content. In each article, key content elements—words and phrases that carry significant semantic meaning—were identified and used for cognitive matrix modeling. The findings reveal cognitive asymmetry in how the FAMILY concept is portrayed in English and Chinese media. In English-language media, the concept is centered on fundamental semantic components that form the cognitive core of the FAMILY concept, such as family members and their relationships. The representation also extends to areas like family activities, children, finances, employment, family pets, and legal issues. In contrast, Chinese media emphasizes the government’s role in educating the younger generation on family behavior, fostering a new generation of families that adhere to the country’s ethical norms, traditional cultural values, and moral standards. The central aspect of the FAMILY concept in Chinese media is the significant governmental support and societal focus on family needs and moral education, with family being viewed within the broader context of societal relations. The observed asymmetry is attributed to cultural, economic, social, and political differences. In capital-oriented social systems, the family is seen as an independent unit capable of self-sufficiency without substantial government intervention. This study is particularly relevant for understanding the role of professional discourse in shaping public perceptions of family across different cultures, highlighting how media narratives reflect and influence broader societal values and professional communication practices.

From performance to morality: How politicians frame bureaucracy, its organizations, and public sector employees

AbstractPoliticians frequently voice criticisms vis‐à‐vis bureaucracy, its organizations, and its employees. Previous studies point at the negative impact of this “bureaucratic bashing” on public sector morale, recruitment, retention, and citizen perceptions. Yet, systematic evidence on bashing remains sparse, with even less known about its counterpart: bureaucratic praising. This article aims to fill this gap by conceptualizing both phenomena as forms of framing, by distinguishing macro‐, meso‐, and micro‐levels, and by innovatively using organizational reputation theory to develop a multidimensional framework for the systematic analysis of bureaucratic framing. Empirically, we apply this framework to a novel dataset of 70,853 hand‐coded tweets posted by 33 Dutch politicians, covering a wide range of ideological viewpoints. We find that politicians do not so much frame the civil service performatively, in terms of being lazy (or hard working), but rather bash or praise bureaucratic organizations for their (im)morality, whereby four moral subdimensions can be identified.

Use and Adoption of Website and Social Media Marketing: Insights from Homestay Business Owners

This qualitative inquiry delves into the transformative impact of digital technology adoption, specifically websites and social media, on the operational and promotional strategies of homestay business owners in Negeri Sembilan within the burgeoning technology-driven tourism sector. It critically examines the integration of these digital tools into marketing and communication frameworks, evaluates their role in enhancing business visibility and shaping public perceptions, and offers comprehensive insights into the associated benefits and challenges. Initial results indicate that the adoption of websites has significantly redefined marketing paradigms by broadening customer outreach and intensifying engagement, while social media has been instrumental in increasing visibility and improving interactive communications with prospective clients. However, this digital transition also poses challenges, including the need for continuous content development and bridging the digital skills gap.

Unveiling Counter-Narratives: The Impact of Citizen Journalism via Social Media on the Israel-Palestine Conflict

The Israel-Palestine conflict has traditionally been portrayed by mainstream media through dominant narratives that often align with specific viewpoints and agendas. In this context, the rise of citizen journalism has introduced both challenges and opportunities by providing alternative perspectives and counter-narratives to mainstream representations. However, the precise impact and role of citizen journalism in shaping these counter-narratives during the Israel-Palestine confrontations remain underexplored and require further investigation. Therefore, this study aims to examine how citizen journalism is utilized to offer alternative perspectives on the mainstream media’s coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict and to influence public perception of products and services associated with Israel. The study finds that social media has amplified the reach of citizen journalism, serving as a platform for digital activism among Palestinians, and providing alternative narratives to those presented by mainstream media. This has enabled Palestinians to garner support from international allies, condemn the violence committed by Israeli military forces, and contribute to Israel's gradual loss in the battle of public opinion, thereby limiting the effectiveness of Israeli propaganda in both mainstream and new media.

Abstract A016: Understanding the Impact of Numerous Cancer Prevention Guidelines on Public Adherence

Abstract Background: Organizations like the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) have developed comprehensive cancer prevention guidelines focusing on nutrition, physical activity, cancer screening, and vaccination with a goal of reducing cancer incidence and improving cancer health outcomes. However, the abundance and complexity of these guidelines can lead to public confusion and potentially hinder adherence. This study investigates public perception of the multitude of cancer prevention guidelines and their potential impact on compliance. Methods: Data were derived from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5, Cycle 4, 2020), conducted via a mail survey from February to June 2020. We examined public perception about cancer prevention recommendations and if the number of recommendations made it more difficult to determine which ones to follow. Multivariable Logistic regression was used to examine the factors that are associated with agreement with the statement: “there are so many different recommendations about preventing cancer, it's hard to know which ones to follow.” Results: Survey respondents consisted of 3,747 U.S. adults. Approximately 74.1% of respondents agreed with the statement, "There are so many different recommendations about preventing cancer, it's hard to know which ones to follow." Non-Hispanic Black respondents had the highest proportion of agreement (80.6%) Level of education was statistically significantly associated with agreement with the statement "there are so many different recommendations about preventing cancer, it's hard to know which ones to follow." As education level increased, the odds of agreeing with the statement decreased. Specifically, college graduates (aOR 0.58; 95% CI: 0.36-0.94), and those with postgraduate education had an aOR of 0.38 (95% CI: 0.22-0.67). Conclusion: The study highlights significant public perception challenges regarding the abundance of cancer prevention guidelines. These findings suggest a need for streamlined communication and education strategies to enhance guideline adherence and optimize cancer prevention efforts. Citation Format: Tochukwu Nzeako, Onyema Chido-Amajuoyi. Understanding the Impact of Numerous Cancer Prevention Guidelines on Public Adherence [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A016.

Cross-Task Rumor Detection: Model Optimization Based on Model Transfer Learning and Graph Convolutional Neural Networks (GCNs)

With the widespread adoption of social media, the rapid dissemination of rumors poses a severe threat to public perception and social stability, emerging as a major challenge confronting society. Hence, the development of efficient and accurate rumor detection models has become an urgent need. Given the challenges of rumor detection tasks, including data scarcity, feature complexity, and difficulties in cross-task knowledge transfer, this paper proposes a BERT–GCN–Transfer Learning model, an integrated rumor detection model that combines BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers), Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs), and transfer learning techniques. By harnessing BERT’s robust text representation capabilities, the GCN’s feature extraction prowess on graph-structured data, and the advantage of transfer learning in cross-task knowledge sharing, the model achieves effective rumor detection on social media platforms. Experimental results indicate that this model achieves accuracies of 0.878 and 0.892 on the Twitter15 and Twitter16 datasets, respectively, significantly enhancing the accuracy of rumor detection compared to baseline models. Moreover, it greatly improves the efficiency of model training.

Public Perceptions and Evaluations of Drinking Water Quality in Idaho: A 35-Year Survey Analysis

Public Perceptions and Evaluations of Drinking Water Quality in Idaho: A 35-Year Survey Analysis