Covid-19 misinformation in Portuguese-speaking countries: agreement with content and associated factors

Álvaro Francisco Lopes de Sousa*, Guilherme Schneider*, Herica Emilia Félix de Carvalho*, Layze Braz de Oliveira*, Shirley Verônica Melo Almeida Lima*, Anderson Reis de Sousa*, Telma Maria Evangelista de Araújo*, Emerson Lucas Silva Camargo*, Mônica Oliveira Batista Oriá*, Carmen Viana Ramos*, Rodrigo Mota de Oliveira*, Camila Aparecida Pinheiro Landim Almeida*, Andrêa Jacqueline Fortes Ferreira*, Jules Ramon Brito Teixeira*, Iracema Lua*, Fernanda de Oliveira Souza*, Tânia Maria de Araújo*, Inês Fronteira*, Isabel Amélia Costa Mendes*

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a complex phenomenon called the “infodemic” has emerged, compromising coping with the pandemic. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of agreement with misinformation about COVID-19 and to identify associated factors. A web survey was carried out in Portuguese-speaking countries in two stages: 1. the identification of misinformation circulating in the included countries; 2. a multicentric online survey with residents of the included countries. The outcome of the study was agreement or disagreement with misinformation about COVID-19. Multivariate analyzes were conducted using the Poisson regression model with robust variance, a logarithmic link function, and 95% confidence intervals. The prevalence of agreement with misinformation about COVID-19 was 63.9%. The following factors increased the prevalence of this outcome: having a religious affiliation (aPR: 1454, 95% CI: 1393–1517), having restrictions on leisure (aPR: 1230, 95% CI: 1127–1342), practicing social isolation (aPR: 1073, 95% CI: 1030–1118), not avoiding agglomeration (aPR: 1060, 95% CI: 1005–1117), not seeking/receiving news from scientific sources (aPR: 1153, 95% CI: 1068–1245), seeking/receiving news from three or more non-scientific sources (aPR: 1114, 95% CI: 1049–1182), and giving credibility to news carried by people from social networks (aPR: 1175, 95% CI: 1104–1251). There was a high prevalence of agreement with misinformation about COVID-19. The quality, similarity, uniformity, and acceptance of the contents indicate a concentration of themes that reflect “homemade”, simple, and easy methods to avoid infection by SARS-CoV-2, compromising decision-making and ability to cope with the disease.
Original languageEnglish
Article number235
Number of pages12
JournalSustainability
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2022

Keywords

  • Biomedical technology
  • Coronavirus infections
  • COVID-19
  • Health-related behaviors
  • Misinformation
  • Pandemics

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