CONTEXT: Acquiring accurate information from trusted sources is paramount to ensuring health and safety of our population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Past pandemics have shown that ineffective messaging may result in public misconceptions, poor compliance with precautionary measures, overuse of health services and facilitate inadequate health and public policy decisions. Prior to the pandemic, television and online news have been Americans’ most preferred sources. Little is known about the preferred sources of information during COVID-19. Objective: To investigate most preferred sources for COVID-19-related information and to assess COVID-19 knowledge.
STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted from March 25, 2020 to March 31, 2020. Study Setting: A questionnaire was sent to a convenient sample of adults enrolled in a central Pennsylvania healthcare system.
POPULATION STUDIED: The survey received 6456 responses from central Pennsylvania adults. Incomplete responses were excluded.
OUTCOME MEASURED: Knowledge (15 items), information sources (7 items) and demographics (18 items) were obtained. Collected data were analyzed to determine most trusted sources for COVID-19-related information.
RESULTS: The single most trusted source for COVID-19 information were governmental health authorities, CDC/NIH/WHO (42.9%, N=2575), and they were the top choice across multiple demographic distributions. Respondents who chose CDC/NIH/WHO were also more likely to correctly answer questions pertaining to COVID-19 and precautionary measures (OR 1.21, 95% CL 1.16, 1.26, p<0.05) than those who selected another primary source of COVID-19 information.
CONCLUSIONS: Central Pennsylvania adults preferred to receive COVID-19-related information from CDC/NIH/WHO. Respondents who chose CDC/NIH/WHO as their primary source of information more correctly answered COVID-19-related questions. This study provides valuable information about the preferred sources of information for a regional population of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information ascertained in this study can also provide guidance to local healthcare facilities for developing targeted community outreach programs to distribute accurate and timely information during a future health crisis.
