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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Communication and Informatics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 26558

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yuping Mao

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Guest Editor

Department of Communication Studies, College of Liberal Arts, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
Interests: media use and health information diffusion; immigrants’ health communication; media effects on health, culture, and health

Dr. Lu Shi

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Guest Editor

Department of Public Health Sciences, Clemson University, South Carolina, CA, USA
Interests: immigrant health; mindfulness science; health communication

Prof. Dr. Hein Raat

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Guest Editor

Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Interests: public health; preventive medicine; integrated care; social inequalities in health; E-health and M-health; social pediatrics; social geriatrics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, media have been used by various age groups to fulfill different needs such as stress relief, seeking and/giving information and social support, entertainment, and learning. The increasing exposure and usage of media have direct and indirect impacts on mental and physical health at individual, group, and community levels. The affordances of media provide different methods of communication: one to many (e.g., TV), one to one (e.g., instant messaging), and many to many (e.g. social media). These various forms of communication allow media to influence societies at different scales. Individuals’ time spent on media can replace their time for face-to-face interaction with others and their time for physical activities. The contents of media can influence individuals’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, related to health. Health information on both traditional and social media can shape social discussions on health topics and inform policy-making. The effective use of media for health campaigns can make positive changes in the community health. This Special Issue seeks to examine the increasingly important role that media play in community health. We welcome submissions that explore various ways of using media for health communication and media effects on health in diverse sociocultural contexts from different methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives.

The topical areas will include (but are not limited to) the following:

Screen time and child development;
Social media’s role in health information dissemination and health promotion;
Video gaming’s effects on physical, mental, and psychological well-being;
Social media’s role in public health crisis management;
Media campaigns, health behavior, and health outcomes;
Mobile media and health behavior;
Telehealth and telemedicine;
Media and health in low-resource contexts;
Media and health disparities;
Determinants of screen time and media use;
Media use and health literacy.

Prof. Yuping Mao
Prof. Lu Shi
Prof. Hein Raat
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

media use
health promotion
telehealth
health literacy
media campaign

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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15 pages, 362 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Body Image and Voluntary Gaze Behaviors towards Physique-Salient Images

by April Karlinsky, Holly Howe, Melissa de Jonge, Alan Kingstone, Catherine M. Sabiston and Timothy N. Welsh

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(5), 2549; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052549 - 4 Mar 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2590

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore body image correlates of voluntary consumption of physique-salient media. A secondary aim was to assess changes in affect following media consumption. Young adult men (n = 47; mean age = 20.2 years) and women (n = 87; mean age = 19.5 years) were discretely exposed to images of same-sex models with idealized- and average-physiques while completing an irrelevant computer task. Voluntary gaze at the images was covertly recorded via hidden cameras. Participants also completed measures of affect before and after the computer task. Measures of body-related envy, body appreciation, and self-perceptions of attractiveness, thinness, and physical strength were completed. Men and women did not differ in how often nor for how long they looked at the images overall, but body image variables were differentially associated with their voluntary gaze behaviors. For men, higher body-related envy and lower body appreciation were correlated with more looks at the average-physique model. Although women reported higher body-related envy than men, envy and body appreciation were not significant correlates of gaze behaviors for women. Both men and women experienced a general affective decrease over time, but only for men was the change in negative affect associated with their time spent looking at the ideal-physique image. Overall, these findings suggest that body-related envy and body appreciation influence how men choose to consume physique-salient media, and that media consumption may have negative consequences for post-exposure affect. Body image factors appear to be more strongly associated with behavior in men, perhaps because men are generally less often exposed to physique-salient media and, in particular, to average-physique images. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Media Use and Health)

8 pages, 298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Smartphone Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social Versus Physical Distancing

by Meredith E. David and James A. Roberts

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(3), 1034; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031034 - 25 Jan 2021

Cited by 68 | Viewed by 8900

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, limiting face-to-face interaction is the best strategy for reducing the spread of COVID-19. We investigate the impact of social distancing on social connection and well-being, while also considering the moderating influence of smartphone use. In a survey of 400 students, the study presented herein finds that smartphone use attenuates the negative impact of social distancing on social connection and well-being. Contrary to popular sentiments regarding the influence of smartphone use on well-being, increased smartphone use during the pandemic may foster social connection and well-being. Overall, the research presented provides evidence that the perceived loss of social connection with others is not a de facto outcome of social distancing. The study’s findings have important implications for public policymakers, government officials, and others, including consumer researchers. These implications include stressing the important role technology can play in staying socially connected during the current pandemic and the importance of reframing “social distancing” as “physical distancing with social connectedness”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Media Use and Health)

19 pages, 1594 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Quality of Infectious Disease Hospital Websites in Poland in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Karol Król and Dariusz Zdonek

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(2), 642; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020642 - 13 Jan 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4614

Abstract

The quality of healthcare service websites gains particular importance in the time of the pandemic, asthe popularity of electronic services grows. This applies to infectious disease hospitals as well, often on the front line of the effort against COVID-19. The paper aims to assess the quality of infectious disease hospital websites in Poland in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research covered 91 websites. The first stage was an analysis of selected technical attributes of the websites (including website performance, SEO quality, website availability, and mobile-friendliness) with selected online tools, such as Google PageSpeed Insights, Blink Audit Tool, Backlink Checker, andwebsite accessibility evaluation tool (WAVE). The data were then analyzed with statistical methods. The next step was to analyze the content of the websites. The research has shown that most of the websites were of satisfactory quality, apart from those that were not mobile-ready. The following keywords were found most often on the hospital websites: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, smear, specialist care clinic, isolation, telephone consultations, sample collection center, support, coronavirus, recommendations, patient registration, signs of disease. The research suggests that the quality of infectious disease hospital websites in Poland is significantly diversified in search engine optimization, mobile-friendliness, and needs of people at risk of digital exclusion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Media Use and Health)

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10 pages, 1142 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Media Reporting on Air Pollution: Health Risk and Precautionary Measures in National and Regional Newspapers

by Steven Ramondt and A. Susana Ramírez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(18), 6516; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186516 - 7 Sep 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3573

Abstract

Exposure to air pollution is one of the primary global health risk factors, yet individuals lack the knowledge to engage in individual risk mitigation and the skills to mobilize for the change necessary to reduce such risks. News media is an important tool for influencing individual actions and support for public policies to reduce environmental threats; thus, a lack of news coverage of such issues may exacerbate knowledge deficits. This study examines the reporting of health risks and precautionary measures regarding air pollution in national and regional print news. We conducted a content analysis of two national and two local newspapers covering the USA’s most polluted region during a 5-year period. Coders identified information on threat, self-efficacy, protective measures and information sources. Nearly 40% of air pollution news articles mentioned human health risks. Fewer than 10% of news stories about air pollution provided information on the precautionary measures necessary for individuals to take action to mitigate their risk. Local newspapers did not report more threat (Χ² = 1.931, p = 0.165) and efficacy (Χ² = 1.118, p = 0.209) information. Although air pollution levels are high and continue to rise at alarming rates, our findings suggest that news media reporting is not conducive to raising environmental health literacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Media Use and Health)

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12 pages, 660 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Validating Self-Reported Ad Recall as a Measure of Exposure to Digital Advertising: An Exploratory Analysis Using Ad Tracking Methodology

by Alexa R. Romberg, Morgane Bennett, Shreya Tulsiani, Bethany Simard, Jennifer M. Kreslake, Dionisios Favatas, Donna M. Vallone and Elizabeth C. Hair

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(7), 2185; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072185 - 25 Mar 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3500

Abstract

Many mass media campaigns aimed at changing young people’s health behavior air on digital platforms rather than on broadcast media (e.g., television), given the intended audience’s preference for web-based communication. While research suggests self-reported ad recall correlates with exposure to television advertising, it remains unclear whether self-report measures are correlated with exposure to digital advertising. This study examined the association between an objective measure of digital ad exposure and self-reported recall of digital ads from the truth^® tobacco prevention campaign. Digital ad tracking methodology was employed to identify members of an online panel (ages 18−34) who had been exposed to ads during their regular web browsing. Demographics of exposed participants were used to develop a matched control group of non-exposed panel members. Members of the Exposed group (n = 458) and matched Control participants (n = 506) were surveyed on recall of truth ads, media use, and demographics. Results indicated that Exposed participants had significantly higher odds of reporting ad recall compared to Control participants. With each additional ad exposure, the odds of self-reporting higher frequency of ad exposure increased by 8% (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.01−1.16). Findings suggest self-reported measures of ad recall are a valid measure of campaign exposure in a digital media environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Media Use and Health)

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11 pages, 315 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Information in Spanish on the Internet about the Prevention of COVID-19

by Ignacio Hernández-García and Teresa Giménez-Júlvez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(21), 8228; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218228 - 7 Nov 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2201

Abstract

Objective. Our objective was to analyze the evolution of the information in Spanish online about the prevention of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods. On 1 March and 13 July 2020, two searches were conducted on Google with the terms “Prevencion COVID-19” and “Prevencion Coronavirus”. In each stage, a univariate analysis was performed to study the association of the authorship and country of origin with the basic recommendations to avoid COVID-19 provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). Results. A total of 120 weblinks were evaluated. The recommendation found most frequently in both stages was “wash your hands frequently” (93.3% in March vs. 90.0% in July). There was a significant increase in the detection of the following recommendations: “avoid touching your face” (56.7% vs. 80.0%) and “stay at home if you feel unwell” (28.3% vs. 63.3%). Weblinks of official public health organizations more frequently provided the advice to “seek medical advice if you develop a fever/cough or have difficulty breathing”. Furthermore, in July, such weblinks provided recommendations to “avoid touching your face” and “maintain a distance of one meter” more frequently than the mass media (OR = 11.5 and 10.5, respectively). In March, the recommendation to “maintain a distance of at least 1 m” was associated with the weblinks from countries with local transmission/imported cases (OR = 8.1). Different/ambiguous information regarding the WHO recommendations was detected in four weblinks. Conclusion. The availability of information in Spanish online on basic prevention measures has improved over time, although there is still room for improvement. It is necessary to promote the use of the websites of official public health organizations among Spanish-speaking users. Full article

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