BACKGROUND Undernutrition is a crucial cause of morbidity and mortality among children in low-or middle-income countries(LMICs).A better understanding of maternal general healthy nutrition knowledge,as well as misbeli...BACKGROUND Undernutrition is a crucial cause of morbidity and mortality among children in low-or middle-income countries(LMICs).A better understanding of maternal general healthy nutrition knowledge,as well as misbeliefs,is highly essential,especially in such settings.In the current era of infodemics,it is very strenuous for mothers to select not only the right source for maternal nutrition information but the correct information as well.AIM To assess maternal healthy nutritional knowledge and nutrition-related misbeliefs and misinformation in an LMIC,and to determine the sources of such information and their assessment methods.METHODS This cross-sectional analytical observational study enrolled 5148 randomly selected Egyptian mothers who had one or more children less than 15 years old.The data were collected through online questionnaire forms:One was for the general nutrition knowledge assessment,and the other was for the nutritional myth score.Sources of information and ways of evaluating internet sources using the Currency,Relevance,Authority,Accuracy,and Purpose test were additionally analyzed.RESULTS The mean general nutrition knowledge score was 29±9,with a percent score of 70.8%±12.1%(total score:41).The median myth score was 9(interquartile range:6,12;total score:18).The primary sources of nutrition knowledge for the enrolled mothers were social media platforms(55%).Half of the mothers managed information for currency and authority,except for considering the author's contact information.More than 60%regularly checked information for accuracy and purpose.The mothers with significant nutrition knowledge checked periodically for the author's contact information(P=0.012).The nutrition myth score was significantly lower among mothers who periodically checked the evidence of the information(P=0.016).Mothers dependent on their healthcare providers as the primary source of their general nutritional knowledge were less likely to hold myths by 13%(P=0.044).However,using social media increased the likelihood of having myths among mothers by approximately 1.2(P=0.001).CONCLUSION Social media platforms were found to be the primary source of maternal nutrition information in the current era of infodemics.However,healthcare providers were the only source for decreasing the incidence of maternal myths among the surveyed mothers.展开更多
Mandatory and restrictive health regulations during the corona pandemic caused psychic disorders in many people,which even led to clinically relevant mental disorders.At the same time,there was gradually a polarizatio...Mandatory and restrictive health regulations during the corona pandemic caused psychic disorders in many people,which even led to clinically relevant mental disorders.At the same time,there was gradually a polarization of opinions among the population.In order to improve future pandemic management,an integrative understanding of these psychosocial processes therefore seems useful.Here we start theoretically with the mental effects of inconsistencies of the information environment by referring to concepts such as the theory of cognitive dissonance.In a next step,we use the psychodynamic theory to understand the affective-motivational defense mechanisms underlying these cognitive states and processes.However,a broader theoretical framework of psychoanalysis seems to make sense,because self-referential processing also influences the style of thinking.For this reason,we use a more comprehensive psychological systems theoretical framework model to integrate these different perspectives.This integrative view refers in part to basic knowledge of health psychology regarding the resistance of unhealthy ways of thinking and behaviors and the possibilities for interventions for change.We then extend this model to a broader picture that also covers the relationship between men and their environment.This results in the perspective of a multidimensional socioecological theoretical framework,which as a heuristic reference model and related to other ecological approaches could also be helpful for various theoretical questions for public health,and could provide a better public understanding of health issues.In line with this perspective,we hypothesize that with regard to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic,the acceptance of public health narratives could be increased if a more consistent picture of the scientific descriptions and explanations of the pandemic-similar to the model proposed-could be provided,which would enable the understanding of the origin,course and countermeasures,and thus could have positive collective psycho-hygienic effects.展开更多
At the beginning of 2020, human activities were interrupted by a new virus, identified as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease. The scientific area was no exception: for a certain period, researchers around the w...At the beginning of 2020, human activities were interrupted by a new virus, identified as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease. The scientific area was no exception: for a certain period, researchers around the world were forced to leave their laboratories and work remotely. There was a global necessity for finding alternatives focused on generating knowledge and publishing data, so repositories of scientific information, such as databases, represented strong support. In the specific case of life sciences, different strategies allowed rapid compilation of data and its sharing worldwide. Therefore, in this work, the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the amount of peer-reviewed and published papers during COVID-19 times was analyzed along with the role of databases. Our results pointed out that an increase in the number of papers belonging to different knowledge fields took place, with the medical field being the most significant. On the other hand, the complete genome of the new virus was sequenced, and repositories were created with sufficient data for monitoring, preventing, and controlling its dissemination. This was the case for the generation of vaccines in addition to potential candidates for drugs against COVID-19. However, although in 2021, vaccines allowed us to gradually return to our activities, databases and the generation of other repositories remain a key point for facing new strains and adapting to a new reality. Finally, this paper discusses joint efforts to tackle the obstacles of the pandemic, not only from a medical but also from the point of view regarding the fight against misinformation.展开更多
The world is facing a once-in-a-lifetime situation:the COVID-19 pandemic.During the pandemic,the World Health Organization announced an infodemic as well.This infodemic caused infollution and sparked many controversie...The world is facing a once-in-a-lifetime situation:the COVID-19 pandemic.During the pandemic,the World Health Organization announced an infodemic as well.This infodemic caused infollution and sparked many controversies.Pandemics as extraordinary occurrences are always attractive to historians.However,infodemics and biased information threaten objective history-writing.Objectivity as it regards historians is already a much-discussed subject.In this commentary,the fundamental theories about objectivity are delineated.Second,the relationship between the infodemic and COVID-19 pandemic is explained.Lastly,the problems regarding objectivity in the historiography of the COVID-19 pandemic are explored.展开更多
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have intentionally and unintentionally been used to spread false information on all different types of subjects. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a pool of differen...Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have intentionally and unintentionally been used to spread false information on all different types of subjects. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a pool of different information that was being presented to the public, a lot of it contradicting one another. False information spreads regardless of whether there is intent to mislead or misinform whereas AI is not able to decipher what type of information it is pushing to the public is correct and what is not. This mass spread of information through online platforms has been coined as an Infodemic where it is considered a massive volume of information, both online and offline. It includes deliberate attempts to disseminate false information to undermine the public health response and advance alternative agendas of groups or individuals. An infodemic can be incredibly dangerous to society greatly affecting the ability of communities, societies, and countries to control and stop the pandemic due to the abundance of different information in combating the health crisis. This article assesses and evaluates the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in helping to spread disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reviews and evaluates the information curation in modern media, the relationship between AI and disinformation, and the challenges of disinformation campaigns. It further outlines the impact of social media platforms on infodemic and their influence in spreading disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article analyzes several data mining studies that used different machine learning techniques to identify the influence of disinformation tactics on the COVID-19 pandemic associated with the Twitter platform. It further continues exploring the investigation of the number of influential tweets, the type of users, the levels of credibility of URLs, and the type and effect of social media bots. Finally, the authors assess and conclude how disinformation is widely prevalent throughout social media during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as illustrate the surveys that categorize the prevalence of users involved in the conversation about disinformation separated by country including the percentage of users posting tweets and retweeting news URLs, and the future work in combating the rapid disinformation campaigns and their ethical implication impact.展开更多
Introduction:The spread of misinformation and disinformation during infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies can significantly impede effective public health responses.This infodemic phenomenon creat...Introduction:The spread of misinformation and disinformation during infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies can significantly impede effective public health responses.This infodemic phenomenon creates confusion and erodes public trust,leading to uncertainty in crisis situations.This study aimed to assess the health department’s capacity and capabilities in infodemic preparedness and management to enhance future emergency preparedness in accordance with International Health Regulations(IHR)-2005 guidelines.Methods:A mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted in the health department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Semi-structured interviews with experts were conducted in August-September 2024 using a self-administered assessment tool based on IHR-2005 guidelines,supplemented by analysis of departmental documents and supporting evidence.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics,with achievement levels scored from 0%to 100%across five categories.Results:The overall preparedness score was 21.7%,indicating limited capacities and capabilities.The risk communication and community engagement(RCCE)coordination system showed some strengths,with 80%of focal persons designated and moderate intersectoral coordination(40%),but lacked emergency spokesperson training.Community engagement activities demonstrated moderate effectiveness(40%).Key weaknesses included insufficient human resources(20%),inadequate technological infrastructure(20%),absence of infodemic analysis(0%),and lack of joint infodemic planning(0%).Significant delays were observed in identifying and responding to potentially harmful misinformation.Conclusions:Despite some effective practices in community engagement,substantial gaps exist in infodemic management preparedness.Critical deficiencies were identified in human and technological resources and infodemic response measures.Priority areas for improvement include human resource development,infodemic surveillance systems,digital tools implementation,and enhanced collaboration.The adoption of innovative tools and streamlined processes is essential for strengthening emergency risk communication preparedness.展开更多
The pandemic of COVID-19 witnessed a massive infodemic with the public being bombarded with vast quantities of information.The spreading of neutral and highly accurate reports can guide the public to self-protect and ...The pandemic of COVID-19 witnessed a massive infodemic with the public being bombarded with vast quantities of information.The spreading of neutral and highly accurate reports can guide the public to self-protect and reduce the pandemic.Mis-and dis-information would intrigue panic and high exposure risk to epidemic.Although the infodemic has attracted attentions from the academia,it is still not known to what degree and in which direction the information flows contribute to the COVID-19 pandemic.To fill the gap,we apply network reconstruction techniques to rebuild the hidden multiplex network of information and COVID-19 spreading by which we aim at quantifying the interaction between the propagation of information and the spatial outbreak of COVID-19,and delineate between the positive and negative impact of information on the pandemic.By differentiating the types of media that participated in the information process,we find that in the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic,infodemic does play a critical role to amplify the risk of virus outbreak in China and the risk is even larger for those highly developed regions.Compared to the old-fashion media,the new mobile platforms impose a greater risk to reinforce the positive feedback between infodemic and COVID-19 pandemic.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND Undernutrition is a crucial cause of morbidity and mortality among children in low-or middle-income countries(LMICs).A better understanding of maternal general healthy nutrition knowledge,as well as misbeliefs,is highly essential,especially in such settings.In the current era of infodemics,it is very strenuous for mothers to select not only the right source for maternal nutrition information but the correct information as well.AIM To assess maternal healthy nutritional knowledge and nutrition-related misbeliefs and misinformation in an LMIC,and to determine the sources of such information and their assessment methods.METHODS This cross-sectional analytical observational study enrolled 5148 randomly selected Egyptian mothers who had one or more children less than 15 years old.The data were collected through online questionnaire forms:One was for the general nutrition knowledge assessment,and the other was for the nutritional myth score.Sources of information and ways of evaluating internet sources using the Currency,Relevance,Authority,Accuracy,and Purpose test were additionally analyzed.RESULTS The mean general nutrition knowledge score was 29±9,with a percent score of 70.8%±12.1%(total score:41).The median myth score was 9(interquartile range:6,12;total score:18).The primary sources of nutrition knowledge for the enrolled mothers were social media platforms(55%).Half of the mothers managed information for currency and authority,except for considering the author's contact information.More than 60%regularly checked information for accuracy and purpose.The mothers with significant nutrition knowledge checked periodically for the author's contact information(P=0.012).The nutrition myth score was significantly lower among mothers who periodically checked the evidence of the information(P=0.016).Mothers dependent on their healthcare providers as the primary source of their general nutritional knowledge were less likely to hold myths by 13%(P=0.044).However,using social media increased the likelihood of having myths among mothers by approximately 1.2(P=0.001).CONCLUSION Social media platforms were found to be the primary source of maternal nutrition information in the current era of infodemics.However,healthcare providers were the only source for decreasing the incidence of maternal myths among the surveyed mothers.
文摘Mandatory and restrictive health regulations during the corona pandemic caused psychic disorders in many people,which even led to clinically relevant mental disorders.At the same time,there was gradually a polarization of opinions among the population.In order to improve future pandemic management,an integrative understanding of these psychosocial processes therefore seems useful.Here we start theoretically with the mental effects of inconsistencies of the information environment by referring to concepts such as the theory of cognitive dissonance.In a next step,we use the psychodynamic theory to understand the affective-motivational defense mechanisms underlying these cognitive states and processes.However,a broader theoretical framework of psychoanalysis seems to make sense,because self-referential processing also influences the style of thinking.For this reason,we use a more comprehensive psychological systems theoretical framework model to integrate these different perspectives.This integrative view refers in part to basic knowledge of health psychology regarding the resistance of unhealthy ways of thinking and behaviors and the possibilities for interventions for change.We then extend this model to a broader picture that also covers the relationship between men and their environment.This results in the perspective of a multidimensional socioecological theoretical framework,which as a heuristic reference model and related to other ecological approaches could also be helpful for various theoretical questions for public health,and could provide a better public understanding of health issues.In line with this perspective,we hypothesize that with regard to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic,the acceptance of public health narratives could be increased if a more consistent picture of the scientific descriptions and explanations of the pandemic-similar to the model proposed-could be provided,which would enable the understanding of the origin,course and countermeasures,and thus could have positive collective psycho-hygienic effects.
文摘At the beginning of 2020, human activities were interrupted by a new virus, identified as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease. The scientific area was no exception: for a certain period, researchers around the world were forced to leave their laboratories and work remotely. There was a global necessity for finding alternatives focused on generating knowledge and publishing data, so repositories of scientific information, such as databases, represented strong support. In the specific case of life sciences, different strategies allowed rapid compilation of data and its sharing worldwide. Therefore, in this work, the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the amount of peer-reviewed and published papers during COVID-19 times was analyzed along with the role of databases. Our results pointed out that an increase in the number of papers belonging to different knowledge fields took place, with the medical field being the most significant. On the other hand, the complete genome of the new virus was sequenced, and repositories were created with sufficient data for monitoring, preventing, and controlling its dissemination. This was the case for the generation of vaccines in addition to potential candidates for drugs against COVID-19. However, although in 2021, vaccines allowed us to gradually return to our activities, databases and the generation of other repositories remain a key point for facing new strains and adapting to a new reality. Finally, this paper discusses joint efforts to tackle the obstacles of the pandemic, not only from a medical but also from the point of view regarding the fight against misinformation.
文摘The world is facing a once-in-a-lifetime situation:the COVID-19 pandemic.During the pandemic,the World Health Organization announced an infodemic as well.This infodemic caused infollution and sparked many controversies.Pandemics as extraordinary occurrences are always attractive to historians.However,infodemics and biased information threaten objective history-writing.Objectivity as it regards historians is already a much-discussed subject.In this commentary,the fundamental theories about objectivity are delineated.Second,the relationship between the infodemic and COVID-19 pandemic is explained.Lastly,the problems regarding objectivity in the historiography of the COVID-19 pandemic are explored.
文摘Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have intentionally and unintentionally been used to spread false information on all different types of subjects. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a pool of different information that was being presented to the public, a lot of it contradicting one another. False information spreads regardless of whether there is intent to mislead or misinform whereas AI is not able to decipher what type of information it is pushing to the public is correct and what is not. This mass spread of information through online platforms has been coined as an Infodemic where it is considered a massive volume of information, both online and offline. It includes deliberate attempts to disseminate false information to undermine the public health response and advance alternative agendas of groups or individuals. An infodemic can be incredibly dangerous to society greatly affecting the ability of communities, societies, and countries to control and stop the pandemic due to the abundance of different information in combating the health crisis. This article assesses and evaluates the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in helping to spread disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reviews and evaluates the information curation in modern media, the relationship between AI and disinformation, and the challenges of disinformation campaigns. It further outlines the impact of social media platforms on infodemic and their influence in spreading disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article analyzes several data mining studies that used different machine learning techniques to identify the influence of disinformation tactics on the COVID-19 pandemic associated with the Twitter platform. It further continues exploring the investigation of the number of influential tweets, the type of users, the levels of credibility of URLs, and the type and effect of social media bots. Finally, the authors assess and conclude how disinformation is widely prevalent throughout social media during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as illustrate the surveys that categorize the prevalence of users involved in the conversation about disinformation separated by country including the percentage of users posting tweets and retweeting news URLs, and the future work in combating the rapid disinformation campaigns and their ethical implication impact.
基金Supported by funding from the Deanship for Scientific Research,King Faisal University,Saudi Arabia(KFU250563).
文摘Introduction:The spread of misinformation and disinformation during infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies can significantly impede effective public health responses.This infodemic phenomenon creates confusion and erodes public trust,leading to uncertainty in crisis situations.This study aimed to assess the health department’s capacity and capabilities in infodemic preparedness and management to enhance future emergency preparedness in accordance with International Health Regulations(IHR)-2005 guidelines.Methods:A mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted in the health department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Semi-structured interviews with experts were conducted in August-September 2024 using a self-administered assessment tool based on IHR-2005 guidelines,supplemented by analysis of departmental documents and supporting evidence.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics,with achievement levels scored from 0%to 100%across five categories.Results:The overall preparedness score was 21.7%,indicating limited capacities and capabilities.The risk communication and community engagement(RCCE)coordination system showed some strengths,with 80%of focal persons designated and moderate intersectoral coordination(40%),but lacked emergency spokesperson training.Community engagement activities demonstrated moderate effectiveness(40%).Key weaknesses included insufficient human resources(20%),inadequate technological infrastructure(20%),absence of infodemic analysis(0%),and lack of joint infodemic planning(0%).Significant delays were observed in identifying and responding to potentially harmful misinformation.Conclusions:Despite some effective practices in community engagement,substantial gaps exist in infodemic management preparedness.Critical deficiencies were identified in human and technological resources and infodemic response measures.Priority areas for improvement include human resource development,infodemic surveillance systems,digital tools implementation,and enhanced collaboration.The adoption of innovative tools and streamlined processes is essential for strengthening emergency risk communication preparedness.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China[61673151]the Ministry of Education in China Project of Humanities and Social Sciences[20YJC790176]+1 种基金Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China[LR18A050001]the Science and Technology Key Project of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps,and the Major Project of The National Social Science Fund of China[19ZDA324].
文摘The pandemic of COVID-19 witnessed a massive infodemic with the public being bombarded with vast quantities of information.The spreading of neutral and highly accurate reports can guide the public to self-protect and reduce the pandemic.Mis-and dis-information would intrigue panic and high exposure risk to epidemic.Although the infodemic has attracted attentions from the academia,it is still not known to what degree and in which direction the information flows contribute to the COVID-19 pandemic.To fill the gap,we apply network reconstruction techniques to rebuild the hidden multiplex network of information and COVID-19 spreading by which we aim at quantifying the interaction between the propagation of information and the spatial outbreak of COVID-19,and delineate between the positive and negative impact of information on the pandemic.By differentiating the types of media that participated in the information process,we find that in the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic,infodemic does play a critical role to amplify the risk of virus outbreak in China and the risk is even larger for those highly developed regions.Compared to the old-fashion media,the new mobile platforms impose a greater risk to reinforce the positive feedback between infodemic and COVID-19 pandemic.
