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Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study

Background: There are multiple media platforms and various resources available for information on COVID-19. Identifying people’s preferences is key to building public confidence and planning for successful national health intervention strategies. Objective: This study examines the sources of info...

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Main Authors: Mohamad, Emma, Tham, Jen Sern, Ayub, Suffian Hadi, Hamzah, Mohammad Rezal, Hashim, Hasrul, Azlan, Arina Anis
Format: Article
Published: JMIR Publications 2020
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/87441/
https://www.jmir.org/2020/11/e23922/
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spelling my.upm.eprints.874412023-05-22T03:30:19Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/87441/ Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study Mohamad, Emma Tham, Jen Sern Ayub, Suffian Hadi Hamzah, Mohammad Rezal Hashim, Hasrul Azlan, Arina Anis Background: There are multiple media platforms and various resources available for information on COVID-19. Identifying people’s preferences is key to building public confidence and planning for successful national health intervention strategies. Objective: This study examines the sources of information for COVID-19 used by the Malaysian public and identifies those that are associated with building public confidence and positive perceptions toward the Malaysian government. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 4850 Malaysian residents was conducted. Participant demographics, media use, information sources, and attitudes surrounding COVID-19 were assessed. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to gauge the relationship between demographics, information sources, and attitudes toward COVID-19. Results: Malaysians primarily used television and internet news portals to access information on COVID-19. The Malaysian Ministry of Health was the most preferred source of COVID-19 information. Respondents who referred to the Ministry of Health, television, and the Malaysian National Security Council for information were more likely to believe that the country could win the battle against COVID-19 and that the government was handling the health crisis well compared to those who referred to other information sources. Those who used the World Health Organization, friends, YouTube, family, and radio as sources of information were less likely to harbor confidence and positive belief toward combating COVID-19. Conclusions: Managing information and sustaining public confidence is important during a pandemic. Health authorities should pay considerable attention to the use of appropriate media channels and sources to allow for more effective dissemination of critical information to the public. JMIR Publications 2020-11 Article PeerReviewed Mohamad, Emma and Tham, Jen Sern and Ayub, Suffian Hadi and Hamzah, Mohammad Rezal and Hashim, Hasrul and Azlan, Arina Anis (2020) Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22 (11). pp. 1-13. ISSN 1438-8871 https://www.jmir.org/2020/11/e23922/ 10.2196/23922
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
building UPM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Putra Malaysia
content_source UPM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://psasir.upm.edu.my/
description Background: There are multiple media platforms and various resources available for information on COVID-19. Identifying people’s preferences is key to building public confidence and planning for successful national health intervention strategies. Objective: This study examines the sources of information for COVID-19 used by the Malaysian public and identifies those that are associated with building public confidence and positive perceptions toward the Malaysian government. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 4850 Malaysian residents was conducted. Participant demographics, media use, information sources, and attitudes surrounding COVID-19 were assessed. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to gauge the relationship between demographics, information sources, and attitudes toward COVID-19. Results: Malaysians primarily used television and internet news portals to access information on COVID-19. The Malaysian Ministry of Health was the most preferred source of COVID-19 information. Respondents who referred to the Ministry of Health, television, and the Malaysian National Security Council for information were more likely to believe that the country could win the battle against COVID-19 and that the government was handling the health crisis well compared to those who referred to other information sources. Those who used the World Health Organization, friends, YouTube, family, and radio as sources of information were less likely to harbor confidence and positive belief toward combating COVID-19. Conclusions: Managing information and sustaining public confidence is important during a pandemic. Health authorities should pay considerable attention to the use of appropriate media channels and sources to allow for more effective dissemination of critical information to the public.
format Article
author Mohamad, Emma
Tham, Jen Sern
Ayub, Suffian Hadi
Hamzah, Mohammad Rezal
Hashim, Hasrul
Azlan, Arina Anis
spellingShingle Mohamad, Emma
Tham, Jen Sern
Ayub, Suffian Hadi
Hamzah, Mohammad Rezal
Hashim, Hasrul
Azlan, Arina Anis
Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study
author_facet Mohamad, Emma
Tham, Jen Sern
Ayub, Suffian Hadi
Hamzah, Mohammad Rezal
Hashim, Hasrul
Azlan, Arina Anis
author_sort Mohamad, Emma
title Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study
title_short Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study
title_full Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study
title_fullStr Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study
title_full_unstemmed Relationship between COVID-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the Malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study
title_sort relationship between covid-19 information sources and attitudes in battling the pandemic among the malaysian public: cross-sectional survey study
publisher JMIR Publications
publishDate 2020
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/87441/
https://www.jmir.org/2020/11/e23922/
_version_ 1768009370375815168
score 13.211869

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