Understanding Membership in Alternative Health Social Media Groups and Its Association with COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination
Author Information
Author(s): Mavragani Amaryllis, Lazard Allison, Southwell Brian, Na Kilhoe, Zimdars Melissa, Cullinan Megan E
Primary Institution: Merrimack College
Hypothesis
This study aims to test hypotheses about different potential characteristics of members in alternative health groups and the association between membership and attitudes toward vaccination and vaccine-related behaviors.
Conclusion
People joining alternative health social media groups differ from nonmembers in various aspects, such as sharing, fear of negative evaluations, conspiratorial mentality, and health literacy, and there is a significant relationship between membership and vaccination.
Supporting Evidence
- Members of alternative health groups are more likely to share health information.
- Fear of negative evaluations is associated with membership in alternative health groups.
- Individuals with a conspiratorial mentality are more likely to join alternative health groups.
- Lower health literacy is linked to membership in alternative health groups.
- Members of alternative health groups have more negative attitudes toward vaccination.
Takeaway
This study looks at why people join alternative health groups on social media and how it affects their views on vaccines. It found that members often share more and have different attitudes towards vaccination compared to nonmembers.
Methodology
A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1050 participants recruited from alternative health social media groups and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.
Potential Biases
Possible sampling bias from using MTurk for nonmember recruitment.
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional and does not imply causality; potential sampling bias exists due to the recruitment method.
Participant Demographics
The sample consisted of 54.66% males, 44.77% females, and 0.57% intersex individuals, with a mean age of 37.12 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI 1.85-2.86 for sharing trait; 95% CI 1.06-1.37 for fear of negative evaluations; 95% CI 1.18-1.65 for conspiratorial mentality; 95% CI 0.23-0.47 for health literacy; 95% CI 0.65-0.95 for attitude toward vaccination; 95% CI 0.32-0.62 for COVID-19 vaccination status; 95% CI 0.22-0.45 for influenza vaccination practice.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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