Background: Social media is one of the most rapid and impactful ways of obtaining and delivering information in the modern era. Objective: The aim of this study was to rapidly obtain information on public perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors related to COVID-19 in order to identify deficiencies in key areas of public education. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, a survey web link was posted on the social media and messaging platforms Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp by the study investigators. Participants, aged ≥18 years, filled out the survey on a voluntary basis. The main outcomes measured were knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, protective measures against COVID-19, and source(s) of information about COVID-19. Subgroup analyses were conducted to determine the effects of age, gender, underlying illness, and working or studying in the health care industry on the perceived likelihood of acquiring COVID-19 and getting vaccinated. Results: A total of 5677 subjects completed the survey over the course of 1 week. “Fever or chills” (n=4973, 87.6%) and “shortness of breath” (n=4695, 82.7%) were identified as the main symptoms of COVID-19. Washing and sanitizing hands (n=4990, 87.9%) and avoiding public places and crowds (n=4865, 85.7%) were identified as the protective measures most frequently used against COVID-19. Social media was the most utilized source for information on the disease (n=4740, 83.5%), followed by the World Health Organization (n=2844, 50.1%). Subgroup analysis revealed that younger subjects (<35 years), males, and those working or studying in health care reported a higher perceived likelihood of acquiring COVID-19, whereas older subjects, females, and those working or studying in non–health care areas reported a lower perceived likelihood of acquiring COVID-19. Similar trends were observed for vaccination against COVID-19, with older subjects, females, and those working or studying in non–health care sectors reporting a lower likelihood of vaccinating against COVID-19. Conclusions: Our results are indicative of a relatively well-informed cohort implementing appropriate protective measures. However, key knowledge deficiencies exist with regards to vaccination against COVID-19, which future efforts should aim at correcting.

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中文翻译：

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社交媒体用户中与COVID-19相关的感知，知识和行为：跨部门研究。

背景：社交媒体是现代获取和传递信息的最快速，最有影响力的方式之一。目的：本研究的目的是迅速获得有关COVID-19的公众看法，知识和行为的信息，以识别公共教育关键领域的不足。方法：使用横断面研究设计，研究调查人员将调查Web链接发布在社交媒体和消息传递平台Instagram，Twitter和WhatsApp上。≥18岁的参与者自愿填写调查表。测得的主要结局是对COVID-19症状的了解，对COVID-19的防护措施以及有关COVID-19的信息来源。进行了亚组分析以确定年龄，性别，潜在疾病，在医疗保健行业工作或学习有关获得COVID-19并进行疫苗接种的可能可能性。结果：总共5677名受试者在1周的时间内完成了调查。COVID-19的主要症状是“发烧或发冷”（n = 4973，87.6％）和“呼吸急促”（n = 4695，82.7％）。洗手和消毒（n = 4990，87.9％）以及避免在公共场所和人群（n = 4865，85.7％）被确定为最常用的针对COVID-19的防护措施。社交媒体是最广泛使用的疾病信息来源（n = 4740，83.5％），其次是世界卫生组织（n = 2844，50.1％）。亚组分析显示，年龄较小的受试者（<35岁），男性以及从事卫生保健工作或学习的受试者报告说，获得COVID-19的可能性更高，而年龄较大的受试者，女性以及在非医疗保健领域工作或学习的受试者报告的获得COVID-19的可能性更低。在针对COVID-19的疫苗接种中观察到了类似的趋势，年龄较大的受试者，女性以及在非卫生保健部门工作或学习的人群报告接种COVID-19的可能性较低。结论：我们的结果表明，在实施适当的保护措施的情况下，相对知情的人群。但是，在针对COVID-19的疫苗接种方面存在关键的知识缺陷，今后应努力纠正这一缺陷。在非卫生保健部门工作或学习的人报告接种COVID-19的可能性较低。结论：我们的结果表明，在实施适当的保护措施的情况下，相对知情的人群。但是，在针对COVID-19的疫苗接种方面存在关键的知识缺陷，今后应努力纠正这一缺陷。在非卫生保健部门工作或学习的人报告接种COVID-19的可能性较低。结论：我们的结果表明，在实施适当的保护措施的情况下，相对知情的人群。但是，在针对COVID-19的疫苗接种方面存在关键的知识缺陷，今后应努力纠正这一缺陷。

这仅仅是抽象的。阅读JMIR网站上的全文。JMIR是互联网时代电子健康和医疗保健领域领先的开放获取期刊。