Amid the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), racially and economically marginalized communities experienced a disproportionate burden of disease and social consequences (e.g., unemployment, increased exposure). This study seeks to understand strategies that these communities employed to cope with unequal burdens of the pandemic.We utilized qualitative data collected between 2020 and 2021 from a mobile mapping platform designed to facilitate real-time, geocoded data collection on individual's experiences and perceptions of their neighborhoods. Reports were iteratively coded by an academic researcher and community partner. We employed an inductive approach to analysis, which allowed findings to emerge organically without constraint of researcher hypotheses.A total of 19 respondents (14 under the age of 45, 16 non-White, 15 with less than half a year of emergency savings) provided 236 qualitative reports. Participants described innovative strategies for exchanging resources as a means of informally networking and building community, the importance of tailored programming (e.g., for specific racial/ethnic groups) in fostering belonging and comfort, and the importance of two specific dimensions of services-interactions with service providers and the quality of goods or services-in providing dignified care.Amidst exacerbated racial and economic disparities emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, our study highlights the need for investment in mutual aid, the importance of tailored services and support, and promoting dignity in social services. As other macro-level social stressors become more prevalent as the pandemic continues, these findings can inform how we examine and address them. 

Dignified Resources and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Qualitative Study of Racially and Economically Marginalized Communities.

An analysis of 640 posts from the social media platforms of 14 students at a historically Black university revealed that entertainment accounted for 68% of their social media content, “uplift” 17%, and empowerment 14%. Educators worry that students may be squandering online resources that could help improve their lives when they choose entertainment over uplift and empowerment. The study examines why entertainment trumps uplift and empowerment, and more broadly, how it may serve as a catalyst to combat disinformation.

From Entertainment to Empowerment: A Call for Social Media Literacy Education at an HBCU

COVID-19 vaccines effectively protect against COVID-19-related hospitalization or death, and 67.1% of the US population is fully vaccinated. However, the disparity in COVID-19 vaccination persists among minority and rural populations who often report greater hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccines. This exploratory study aimed to understand and document trusted sources of information about the COVID-19 vaccine among a diverse sample of hesitant adopters with in-depth interviews. Participants (n = 21) described how information from trusted sources influenced their decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine despite being hesitant. Participants reported health care professionals, family members, friends, coworkers, community leaders, public health experts, government officials, and the mainstream media as trusted sources of information about the COVID-19 vaccines. Participants discussed obtaining trusted information from multiple modes, including direct conversations with trusted messengers and public health communications from public influencers who reinforced the information shared with trusted messengers. Notably, participants discussed having multiple conversations with trusted messengers during their decision-making process, and these trusted messengers often facilitated the participants’ vaccination process. Study findings highlight the continued need for clear, understandable information about vaccine side effects, safety, and efficacy to address concerns that contribute to vaccine hesitancy.

Key Conversations and Trusted Information Among Hesitant Adopters of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Background COVID-19–related health inequalities were reported in some studies, showing the failure in public health and communication. Studies investigating the contexts and causes of these inequalities pointed to the contribution of communication inequality or poor health literacy and information access to engagement with health care services. However, no study exclusively dealt with health inequalities induced by the use of social media during COVID-19. Objective This review aimed to identify and summarize COVID-19–related health inequalities induced by the use of social media and the associated contributing factors and to characterize the relationship between the use of social media and health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A systematic review was conducted on this topic in light of the protocol of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 statement. Keyword searches were performed to collect papers relevant to this topic in multiple databases: PubMed (which includes MEDLINE [Ovid] and other subdatabases), ProQuest (which includes APA PsycINFO, Biological Science Collection, and others), ACM Digital Library, and Web of Science, without any year restriction. Of the 670 retrieved publications, 10 were initially selected based on the predefined selection criteria. These 10 articles were then subjected to quality analysis before being analyzed in the final synthesis and discussion. Results Of the 10 articles, 1 was further removed for not meeting the quality assessment criteria. Finally, 9 articles were found to be eligible and selected for this review. We derived the characteristics of these studies in terms of publication years, journals, study locations, locations of study participants, study design, sample size, participant characteristics, and potential risk of bias, and the main results of these studies in terms of the types of social media, social media use–induced health inequalities, associated factors, and proposed resolutions. On the basis of the thematic synthesis of these extracted data, we derived 4 analytic themes, namely health information inaccessibility–induced health inequalities and proposed resolutions, misinformation-induced health inequalities and proposed resolutions, disproportionate attention to COVID-19 information and proposed resolutions, and higher odds of social media–induced psychological distress and proposed resolutions. Conclusions This paper was the first systematic review on this topic. Our findings highlighted the great value of studying the COVID-19–related health knowledge gap, the digital technology–induced unequal distribution of health information, and the resulting health inequalities, thereby providing empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between social media use and health inequalities in the context of COVID-19 and suggesting practical solutions to such disparities. Researchers, social media, health practitioners, and policy makers can draw on these findings to promote health equality while minimizing social media use–induced health inequalities.

/pdf/covid-19-related-health-inequalities-induced-by-the-use-of-1ha0evsy.pdf

COVID-19–Related Health Inequalities Induced by the Use of Social Media: Systematic Review

Objective During the COVID-19 pandemic, information sources such as public officials, national/international media, social media, public health agencies, college/university officials, etc., played a vital role in adherence to safety measures, including hygiene practices, social distancing, and mask-wearing. We analyze the role of trusted sources of information in adherence to safety measures and explore potential disparities among US college students during the pandemic. 

Role of information sources in adherence to COVID-19-related safety measures among college students in the USA

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread quickly across the nation with a disproportionate impact on Black Americans. Many college-aged students receive their COVID-19-related information through social media and television even though research suggests that social media sources are more likely to be incorrect. Some students report trusting these sources over government sources such as the CDC and WHO. The purpose of this study was to understand Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students’ COVID-19 knowledge, sources of information, and planned precautions. There were 21 in-depth interviews conducted with students attending a large southern HBCU during Spring 2020. Themes regarding knowledge included the following: it is a flu-like condition, it has international roots, there is inaccurate and changing information, and it is a pandemic. Themes regarding sources included: the news, US government and related officials, social media, interactions with family, and other social interactions. Themes regarding severity included the following: statistics, a distrust for hospital reporting, a belief that COVID-19 deaths were conflated with baseline health, peer influence, and familial influence. Themes regarding precautions included the following: proper mask use, hand washing/ sanitizing, avoiding large crowds/small crowds only, physical distancing, COVID-19 testing/symptom monitoring, and COVID-19 vaccination. 

/pdf/navigating-a-pandemic-a-qualitative-study-of-knowledge-1bxwjt7z.pdf

Navigating a Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Knowledge, Sources of Information, and COVID-19-Related Precautions Taken by HBCU Students

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Navigating a Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Knowledge, Sources of Information, and COVID-19-Related Precautions Taken by HBCU Students