1. Information overload in the context of COVID-19 pandemic: A repeated cross-sectional study
- Author
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Martin Breyton, Émilien Schultz, Allan 'Ben' Smith, Alexandra Rouquette, Julien Mancini, Institut des sciences de la santé publique [Marseille] (ISSPAM), Sciences Economiques et Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de l'Information Médicale (SESSTIM - U1252 INSERM - Aix Marseille Univ - UMR 259 IRD), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM), Centre population et développement (CEPED - UMR_D 196), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), The University of Sydney, Centre de recherche en épidémiologie et santé des populations (CESP), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)-Hôpital Paul Brousse-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université Paris-Saclay, Hôpital de la Timone [CHU - APHM] (TIMONE), This work benefited from the support of La Ligue Contre le Cancer (France) through the accreditation (LIGUE 2019) of the CANBIOS team. The sponsors had no role in study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, and and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.
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Cancer information overload ,Coronavirus information overload ,Psychometrics ,Validation studies ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Health behaviour ,Health literacy ,General Medicine - Abstract
International audience; Objectives: To assess the psychometric properties of the Coronavirus Information Overload scale (CovIO) and explore relationships between CovIO, its predictors and several health behaviours related to the COVID-19 pandemic, using Cancer Information Overload (CIO) scale results as a reference for comparison. Methods: 2003 participants representative of the French adult population answered a self-administered questionnaire over two waves of polling (N1(June 2020)= 1003, N2(January 2021)= 1000). Respondents were randomized to fill CovIO or CIO scale. Psychometric properties of scales were evaluated with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Predictors were assessed using multivariate linear regression. Results: CovIO scale showed satisfactory psychometric properties (α=0.86, ω=0.86, RMSEA=0.050) without any measurement invariance issue. CovIO increased between waves of sampling and was significantly linked to education, health literacy and trust in institutions among other variables. A negative relationship between information overload and preventive behaviours was also observed. Conclusion: The CovIO scale is a valid tool for assessing COVID-19 information overload. The dynamical formation of information overload and links with theorised predictors, especially, health literacy are confirmed. Practice implications: Longitudinal designs could help better understand the potential detrimental effect of information overload and improving public health campaigns. Interventions to reduce the degree of overload are needed.
- Published
- 2023