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Table 2: common misconceptions and relevance of social media in improving evd awareness |
||
|
Variable (n=400) |
F |
% |
|
Respondent is a member of a social network |
380 |
95.0 |
|
Common social networks (multiple responses) n=380 |
|
|
|
|
355 |
93.4 |
|
Twitther |
87 |
22.9 |
|
Linkdeth |
20 |
5.3 |
|
Others |
80 |
21.1 |
|
Social media was the first source of information about EVD |
287 |
71.8 |
|
That it is a new disease |
207 |
51.8 |
|
That it kills very fast |
292 |
73.0 |
|
That it is incurable |
316 |
79.0 |
|
Common misconceptions (n=287) |
|
|
|
Can be treated with antibiotics |
51 |
17.8 |
|
Prevented by taking daily hot water bath with salt |
214 |
74.6 |
|
Prevented by taking bitter cola |
237 |
82.6 |
|
Prevented by taking miracle cola |
82 |
28.6 |
|
Prevented by frequent rubbing of the body with Aloverae soap and cream |
40 |
13.9 |
|
Prevented by drinking plenty of condensed milk |
23 |
8.0 |
|
Curable by taking appreciable quantity of onions |
46 |
16.0 |
|
Preventable by not shaking hands with friends and colleagues |
125 |
43.6 |
|
Did you beliefs in all these received messages at first exposure) n=287 |
218 |
76.0 |
|
Did you forward these messages to others |
150 |
52.3 |
|
Did you get a feedback from anyone you forwarded these messages to |
82 |
28.9 |
|
Did any of them told you she implemented the directives in the forwarded preventive methods |
22 |
7.7 |
|
Did you bother to ascertain reliability of such information before forwarding the message to others |
21 |
7.3 |
|
Do you think that SM can assist to disseminate health information and improve awareness |
365 |
91.3 |
|
Perceived reliability of information from SM (n=287): multiple responses allowed |
|
|
|
Always reliable |
115 |
40.1 |
|
May be reliable |
202 |
70.4 |
|
Usually full of rumours |
78 |
27.2 |
|
Usually needs verification |
106 |
36.9 |
|
SM can also be used to dispel rumours on health information |
332 |
83 |
|
I would like the use of such method of sharing information regulated |
337 |
84.3 |
|
Do you think that decisions of others can be influenced through SM use |
321 |
80.3 |
|
Government should block sites giving wrong information |
341 |
85.3 |
|
Do you think that Government should have used SM in reaching out to youths on EVD outbreak and prevention and control |
38 |
9.5 |
|
SM is effective in disseminating health information among youths |
206 |
51.6% |