Open AccessSARS-CoV2, the COVID-19 Pandemic and Community Perceptions
Author(s) -
Nikki Keene Woods,
Inneke L Vargas,
Melody McCray-Miller,
Amy Drassen Ham,
Amy Chesser
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of primary care and community health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.55
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 2150-1327
pISSN - 2150-1319
DOI - 10.1177/2150132721995451
Subject(s) - misinformation , medicine , pandemic , social media , covid-19 , focus group , public health , family medicine , health communication , social distance , the internet , public relations , nursing , infectious disease (medical specialty) , disease , pathology , marketing , world wide web , political science , computer science , law , business
The purpose of this study was to describe knowledge and beliefs about SARS-CoV2 and COVID-19 and explore the gaps between current media coverage of health risks and what the general public knows about the virus and its outcome. A 37-question survey was developed and administered to a community collaborative group in a Midwestern state in the United States. Fifty-three participants completed the survey. When asked where participants found their information, a majority reported the internet (33.9%, n = 18/53) and radio and/or tv (28.3%, n = 15/53). Most participants showed a basic level of COVID-19 knowledge, but few could identify the 3 most frequent symptoms of COVID-19 (7.5%, n = 4/53). The results from this study highlight the continued need for increased public health communication. Educational efforts should focus on social media and internet outlets to address COVID-19 misinformation, strategies to address vaccine hesitancy, and the associated communication gap to help address related health disparities.