Lessons from Ebola: Sources of Outbreak Information and the Associated Impact on UC Irvine and Ohio University College Students

This study had limitations that are important to consider. First, this study was conducted at two universities and the sample of students surveyed was a fraction of the estimated 17.3 million American undergraduates.15 Therefore, these results may not be representative of all college campuses in America, and its interpretation from a national standpoint is limited. Second, although carefully designed, the survey was a newly developed questionnaire and additional studies are necessary to assess the validity of the measures. Lastly, this cross-sectional study assessed students’ main information sources during the Ebola outbreak. Therefore, we cannot infer associations found to students’ daily health information sources. PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS Our study demonstrated that reliable sources for EVD information such as OGW could significantly increase college students’ knowledge of Ebola. However, OGW is among the least popular source of outbreak information amid this population. Therefore, public health authorities should revamp risk communication strategies to infiltrate into popular sources among students (e.g. news and social media) ensuring the dissemination of reliable information to this target audience during public health emergencies. In light of the ongoing Zika virus epidemic, an emerging arbovirus that has been associated with microcephaly in children born to infected mothers and Guillain-Barré syndrome in infected adults,32 recent nationwide poll of 1,004 ...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Source Type: research