ABSTRACT

Social media has become an essential source of information during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to understand social media’s effect on the general public’s fear, degree of adopting precautionary behaviors, and compliance with health authorities’ regulations during the pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Jordan during the early period of COVID-19 pandemic. 827 individuals completed the questionnaire. Factors that had a significant association with increased fear included female gender (OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.8–3.7), married status (OR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2–3.4), following medical pages on social media (OR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.42), and sharing of COVID-19 information on social media (OR 3.6, 95% CI: 1.8–7.1). The variables that were significantly associated with higher levels of precautionary behaviors were knowledge score (OR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.07–1.3), feeling of fear (OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.71–3.), and following medical pages on social media (OR 2.8, 95% CI: 1.8–4.24). Regarding compliance with health officials’ regulations, social media as a source of information and sharing information were significantly associated with lower odds of compliance with the Ministry of Health’s regulations (OR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13–0.5 and OR 0.46, 95% CI: 0.25–0.8, respectively). Social media is an essential platform for risk communication during pandemics. It plays a positive role in spreading knowledge and promotes certain preventive behaviors among the public. However, it may spread fear and encourage disruptive behaviors, which might be propagated by sharing the pandemic’s news.

摘要

在 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行期间，社交媒体已成为重要的信息来源。本研究旨在了解社交媒体在大流行期间对公众恐惧、采取预防行为的程度以及遵守卫生当局规定的影响。在 COVID-19 大流行初期，在约旦进行了一项横断面在线调查。827 人完成了问卷。与恐惧增加显着相关的因素包括女性（OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.8-3.7）、已婚状态（OR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-3.4）、关注社交媒体上的医学页面（OR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.42)，以及在社交媒体上分享 COVID-19 信息（OR 3.6, 95% CI: 1.8–7.1）。与更高水平的预防行为显着相关的变量是知识分数（OR 1.2，95% CI：1.07-1.3）、恐惧感（OR 2.6，95% CI：1.71-3）和以下医学页面社交媒体（OR 2.8，95% CI：1.8–4.24）。关于遵守卫生官员的规定，社交媒体作为信息来源和共享信息与遵守卫生部规定的几率降低显着相关（OR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13–0.5 and OR 0.46, 95% CI ：分别为 0.25–0.8）。社交媒体是大流行期间风险沟通的重要平台。它在传播知识和促进公众中的某些预防行为方面发挥着积极作用。但是，它可能会传播恐惧并鼓励破坏性行为，