Objectives This study aimed to assess the impact of high-level versus low-level construal messages about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (CVICP) on public attitudes toward the program and COVID-19 vaccination.
Methods A randomized controlled experimental design was employed. Adults aged 18 to 64 residing in the Republic of Korea were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (high-level construal message) or a control group (low-level construal message). Both groups viewed a 2-minute video about the CVICP, with construal level as the sole variable. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires evaluated attitudes toward the CVICP and COVID-19 vaccination, including satisfaction, perceived necessity, and perceived effectiveness in enhancing vaccine acceptance. Data were analyzed using the paired t-test, repeated measures 2-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression.
Results The experimental group showed statistically significant improvements across all 6 attitude measures following exposure to the high-level construal message. By contrast, the control group demonstrated significant improvement in only 3 attitudes: satisfaction with the CVICP, willingness to recommend vaccination, and willingness for future vaccination. A significant difference between groups was observed for perceived effectiveness of the CVICP in enhancing vaccine acceptance (p=0.01), with high-level construal messaging being more impactful.
Conclusion High-level construal messages are more effective than low-level messages in shaping public perceptions and addressing vaccine hesitancy. Policymakers and health authorities should incorporate high-level construal elements into communication strategies to build trust and support for vaccination programs.
Public health agencies (PHAs) have increasingly incorporated social media into their communication mix during successive pandemics in the 21st century. However, the quality, timing, and accuracy of their health messages have varied significantly, resulting in mixed outcomes for communication, audience engagement, and pandemic management. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the effectiveness of pandemic-related health messages shared by PHAs on social media and to report their impact on public engagement as documented in the literature. A scoping literature review was conducted following a predefined protocol. An electronic search of 7 relevant databases and 5 grey literature repositories yielded 9,714 papers published between January 2003 and November 2022. Seventy-three papers were deemed eligible and selected for review. The results underscored the insufficiency of social media guidance policies for PHAs. Six themes were identified: message source, message topic, message style, message timing, content credibility and reliability, and message recipient profile. These themes encompassed 20 variables that could inform PHAs’ social media public health communication during pandemics. Additionally, the findings revealed potential interconnectedness among the variables, and this study concluded by proposing a conceptual model that expands upon existing theoretical foundations for developing and evaluating pandemic-related health messaging.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Dynamics of public health messaging and healthcare activity in children during the 2022 iGAS surge: an observational study in England Alexandra L Creavin, Ruth Kipping, Alastair D Hay Journal of Public Health.2026; 48(1): 281. CrossRef
Using Humor to Promote Directives: Public Service Announcements During a Protracted Crisis Babatunde A. Balogun, Lin Yang, Nenagh Kemp, Maria Agaliotis, Anne Hogden Health Communication.2026; 41(11): 1941. CrossRef
Citizen engagement with information when adapting to health crises: four distinctive profiles Marilla Kortesalmi, Harri Jalonen, Valdemar R. V. Kallunki International Journal of Public Sector Management.2026; 39(5): 579. CrossRef
Ethnopharmacy of Medicinal Plants in the Production of Ma'jun as Traditional Medicine in Blang Dalam Village, Darul Hikmah District, Aceh Jaya Regency Vera Maulida, Muhammad Ridhwan, Rubiah, Husna, Cut Morina Zubainur Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA.2026; 12(3): 59. CrossRef
Planning and Implementing Social Media Communication in a Public Health Crisis: An Analytical Perspective Babatunde A. Balogun, A. Hogden, L. Yang, M. Agaliotis, N. Kemp Health Promotion Journal of Australia.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Misinformation Through the Lens of Dutch News Media and Public Health Authorities: Content Analysis of Topics and Narratives Present in Pandemic-Related Misinformation During COVID-19 David Blanco-Herrero, Bas van den Putte, Toni G L A van der Meer JMIR Infodemiology.2026; 6: e91743. CrossRef
Mapping risk communication practices in public health emergencies: a scoping review and comparison with Italian regional pandemic plans Erica De Vita, Guglielmo Arzilli, Francesco Gesualdo, Virginia Casigliani, Milena Pasquale, Gianluca Cruschelli, Federico Tecchio, Filippo Tosi, Andrea Davide Porretta, Diana Romersi, Cesare Buquicchio, Caterina Rizzo BMC Public Health.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Co‐Designing a Framework for Social Media Health Communication to Young People: A Participatory Research Study Melody Taba, Julie Ayre, Kirsten McCaffery, Diana Vassilenko, Ivan C. K. Ma, Tara Haynes, Julie Leask, Andrew Wilson, Carissa Bonner Health Expectations.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Living health-promotion campaigns for communities in the United States: Decentralized content extraction and sharing through AI Man-pui Sally Chan, Haesung Jung, Alex Morales, Angela Zhang, Devlin O’Keefe, Sarah Joseph, Anthony Hron, Janet Davis, Tito Terry, Tiffany Peterson, Corey Herrman, Melissa Phillips, Jennifer Osborne, Kelley G McBride, Martin Hensley, Adriana Todorov, Alai PNAS Nexus.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Paid Social Media Advertising on Vaping in Australia: A Descriptive Study Using Meta Ad Library Xiao Li, Robyn Gillespie, Alberto Nettel‐Aguirre, Lisa Gaye Smithers Health Promotion Journal of Australia.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Objectives This study investigated preventive behaviors toward coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and related factors in a Kurdish Iranian sample.
Methods This online survey was conducted among the population aged 18 and above in Kermanshah Province, in western Iran, in April 2020. Samples were invited and recruited through social media. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of 4 sections (questions on demographic variables, risk perception, risk communication, and COVID-19 preventive behaviors) and analyzed using Stata ver. 8.
Results The Pearson correlation test showed that risk communication was significantly correlated with COVID-19 preventive behaviors (r=0.320, p<0.01). In the final model, where the explanatory power increased with the entry of the risk communication variable, the variables explained a total of 14% of variance in COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Sex (β=−0.482), risk perception (β=0.047), and risk communication (β=0.662) were significant determinants.
Conclusion Risk communication and risk perception related to COVID-19, as well as being a woman, were determinants of COVID-19 preventive behaviors.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
A study protocol for co-designing risk communication strategies for hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing among priority populations in Johannesburg district, Gauteng, South Africa Nyeleti P. Chauke, Tivani Mashamba-Thompson, Kuhlula Maluleke Discover Public Health.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Predisposing factors of using cosmetics in Iranian female students: application of prototype willingness model Shandiz Moslehi, Asghar Tavan, Sajjad Narimani, Fatemeh Ahmadi, Masoomeh Kazemzadeh, Nadia Sedri Frontiers in Psychology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Utilizing social media for community risk communication in megacities: analysing the impact of WeChat group information interaction and perception on communication satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai Yasai Chen, Yiru Chen, Shan Yu, Shuni Yu BMC Public Health.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
The strongest predictors of compliance with health protocols among marketers and guilds based on the transtheoretical model Shandiz Moslehi, Asghar Tavan, Sajjad Narimani, Fardin shahbazzadeh, Nadia Sedri, Sama Sabahi BMC Public Health.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Adaptive measures to deal with the next pandemic caused by climate change in at-risk groups Laleh Hassani, Reihaneh Taheri Kondar, Sajjad Narimani, Amin Ghanbarnejad BMC Psychiatry.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Understanding Australian Government Risk Communication Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Sociodemographics, Risk Attitudes and Media Consumption Yiyun Shou, Louise M. Farrer, Amelia Gulliver, Eryn Newman, Philip J. Batterham, Michael Smithson Journal of Health Communication.2023; 28(4): 254. CrossRef
Risk perception and avoidance of preventive behavior on the COVID‐19 among cancer patients Mehdi Khezeli, Asghar Tavan, Sajjad Narimani, Vahideh Hoseini, Elham Zare Hosseinzadeh, Parisa Motamedi Health Science Reports.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
The Role of Risk Communication in Shaping Health-Protective Behavior Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand Suphunnika Termmee, Bing Wang Social Sciences.2023; 12(10): 551. CrossRef
<p>The importance of effective communication cannot be overestimated during a pandemic. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency national 1339 hotline has been in operation since the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak in 2016. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and provides accurate, reliable information based upon the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency guidelines in response to queries. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the 1339 hotline received callers’ questions about symptoms and the implications of their actions regarding the epidemic. Through the 1339 hotline, callers received the up-to-date information that enabled them to protect themselves as well as others from COVID-19. This public service may have influenced on reduced risk of virus transmission in Korea.</p>
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Assessment of Qatar’s Health Care Community Call Center Efficacy in Addressing COVID-19 Pandemic Health Care Challenges: Cross-Sectional Study Muhammad Atif Waheed, Lolwa Al Mannai, Hanan Khudadad, Jamil Alenbawi, Mariama Aminata Mansaray, Samya Al Abdulla JMIR Formative Research.2024; 8: e42753. CrossRef
Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned Maryam Eslami Jahromi, Haleh Ayatollahi, Ali Ebrazeh BMC Public Health.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Unbiased care, unequal outcomes: a nursing telehealth intervention reveals systematic inequities in COVID-19 care delivery Anthony Cheng, Kyle Hart, Andrea Baron, Emily Dollar, Brian Park, Jen DeVoe, Eric Herman, Julie Johnson, Deborah J. Cohen BMC Nursing.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Mental health concerns and network structures of psychological helpline help-seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: Pandemic stage differences Lizu Lai, Jingqiang Tong, Yu-Tao Xiang, Lin Zhang, Zhihong Ren Journal of Affective Disorders.2023; 323: 444. CrossRef
Emerging Health Disparities during the COVID-19 Pandemic Nour Mheidly, Nadine Y. Fares, Mohamad Y. Fares, Jawad Fares Avicenna Journal of Medicine.2023; 13(01): 060. CrossRef
Reinventing Patient Support and Continuity of Care Using Innovative Physician-staffed Hotline: More than 60,000 Patients Served Across 15 Medical and Surgical Specialties During the First Wave of COVID-19 Lockdown in Qatar Mohamed Arafa, Walid El Ansari, Fadi Qasem, Abdulla Al Ansari, Mohammed Al Ateeq Al Dosari, Khalid Mukhtar, Mohamed Ali Alhabash, Khalid Awad, Khalid Al Rumaihi Journal of Medical Systems.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Role and effectiveness of telephone hotlines in outbreak response in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis Noah T. Fongwen, Almighty Nchafack, Hana Rohan, Jason J. Ong, Joseph D. Tucker, Nadine Beckmann, Gwenda Hughes, Rosanna W. Peeling, Felix Bongomin PLOS ONE.2023; 18(11): e0292085. CrossRef
An Innovative Telemedicine Initiative From Sri Lanka: The Value of Volunteerism in a Resource-Constrained Scenario During the COVID-19 Pandemic Indika Karunathilake, Sajith Edirisinghe, Manuj Weerasinghe, B. J. C. Perera, Anver Hamdani, Rasnayaka Mudiyanse, Sanka Randenikumara, Dulmini de Silva, Dulanja Senanayake, Sarath Gamini De Silva, Kalyani Guruge, M. K. Ragunathan, Athula Sumathipala, Pali Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health.2022; 34(5): 557. CrossRef
Epidemiology, clinical spectrum, viral kinetics and impact of COVID‐19 in the Asia‐Pacific region Kin On Kwok, Ying Huang, Margaret Ting Fong Tsoi, Arthur Tang, Samuel Yeung Shan Wong, Wan In Wei, David Shu Cheong Hui Respirology.2021; 26(4): 322. CrossRef
Generic Logic Model for Coronavirus Disease-2019 Responses Based on the South Korean Experience Hae-ryoung Chun, Kyuhyun Yoon, Hana Kim, Eunsil Cheon, Jaeyoung Ha, Sangwoo Tak, Sung-il Cho Risk Management and Healthcare Policy.2021; Volume 14: 4765. CrossRef
<sec><title>Objectives</title><p>Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease. People seek health information on Lyme disease from YouTube<sup>TM</sup> videos. In this study, we investigated if the contents of Lyme disease-related YouTube<sup>TM</sup> videos varied by their sources.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Most viewed English YouTube<sup>TM</sup> videos (n = 100) were identified and manually coded for contents and sources.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Within the sample, 40 videos were consumer-generated, 31 were internet-based news, 16 were professional, and 13 were TV news. Compared with consumer-generated videos, TV news videos were more likely to mention celebrities (odds ratio [OR], 10.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.13–52.58), prevention of Lyme disease through wearing protective clothing (OR, 5.63; 95% CI, 1.23–25.76), and spraying insecticides (OR, 7.71; 95% CI, 1.52–39.05).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>A majority of the most popular Lyme disease-related YouTube<sup>TM</sup> videos were not created by public health professionals. Responsible reporting and creative video-making facilitate Lyme disease education. Partnership with YouTube<sup>TM</sup> celebrities to co-develop educational videos may be a future direction.</p></sec>
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Evaluation of Quality of Videos About MRONJ on YouTube™ Ezgi Tuncay, Hümeyra Yazar ADO Klinik Bilimler Dergisi.2025; 14(2): 84. CrossRef
Identifying Trusted Sources of Lyme Disease Prevention Information Among Internet Users Connected to Academic Public Health Resources: Internet-Based Survey Study Heather L Kopsco, Rayda K Krell, Thomas N Mather, Neeta P Connally JMIR Formative Research.2023; 7: e43516. CrossRef
Identifying Potential Lyme Disease Cases Using Self-Reported Worldwide Tweets: Deep Learning Modeling Approach Enhanced With Sentimental Words Through Emojis Elda Kokoe Elolo Laison, Mohamed Hamza Ibrahim, Srikanth Boligarla, Jiaxin Li, Raja Mahadevan, Austen Ng, Venkataraman Muthuramalingam, Wee Yi Lee, Yijun Yin, Bouchra R Nasri Journal of Medical Internet Research.2023; 25: e47014. CrossRef
Approaches to Research Ethics in Health Research on YouTube: Systematic Review Joshua P Tanner, Courtney Takats, Hannah Stuart Lathan, Amy Kwan, Rachel Wormer, Diana Romero, Heidi E Jones Journal of Medical Internet Research.2023; 25: e43060. CrossRef
Leveraging machine learning approaches for predicting potential Lyme disease cases and incidence rates in the United States using Twitter Srikanth Boligarla, Elda Kokoè Elolo Laison, Jiaxin Li, Raja Mahadevan, Austen Ng, Yangming Lin, Mamadou Yamar Thioub, Bruce Huang, Mohamed Hamza Ibrahim, Bouchra Nasri BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Assessing Public Tick Identification Ability and Tick Bite Riskiness Using Passive Photograph-Based Crowdsourced Tick Surveillance Heather L Kopsco, Roland J Duhaime, Thomas N Mather, Holly Gaff Journal of Medical Entomology.2021; 58(2): 837. CrossRef
Spray Safe, Play Safe: Story-Based Films Increase Homeowner Confidence About Backyard Tick Management Victoria L Hornbostel, Rayda K Krell, Jennifer J Reid, Brittany L Schappach, Scott Volpe, Neeta P Connally, Holly Gaff Journal of Medical Entomology.2021; 58(2): 857. CrossRef
Cross‐sectional study on the quality of oral lichen planus videos on YouTube™ Antonio Romano, Dorina Lauritano, Fausto Fiori, Marco Di Petrillo, Iquebal Hasan, Alberta Lucchese, Rosario Serpico, Dario Di Stasio Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine.2021; 50(2): 220. CrossRef
Experience and knowledge of Lyme disease: A scoping review of patient-provider communication Anna T. Nesgos, Laura C. Harrington, Emily M. Mader Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases.2021; 12(4): 101714. CrossRef
The Coronavirus Intervention in Ethiopia and the Challenges for Implementation Hagos Nigussie Frontiers in Communication.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Lyme disease prevention: A content analysis of Canadian patient group and government websites Audrey‐Ann Journault, Lucie Richard, Cécile Aenishaenslin Zoonoses and Public Health.2020; 67(2): 177. CrossRef
Mapping tweets to a known disease epidemiology; a case study of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland John S.P. Tulloch, Roberto Vivancos, Rob M. Christley, Alan D. Radford, Jenny C. Warner Journal of Biomedical Informatics.2019; 100: 100060. CrossRef
Eastern Equine Encephalitis and YouTube videos: A content analysis Corey H. Basch, Elizabeth B. Blankenship, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Christina C. Yarborough, R. Christopher Rustin, Jingjing Yin Infection, Disease & Health.2018; 23(4): 197. CrossRef
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the influence of media communication on risk behavior related to mad cow disease (MCD). Methods
Mothers of elementary school students in Seoul were recruited as the survey participants of this study. Results
Media reports affected risk behavior related to MCD. Also, knowledge and attitude toward MCD affects risk behavior. Conclusion
Risk-related information provided by the media should maintain consistency and objectivity. For effective risk communication, there should be an open communication between the government and public, experts, and related industries, who should all collaborate.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
The influence of media consumption on public risk perception: a meta-analysis Chunhua Niu, Zhixin Jiang, Hongbing Liu, Kehu Yang, Xuping Song, Zhihong Li Journal of Risk Research.2022; 25(1): 21. CrossRef
Patterns of compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures among the public in Qatar and Kuwait Noora Lari, Noor Al-Thani Global Social Policy.2022; 22(3): 580. CrossRef
Understanding risk perception from floods: a case study from China Yi Ge, Guangfei Yang, Xiaotao Wang, Wen Dou, Xueer Lu, Jie Mao Natural Hazards.2021; 105(3): 3119. CrossRef
When beef consumption becomes politicized: Longitudinal change of US beef purchase intention and political values in Korea Byeong Je Kim, Ji-Bum Chung Food Policy.2021; 105: 102171. CrossRef
Community participation effects on preparedness behaviour through risk perception: Empirical data of hazardous chemicals from China Xiaowei Li, Tiezhong Liu International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.2020; 44: 101421. CrossRef
Food risk communication: analysis of the media coverage of food risk on Italian online daily newspapers Barbara Tiozzo, Anna Pinto, Federico Neresini, Stefano Sbalchiero, Nicoletta Parise, Mirko Ruzza, Licia Ravarotto Quality & Quantity.2019; 53(6): 2843. CrossRef
Perceived risks of produced water management and naturally occurring radioactive material content in North Dakota Luisa Torres, Om Prakash Yadav, Eakalak Khan Journal of Environmental Management.2017; 196: 56. CrossRef
Risk prediction of product-harm events using rough sets and multiple classifier fusion: an experimental study of listed companies in China Delu Wang, Jianping Zheng, Gang Ma, Xuefeng Song, Yun Liu Expert Systems.2016; 33(3): 254. CrossRef
Health Literacy, Health Risk Perception and Health Behavior of Elders Jeong Hee Jeong, Jung Soon Kim Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nurs.2014; 25(1): 65. CrossRef
First
Prev
