Repeated Exposure to COVID-19 Misinformation: A Longitudinal Analysis of Prevalence and Predictors in a Community Sample.

Repeated Exposure to COVID-19 Misinformation: A Longitudinal Analysis of Prevalence and Predictors in a Community Sample.

Publication date: Jul 23, 2024

Belief in health misinformation can affect individual health decisions and actions. Repeated exposure to the same misinformation strengthens its impact, yet little is known about how commonly repeated exposure occurs. To estimate the prevalence, we tracked exposure to 5 inaccurate COVID-19 claims every week for up to 23 consecutive weeks in a racially diverse panel of adults (n = 213). Repeated exposure was common: across the 5 claims, 10%-43% of respondents reported hearing the misinformation in ≥ 3 different weeks. Frontline workers were more likely than other community members to experience repeated exposure, with adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) ranging from 1. 8 to 4. 9 across the 4 items. Repeated exposure was most common among older adults. Adjusted IRR for those ages ≥ 50 versus 18-29 years ranged from 1. 8 to 2. 5 per misinformation claim. Public health planning efforts to counter health misinformation should anticipate multiple exposures to the same false claim, especially in certain subgroups.

Concepts Keywords
29years Adolescent
Ages50 Adult
Misinformation Aged
Workers Communication
COVID-19
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
SARS-CoV-2
Surveys and Questionnaires

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease MESH COVID-19

Original Article

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