Are People With Chronic Diseases Satisfied With the Online Health Information Related to COVID-19 During the Pandemic?
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Purpose: A deluge of fake news and misinformation about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on the Internet poses challenges for the public in their search for reliable and relevant health information for taking protective measures, especially among people with chronic diseases (PWCD). This study aimed to (a) understand the satisfaction level of the online information related to COVID‐19 in people with and without chronic diseases; (b) explore information‐searching behavior and digital health literacy in PWCD; and (3) identify the possible predictors of information satisfaction among PWCD. Methods: This was a multicity, cross‐sectional study using an online survey with a convenience sample of people who (a) were 15 years of age or older and (b) had access to the Internet in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Findings: Four thousand four hundred and seventy‐two subjects completed the survey, of whom less than 50% felt satisfied with the online information. About 20% of respondents (n = 882) were diagnosed with at least one chronic disease and reported a lower level of information satisfaction (p = .003) than the people without chronic diseases. The majority of the PWCD obtained their online health information from social media. Higher digital health literacy (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 5.07), higher frequency of searches regarding symptoms of COVID‐19 (adjusted OR = 2.07), higher perceived importance of quickly learning from the information searched (adjusted OR = 1.63), and lower frequency of searches on the topic of dealing with psychological stress (adjusted OR = 0.54) were found to be predictors of information satisfaction among PWCD. Conclusions: The majority of PWCD sought online information related to COVID‐19 from social media, and their level of information satisfaction was significantly lower than among people without chronic diseases. Digital health literacy is a strong and significant predictor of information satisfaction. Clinical Relevance: To support PWCD, we not only have to provide them with clear and accurate information, but also promote their digital health literacy so that they may seek, understand, and appraise health information from the Internet to make appropriate health‐related judgments and decisions.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, information satisfaction was reported in approximately half of participants in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, information satisfaction was reported approximately in half of the participants in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam [35, 41].”
From Digital health literacy, online information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of Covid-19 information among the university students of East and South-East Asia (2022) · cites this paper as [35]
The Discussion (p. 17) reports that less than 50% of respondents were satisfied with the information. The study’s sample was from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau (Design, Data Collection, and Participants, p. 8); this source does not provide a finding for Vietnam. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn adults with chronic diseases, DHL was a significant predictor of information satisfaction (Kor et al.).
“Kor et al. found out that DHL was a significant predictor of information satisfaction in the adult population with chronic diseases [35].”
Among people with chronic diseases in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, online information satisfaction during COVID-19 was related to DHL, online searching of COVID-19 symptoms, perceived importance of quickly learning from information search, and less frequent searches about dealing with psychological stress.
“Among the people with chronic diseases in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the online information satisfaction during COVID-19 was related to the DHL, online searching of COVID-19 symptoms, their perceived importance of quickly learning from the information search and less frequent searches about dealing with psychological stress [35].”
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- Authors
- Kor, P. P. K., Leung, A. Y. M., Parial, L. L., Wong, E. M. L., Dadaczynski, K., Okan, O., Amoah, P. A., Wang, S. S., Deng, R., Cheung, T. C. C., & Molassiotis, A.
- Affiliations
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK)
- Fulda University of Applied Sciences (DE)
- Bielefeld University (DE)
- Lingnan University (HK)
- Post doctoral fellow Centre for Gerontological Nursing School of Nursing Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong SAR China
- Director Department of Nursing The 5th Affiliated Hospital of Zhuyi Medical University Zhuhai China
- Corresponding author
- Leung, Angela Yee Man
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Nursing Scholarship
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2020-12-14
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 75-86
- ISSN
- 0363-2792 (ISSN-L)
- 1527-6546
- 1547-5069
- OpenAlex
- W3113163374
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 7
- FWCI
- 8.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Nursing Scholarship (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PolyU Institutional Research Archive (Hong Kong Polytechnic University) (submittedVersion)
- PUB – Publications at Bielefeld University (Bielefeld University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Social Sciences › Communication › Communication and COVID-19 Impact
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, chronic disease, online health information, information satisfaction, digital health literacy, information seeking, social media, health misinformation, psychological stress
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Adult, China, Chronic Disease, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Personal Satisfaction, Surveys and Questionnaires, Internet, Consumer Health Information, Health Literacy
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