Website Trust Research Articles

Health Information Seeking on the Internet Among Patients With and Without Cancer in a Region Affected by the 2011 Fukushima Triple Disaster: Cross-Sectional Study.

Health information seeking via the internet among patients with cancer in disaster-affected areas is underresearched. This study aims not only to assess the extent and means of web-based health information seeking among patients with cancer living in the disaster-affected area of the 2011 Fukushima triple disaster but also to compare these patterns with those without cancer, identifying distinct and shared factors influencing their web-based health information behaviors. We surveyed 404 patients (263 with and 141 without cancer) from the surgery department outpatient office at Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, from October 2016 to January 2017. The survey included self-administered questions on internet and digital device use. Descriptive analyses were performed to examine the use patterns of digital devices and the internet and their impact on health information seeking across different age groups of patients with and without cancer. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with web-based health information seeking, stratifying by cancer diagnosis. The proportion of participants who sought health information on the internet was comparable between patients with cancer and patients without cancer (19% vs 17.4%; P=.71). Digital device use varied significantly with age, with peak smartphone use occurring among the youngest cohorts for both groups. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that patients with cancer using smartphones or tablets daily were significantly more likely to gather web-based health information (odds ratio [OR] for smartphones 3.73, 95% CI 1.58-8.80; OR for tablets 5.08, 95% CI 1.27-20.35). Trust in institutional websites also significantly influenced web-based health information gathering among patients with cancer (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.13-7.25). Conversely, among patients without cancer, unemployment was associated with a lower likelihood of seeking web-based health information (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08-0.85), whereas trust in both institutional and personal websites significantly increased this likelihood (OR for institutional websites 6.76, 95% CI 2.19-20.88; OR for personal websites 6.97, 95% CI 1.49-32.58). This study reveals that a small proportion of both patients with cancer and patients without cancer engage in health information seeking via the internet, influenced by age, digital device use, and trust in institutional websites. Given the growing prevalence of digital literacy, strategies to enhance accessible and reliable web-based health information should be developed, particularly for patients with cancer in postdisaster settings. Future efforts should focus on tailored health communication strategies that address the unique needs of these populations.

Unraveling the Dimensions of E-Servicescape and its Influence on E-Grocery Shopping Intention: Application of Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) Framework

This study aims to identify the dimensions of e-servicescape and to analyze the influence of these dimensions on customers e-grocery shopping intention. Based on the dimensions of e-servicescape proposed by Harris and Goode (2010) and the S–O–R framework proposed by Mehrabian and Russel (1974), a conceptual model was developed. The proposed model considered e-servicescape environment as stimuli, internal response (i.e., attitude and trust) as organism and online purchase intention as behavioral response. Data were collected from 200 respondents who purchase grocery items from e-commerce websites of Bangladesh. The PLS-SEM using SmartPLS V.3.3.3 evaluated the proposed model. The results revealed that financial security has positive influence on attitude towards website. The results also show a significant positive impact of aesthetic appeal, functionality and layout and financial security on trust in website. Finally, the study confirms that purchase intention is positively influenced by attitude towards website and trust in website. Stakeholders of e-commerce websites of Bangladesh can be benefitted from this study.

Discovering citizen’s reaction toward e-government adoption: The role of uncertainty avoidance

One of the leading indicators of how well an e-government system is being implemented is how much citizen acceptance of e-government has increased. Thus, this study looks at social and psychological traits and uncertainty avoidance as moderating factors to identify the factors influencing Indonesian citizens’ adoption of e-government. SEM-PLS was utilized for data analysis. An online survey with measurement questions tailored to 520 respondents was used to gather data for the proposed model’s quantitative validation. A purposive sampling approach based on self-selection was used in this study. The analysis findings show that citizens’ intents as end users of e-government systems are significantly and positively impacted by the influence of compatibility (β = 0.265; p < 0.05), relative advantage (β = 0.482; p < 0.05), and trust in e-government websites (β = 0.243; p < 0.05). On the other hand, complexity (β= –0.293; p < 0.05) significantly and negatively affects their intention to use the system. Additionally, the connection between relative advantage (β = 0.213; p < 0.05), complexity (β = 0.294; p < 0.05), compatibility (β = 0.275; p < 0.05), and propensity to use e-government was found to be moderated by uncertainty avoidance. Encouraging citizens to use e-government will aid the Indonesian government by increasing individuals’ experience with the system and potentially lowering their perception of its hazards.

Factors Affecting Urban Consumer Intention towards Online Purchasing of Agricultural Commodities in Sri Lanka

The development of internet technology has made it possible for customers worldwide to change their daily routines. Both globally and in Sri Lanka, online retail sales have sharply increased in recent years. This study intends to identify the factors affecting urban consumers’ intentions to buy agricultural Products online in Sri Lanka. The multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the most urbanised districts in Sri Lanka: Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, and Kandy. And using the convenience sampling technique, a total of 112 questionnaires were collected via a Google form. The research examined perceived Ease of Use and Food Quality as independent variables and dependent variables such as Perceived Usefulness, Website Trust, Perceived Risk, and Purchase Intention. IBM SPSS version 26 and IBM SPSS AMOS version 26 were used to analyse the data and develop the Structural Equation Model (SEM) to test the hypothesis. The results revealed that the influence of Food Quality on Purchase Intention, the influence of Perceived Ease of Use on Perceived Usefulness, and the influence of Perceived Ease of Use on Website Trust are significantly positive. Perceived Risk on Purchase Intention has a negative relationship and is not significant. The study suggests conducting additional research on novel marketing strategies distinct from conventional media tools and further analysing food quality.

Consumer Behavior towards E-C commerce in India

The primary purpose of this article is to acquire quantitative data demonstrating the reality of internet shopping in India in order to understand its growth and impact on customer behavior. The paper builds on existing literature while also investigating customer behavior using questionnaires. Furthermore, the future evolution of internet purchasing will be monitored through a thorough comparison of customer behavior across countries. This article supports the study topics, which include contemporary trends, numerous challenges in internet shopping, and key elements influencing customer behavior. Furthermore, the study found that internet customer trust and perceived risk had a significant impact on their purchasing decisions. Consumer trust, privacy issues, and security concerns are the most important aspects in utilizing the internet to shop; trust in websites influences any consumer's purchasing decision. More particularly, the empirical finding indicates how E-commerce organizations develop marketing plans based on research data and analysis results.

Humor on Destination Websites: Effects of Humor on Attitudes and Visit Intentions

Humor is an important technique that can be applied in destination marketing to attract potential travelers. This study used a scenario-based experimental design to explore the effects of humor on destination websites. The results demonstrate that both the content of humor and the temporal distance of the visit significantly influence tourists' attitudes and travel intentions, which are mediated by website trust. The relationships between humor content and visit intentions are stronger when travelers are promotion focused rather than prevention focused, and when they are more familiar with destination websites. This study contributes to knowledge and practice by highlighting humor as an essential component of destination website design and providing practical recommendations for destination marketing and management.

How Online Travel Reviews Sources Affect Travelers’ Behavioral Intentions? Analysis with Source Credibility Theory

ABSTRACT This study used Source Credibility Theory (SCT) to examine the effect of the source credibility factors (SCFs) of travelers’ electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and their adoption on tourists’ hotel booking and review sharing intention. This study used Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) approaches to validate the effect of SCFs on tourists’ behavioral intentions. The study highlighted that all three source credibility factors, such as perceived sender trust, website trust, and organizational reputation, affected functional aspects like eWOM credibility and adoption. The study finds the dual-mediating effect of eWOM credibility and adoption between source credibility factors and eWOM outcomes. This study makes a unique attempt to analyze the roles of various aspects of SCT on tourists’ eWOM behavior. This study contributes to online trust literature by examining the effect of different online credibility factors (surface credibility, presumed credibility, reputed credibility) on online tourist behavior.

Analisis Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Minat Beli pada Marketplace Online di Kota Batam

This study aims to determine the factors that influence consumer purchase intention in the online marketplace in Batam City. The independent variables proposed in this study include trust, convenience, customer service, hedonic motives, and usefulness motive, which are mediated by the attitude towards online shopping and moderated by trust in website. The research methodology used is quantitative. The data used is primary data from the results of a survey using an online questionnaire with 300 respondents. The analytical method used is the Structural Equation Model method using SmartPLS 3 software. The results of this study found that trust and convenience did not have a significant positive effect on attitudes toward online shopping. Consumer service, hedonic motives, and usefulness motives have a significant positive influence on attitude toward online shopping. Attitude toward online shopping affects purchase intention. Trust in website does not provide a moderating effect between attitudes toward online shopping and purchase intention. From the results of our research, it can be seen that consumer service, hedonic motives, and usefulness motives have a role in shaping consumer attitudes toward online shopping. Then the attitude will determine the purchase intention for products sold in online marketplaces.

Ontarians' Perceptions of Public Health Communications and Misinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey Study.

Clear, accurate, and transparent risk communication is critical to providing policy makers and the public with directions to effectively implement public health strategies during a health emergency. We aimed to explore the public's preferred sources of obtaining COVID-19 information, perceptions on the prevalence and drivers of misinformation during the pandemic, and suggestions to optimize health communications during future public health emergencies. We administered a web-based survey that included Likert scale, multiple choice and open-ended response questions to residents of Ontario, Canada. We aimed to recruit a sample that reflected population diversity with respect to age and gender. Data were collected between June 10, 2020, and December 31, 2020, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics; open-ended data were analyzed using content analysis. Subgroup analyses to explore perceptions by age and gender were conducted using ordinal regression. A total of 1823 individuals participated in the survey (n=990, 54% women; n=703, 39% men; n=982, 54% aged 18-40 years; n=518, 28% aged 41-60 years; and n=215, 12% aged ≥61 years). Participants most commonly obtained COVID-19 information from local television news (n=1118, 61%) followed by social media (n=938, 51%), national or international television news (n=888, 49%), and friends and family (n=835, 46%). Approximately 55% (n=1010) of the participants believed they had encountered COVID-19-related misinformation; 70% (n=1284) of the participants reported high levels of trust in health authority websites and health care providers; 66% (n=1211) reported high levels of trust in health ministers or public health organizations. Sources perceived to be less trustworthy included friends and family, talk radio, social media, as well as blogs and opinion websites. Men were more likely to report encountering misinformation and to trust friends or family (odds ratio [OR] 1.49, 95% CI 1.24-1.79) and blogs or opinion websites (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03-1.50), compared to women. Compared to those aged 18-40 years, participants aged ≥41years were more likely to trust all assessed information sources, with the exception of web-based media sources, and less likely to report encountering misinformation. Of those surveyed, 58% (n=1053) had challenges identifying or appraising COVID-19 information. Over half of our participants perceived that they had encountered COVID-19 misinformation, and 58% had challenges identifying or appraising COVID-19 information. Gender and age differences in perceptions of misinformation and trust in information sources were observed. Future research to confirm the validity of these perceptions and to explore information-seeking patterns by population subgroups may provide useful insights on how to optimize health communication during public health emergencies.

Trust evaluation of health websites by eliminating phishing websites and using similarity techniques

SummaryEvery user uses a search engine to find health information from websites. Content‐rich health websites are considered in our research as wrong information in these websites can threaten life. Search engines give a list of URLs related to their search keyword. Generally, the user follows the top websites displayed by the search engine. Newly constructed websites do not have ratings, hit counts, and reviews. The search engine does not display newly constructed websites in their top rank. In such a case, the newly constructed website with the same content as the website displayed at the top of the search engine loses the user's trust. Another problem is; the phishing website URLs are also displayed by the Google Search engine, which appear similar to the genuine websites. To solve the problem and enhance the trust of health websites which is not at the top of the search engine among users, we have proposed an approach that extracts all URLs based on the keyword. It identifies all legitimate URLs using a Machine Learning classifier. Address bar features, Domain name features, HTML, and JavaScript features were identified for the dataset of getting legitimate URLs. Three classifiers (Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine) were trained and evaluated. Decision Tree has the highest training accuracy, 94.125, testing accuracy, 92.75, and precision score of 96.97. The cross‐validation score of all three models is almost 93. Therefore, Decision tree is used to identify legitimate websites. After getting the list of legitimate URLs, all the content of the legitimate website is extracted. A Semantic Similarity between top‐rank legitimate website content and legitimate websites is found using Natural language processing techniques. Then the websites are ranked based on similarity and the value of the trust is assigned from highly trustable to less trustable. We have compared and correlated our results with the Web of Trust, a reputation tool for trust analysis, and have achieved a positive correlation. Thus, our approach removes phishing websites and enhances the trust in other websites that are not at the top of the search engine.

Internet Use for Obtaining Medicine Information: Cross-sectional Survey.

The internet is increasingly being used as a source of medicine-related information. People want information to facilitate decision-making and self-management, and they tend to prefer the internet for ease of access. However, it is widely acknowledged that the quality of web-based information varies. Poor interpretation of medicine information can lead to anxiety and poor adherence to drug therapy. It is therefore important to understand how people search, select, and trust medicine information. The objectives of this study were to establish the extent of internet use for seeking medicine information among Norwegian pharmacy customers, analyze factors associated with internet use, and investigate the level of trust in different sources and websites. This is a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of pharmacy customers recruited from all but one community pharmacy in Tromsø, a medium size municipality in Norway (77,000 inhabitants). Persons (aged ≥16 years) able to complete a questionnaire in Norwegian were asked to participate in the study. The recruitment took place in September and October 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, social media was also used to recruit medicine users. A total of 303 respondents reported which sources they used to obtain information about their medicines (both prescription and over the counter) and to what extent they trusted these sources. A total of 125 (41.3%) respondents used the internet for medicine information, and the only factor associated with internet use was age. The odds of using the internet declined by 5% per year of age (odds ratio 0.95, 95% CI 0.94-0.97; P=.048). We found no association between internet use and gender, level of education, or regular medicine use. The main purpose reported for using the internet was to obtain information about side effects. Other main sources of medicine information were physicians (n=191, 63%), pharmacy personnel (n=142, 47%), and medication package leaflets (n=124, 42%), while 36 (12%) respondents did not obtain medicine information from any sources. Note that 272 (91%) respondents trusted health professionals as a source of medicine information, whereas 58 (46%) respondents who used the internet trusted the information they found on the internet. The most reliable websites were the national health portals and other official health information sites. Norwegian pharmacy customers use the internet as a source of medicine information, but most still obtain medicine information from health professionals and packet leaflets. People are aware of the potential for misinformation on websites, and they mainly trust high-quality sites run by health authorities.

Content-Rating Consistency of Online Product Review and Its Impact on Helpfulness: A Fine-Grained Level Sentiment Analysis

Aim/Purpose: The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of review consistency between textual content and rating on review helpfulness. A measure of review consistency is introduced to determine the degree to which the review sentiment of textual content conforms with the review rating score. A theoretical model grounded in signaling theory is adopted to explore how different variables (review sentiment, review rating, review length, and review rating variance) affect review consistency and the relationship between review consistency and review helpfulness. Background: Online reviews vary in their characteristics and hence their different quality features and degrees of helpfulness. High-quality online reviews offer consumers the ability to make informed purchase decisions and improve trust in e-commerce websites. The helpfulness of online reviews continues to be a focal research issue regardless of the independent or joint effects of different factors. This research posits that the consistency between review content and review rating is an important quality indicator affecting the helpfulness of online reviews. The review consistency of online reviews is another important requirement for maintaining the significance and perceived value of online reviews. Incidentally, this parameter is inadequately discussed in the literature. A possible reason is that review consistency is not a review feature that can be readily monitored on e-commerce websites. Methodology: More than 100,000 product reviews were collected from Amazon.com and preprocessed using natural language processing tools. Then, the quality reviews were identified, and relevant features were extracted for model training. Machine learning and sentiment analysis techniques were implemented, and each review was assigned a consistency score between 0 (not consistent) and 1 (fully consistent). Finally, signaling theory was employed, and the derived data were analyzed to determine the effect of review consistency on review helpfulness, the effect of several factors on review consistency, and their relationship with review helpfulness. Contribution: This research contributes to the literature by introducing a mathematical measure to determine the consistency between the textual content of online reviews and their associated ratings. Furthermore, a theoretical model grounded in signaling theory was developed to investigate the effect on review helpfulness. This work can considerably extend the body of knowledge on the helpfulness of online reviews, with notable implications for research and practice. Findings: Empirical results have shown that review consistency significantly affects the perceived helpfulness of online reviews. The study similarly finds that review rating is an important factor affecting review consistency; it also confirms a moderating effect of review sentiment, review rating, review length, and review rating variance on the relationship between review consistency and review helpfulness. Overall, the findings reveal the following: (1) online reviews with textual content that correctly explains the associated rating tend to be more helpful; (2) reviews with extreme ratings are more likely to be consistent with their textual content; and (3) comparatively, review consistency more strongly affects the helpfulness of reviews with short textual content, positive polarity textual content, and lower rating scores and variance. Recommendations for Practitioners: E-commerce systems should incorporate a review consistency measure to rank consumer reviews and provide customers with quick and accurate access to the most helpful reviews. Impact on Society: Incorporating a score of review consistency for online reviews can help consumers access the best reviews and make better purchase decisions, and e-commerce systems improve their business, ultimately leading to more effective e-commerce. Future Research: Additional research should be conducted to test the impact of review consistency on helpfulness in different datasets, product types, and different moderating variables.

An SEM-Neural Network Approach for Predicting Antecedents of Online Grocery Shopping Acceptance

Customers today benefit from online grocery shopping (OGS) since it makes their lives easier and more pleasant. This study examines the extension of the technology adoption model with some new variables like visibility, economic values, habit, informativeness, and website trust and their influence on the intention to use online grocery shopping by Indian customers. A structured questionnaire was developed, and 342 responses were used for analysis. Two techniques were used: firstly, structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to determine which variables had a significant influence on the intention to use OGS; in the second phase, artificial neural network modelling (ANN) was used, under a deep learning approach, to classify the relative influence of the significant predictors obtained by PLS-SEM. The study’s findings suggest that the habit has the highest impact on users’ intention to use OGS, followed by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and website trust. On the other side, the results of neural network analysis confirmed many SEM findings. The study will help all online grocery service providers to build their services and strategies based on the tastes and needs of their customers.

Electronic trust-building for hotel websites: a social exchange theory perspective

PurposeThis study aims to contribute to the context of electronic trust (e-trust) research with an emphasis on the determination of tourists’ e-trust in hotel websites. This research used social exchange theory to elaborate how perceived attributes of a hotel website influence purchase behaviour of tourists. This area is often neglected because most studies focus on website users’ adoption or acceptance of other service industries. It is expected that trust-generating mechanisms have different impacts on the e-trust level in the hospitality services.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive literature review identified the major antecedents and outcomes of e-trust. Data was collected from an online survey and 586 usable questionnaires were achieved. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the hypothesized model.FindingsThe results of this study demonstrated that the more tourists perceive influences positively, the more they are possibly to trust in hotel website. Findings revealed that perceptions about the attributes of hotel website, including security, privacy, usefulness, ease of use and compatibility are the main antecedents of trust in hotel website, which, in turn, lead to actual usage of the website for booking online.Originality/valueThis study is based on a large sample of tourists and broadens the understanding of e-trust in hotel websites by considering factors rarely discussed in prior tourism and hospitality literature.

Online Booking Services Assisted by Technology to Improve Customer Loyalty in Jordanian Five-Star Hotels

Purpose: This study's goal was to examine how customer satisfaction at Jordanian five-star hotels served as a mediator between the effects of website quality and e-trust on customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaires were the primary method used in the study for gathering data. The survey was created using data from earlier research and given to visitors staying at several five-star hotels in Amman, the country's capital. A convenience sample of 401 people received questionnaires from the researchers. The valid data was examined using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and SPSS V.25 (AMOS V.20). Findings: The study found a favorable relationship between website quality and customer loyalty as well as a positive correlation between e-trust and consumer satisfaction. Additionally, there is a direct correlation between customer satisfaction and loyalty. Research implications: Hotels should take steps to gain the public's trust if they want their websites to be regularly preferred by visitors. The website should also show a relationship between its target audience and the information and images about the hotel by consistently updating both. It has been demonstrated that users of online hotel booking websites exhibit higher levels of trust in websites. When a customer sees what to expect when staying at the hotel, their sense of risk reduces. Originality/value: In order to research the marketing function of hotel services, which today heavily rely on online hotel reservations, this study is a ground-breaking endeavor to improve the worldwide tourism industry. The results should spur Jordanian hotels to research the factors that influence customer loyalty for online reservations.

Antecedents of e-government perceived net benefits: a study of e-filing in Indonesia

Given that electronic filing is one of the earliest e-government services in Indonesia, additional research is needed to determine the antecedents of service users’ perceived net benefit. The e-government system success model by DeLone and McLean was used in this study, however trust factors were added to the government, technology, and e-government websites as antecedents. 195 individual taxpayers were sent a questionnaire including 39 statements as part of the study examination. Data were analyzed using structural equation model-partial least square (SEM-PLS) with the assistance of WarpPLS. This study concludes that these three antecedents determine the success of the e-government system, and thus that e-government development is the integration of trust in government, which is built by increasing its credibility in the eyes of the public, trust in technology, which can be accomplished through education, and trust in e-government websites, which can be accomplished by consistently improving the security and quality of government website services.

ZERO-KNOWLEDGE PROOF APPLICATION IN ECOMMERCE PAYMENT

E-commerce plays a significant role in a country's economic condition. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, it has become more popular, along with concerns about its ability to handle information security. The Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) method could be a possible solution to the e-commerce payment security issue that hampers customer trust. This paper investigates the viability of an online payment framework based on the ZPK method. This method is an upgrade for authentication during the payment process in online shopping. Experiments on customers' perspectives of the payment framework based on the ZKP method were conducted and supported the perceived usefulness, ease of use, trust, control, satisfaction, and loyalty aspects of a better e-commerce website. It allows advantages for both customers and e-commerce and prevents fraud, which will increase the trust level for both sides. zkSNARK speeds up and lowers the cost of the process, but there is a risk of DOS. Future work needs to be done to handle DOS in this method.

Privacy Risk Perception of Online Medical Community Users Based on Deep Neural Network.

This paper studies the privacy risk perception of online medical community users based on deep neural network. Firstly, this paper introduces privacy protection based on deep neural network and users’ privacy risk perception in online medical community. Then, using the fuzzy neural network to deal with highly complex and nonlinear data, we can better obtain the accurate evaluation value, and use the improved gravity search optimization algorithm to optimize the fuzzy neural network evaluation model and improve the convergence puzzle of the model. Finally, using the experimental method of questionnaire survey, and the questionnaire is composed of three parts. The first part investigates the basic personal information of the subjects, including gender, age, educational background, physical condition, physical examination frequency, Internet use experience, long-term residence, etc.; The second part is the measurement items of each variable in the theoretical model, including nine variables: service quality, personalized service, reciprocal norms, result expectation, material reward, perceived risk, trust in doctors, trust in websites, and willingness to disclose health privacy information. The experimental results show that the correlation coefficient between the interaction items of personalized service and reciprocal norms on material reward is positive (β = 0.072, P < 0.01), and the correlation coefficient between sexual service and material reward was positive (β = 0.202, P < 0.01), then reciprocal norms positively regulate the relationship between personalized service and material reward.

Shifting perceptions of alternative therapies in cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Exposure in Oncology (CAMEO) Study.

e24130 Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been associated with worse survival outcomes in cancer patients compared to standard of care therapies. CAM has received a significant increase in public awareness and interest in the COVID-19 pandemic era. We sought to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected CAM use and perceptions in cancer patients. Methods: Data was collected from adult cancer patients prospectively enrolled on a cross-sectional survey conducted at an NCI-designated cancer center and a comprehensive cancer center between 2020 and 2021. The survey included questions assessing changes in patient attitude towards CAM and likelihood of using CAM, both relative to prior to COVID-19. Analyzed CAM users included those taking vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements, alternative medicines and special diets, and excluded mind-body practices as the focus of this analysis was on enteral and parenteral CAM therapies. Differences in the impact of COVID-19 on CAM use beliefs and practices between CAM users and non-users were analyzed with χ2 and two-sample t-tests. Results: Out of 749 respondents, 578 (77%) used any CAM and 470 (63%) used enteral or parenteral CAM. Results shown in table. Compared to prior to COVID-19, CAM users were more likely to view CAM more favorably (12% vs 5%, p &lt; 0.01), while non-users were more likely to have an unchanged opinion (90% vs 84%, p = 0.03). Females had higher rates of viewing CAM more favorably than males (80% vs 58%, p = 0.04). Patients who viewed CAM more favorably had higher rates of self-reported incurable cancer (36% vs 11%, p = 0.04), declining recommended hormone therapy (22% vs 0%, p &lt; 0.01), and higher trust of social media (19% vs 0%, p = 0.02) and websites (24% vs 0%, p &lt; 0.01). Since the start of COVID-19, CAM users were more likely to report increased likelihood of using CAM (12% vs 6%, p = 0.01). Patients who were more likely to use CAM had higher rates of declining recommended chemotherapy (12% vs 0%, p = 0.02), and higher trust of social media (15% vs 2%, p = 0.01) and websites (28% vs 7%, p &lt; 0.01). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, attitudes on CAM use in oncology patients have become increasingly polarizing. Patients with favorable attitudes toward CAM were likely to decline recommended standard of care therapy and more like to use CAM since COVID-19. This data helps characterize shifting attitudes toward CAM and may help guide shared decision-making between physician and patient.[Table: see text]

Use chains to block DNS attacks: A trusty blockchain-based domain name system

The Internet has become one of the most important technologies in the world, and hackers use various methods to launch cyber attacks to profit from it. Phishing is one of famous social engineering attacks, it is often used to steal user data, including login credentials and credit card numbers. Although the Transport Layer Security certificate is used to verify the trust of websites, there are still a series of vulnerabilities. The demand for trusted IP addresses has led a lot of research, including IP whitelisting, DNS filtering and so on. However, these technologies still have many shortcomings. In view of this, we proposed a novel mechanism for verifying websites using blockchain technology. The URL and IP address of a permissioned website are recorded in blockchain through a specific smart contract. A DNS query is executed through a smart contract designed to avoid URL redirection attacks. With the help of immutable nature of blockchian, phishing websites can be detected. The mechanism will not add any load to users and provides tamper-proof functions based on the characteristics of blockchain. The comparison of related works shows that the proposed mechanism is more secure. We also provided a reference implementation of the proposed mechanism on Ethereum Quorum simulation platform, which proves the effectiveness and practicability of the mechanism.