Perception of information about COVID-19 and protective behaviours in relation to feelings of anxiety and happiness

This study aimed to assess the perception of the information provided about COVID-19 and the health protective behavior as potential factors of feelings of anxiety and happiness among the general population in Indonesia during the outbreak. We conducted an online survey using snowball sampling techniques. The online survey collected information about demographic data, self-report on information provision of COVID-19, health prevention behaviors, and feelings of anxiety and happiness. This study involved 3,686 participants from 33 provinces in Indonesia in the period from 2 nd of April to 4 th of April 2020. We found that the most frequent source of information reported was social media (91%), including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. The majority of participants were satisfied with the amount of information provided (98%), however, 54% of the participants reported that no information or very little information about the screening/test and the treatment of COVID-19 was provided. With regard to health protective behaviors, 90% of participants reported that they implemented cough and sneezing etiquettes, 89% avoided handshakes, 84% applied physical distancing, 82% stayed at home, 78% were wearing a mask, 64% consumed multivitamins, 57% avoided touching the face, 51% did sun bathing, 45% did wash their hands, and 33% of participants exercised regular at home. High exposure of Information about COVID-19 and doing preventive measures were associated with greater anxiety. Nonetheless, some preventive measures appeared to be positively associated with feelings of happiness. Our results give an indications about the information provision, application of preventive measure and the factors associated with feelings of anxiety and happiness. This outcome can be valuable to formulate ways of information distribution and provision of psychological support for vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.