TY  - JOUR
AU  - Wang, Peng-Wei
AU  - Lu, Wei-Hsin
AU  - Ko, Nai-Ying
AU  - Chen, Yi-Lung
AU  - Li, Dian-Jeng
AU  - Chang, Yu-Ping
AU  - Yen, Cheng-Fang
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/6/5
TI  - COVID-19-Related Information Sources and the Relationship With Confidence in People Coping with COVID-19: Facebook Survey Study in Taiwan
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e20021
VL  - 22
IS  - 6
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - information
KW  - internet
KW  - coping
KW  - confidence
KW  - mental health
KW  - social media
KW  - Facebook
KW  - survey
KW  - online health information
AB  - Background: People obtain information on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from the internet and other sources. Understanding the factors related to such information sources aids health professionals in educating individuals. Objective: This study used data collected from the online survey study on COVID-19 in Taiwan to examine what major COVID-19 information sources are available and which sources are significantly related to the self-confidence of people in coping with COVID-19 in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 1904 participants (1270 non–health-care workers and 634 health care workers) were recruited from the Facebook advertisement. Their major sources of information about COVID-19, the relationships between the sources and demographic factors, and the relationships between the sources and the self-confidence in coping with COVID-19 were surveyed. Results: Most Taiwanese people relied on the internet for COVID-19 information. Many respondents also used a variety of sources of information on COVID-19; such variety was associated with sex, age, and the level of worry toward COVID-19, as well as if one was a health care worker. For health care workers, the use of formal lessons as an information source was significantly associated with better self-confidence in coping with COVID-19. The significant association between receiving information from more sources and greater self-confidence was found only in health care workers but not in non–health-care workers. Conclusions: Medical professionals should consider subgroups of the population when establishing various means to deliver information on COVID-19. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - http://www.jmir.org/2020/6/e20021/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/20021
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32490839
DO  - 10.2196/20021
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/20021
ER  -