Reporting of recombinant adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccine adverse events in online versions of three highly circulated US newspapers.

Newspapers' reporting of adverse vaccine events may influence their readers vaccination behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature and extent of coverage of Johnson and Johnson (J & J) vaccine's adverse events reported in the online versions of the three most widely circulated US daily newspapers from April 13-25, 2021. Articles were identified in published online versions of the three most widely cited newspapers in the United States, using several databases. Dedoose software was used to apply a mixed methods approach to the 110 articles identified. The seven overarching themes were as follows: (1) J & J vaccine characteristics (n = 78); (2) Description of the adverse events (n = 183); (3) Emphasis that it is a rare event and vaccine is still safe (n = 89); (4) Health authorities' investigation (n = 55); (5) Pause in administering J & J vaccine (n = 83); (6) Vaccine fear and anxiety and increased hesitancy (n = 58); (7) J & J role and impact (n = 108). Each theme included a series of subthemes. Overall, the newspaper coverage was aligned with handling of the pause from authoritative health agencies in the US. The findings of this study help to better understand how the US media covered adverse events related to the J & J vaccine, and provides insight for public health professionals regarding acceptance COVID-19 vaccines. Monitoring media coverage related to vaccine adverse events may help public health officials to develop new approaches to adequately inform the public, prevent misinformation, and maintain the optimal vaccination uptake.

Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Online Versions of Highly Circulated U.S. Daily Newspapers.

With the proliferation of news and the abundance of unknowns, COVID-19 information became rife with rumors and infiltrated consumers with confusion and information overload. In situations like this, it is important to provide consumers with credible and reliable information about the pandemic which is affecting their lives and livelihoods. Articles about coronavirus published in online versions of USA Today online, Wall Street Journal online and NYTimes.com between January and March 2020 were identified. Only articles where the search terms appeared in the headline were included as it was considered a more effective approach to understanding the health communication trends for this outbreak. These criteria resulted in 5,285 articles published on this topic during this time. All articles were imported into Dedoose mixed-methods software for thematic analysis. The frequency of each identified theme appearing in reviewed articles was counted, together with excerpts illustrating the specific theme. Overall, the five most common themes appearing in reviewed articles were "financial impact of COVID-19" (11.6%), "stories of affected individuals" (7.0%), "death and death rates" (6.8%), "precaution recommendations for public" (6.2%), and "quarantine" (5.9%). The newspapers did not just report the numbers (number of infections, ventilators, deaths, economic losses) but they also reported the context of the pandemic, such as, impact on economy, efforts to slow the spread of infection, switch to working from home, presence of health disparities, scientific search for reliable COVID-19 tests, and effect on supply chains. News media play a vital role in enhancing understanding of pandemic, but also in shaping public response to public health messages.

Chekhov's corner: Using Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic in the public health classroom.

BACKGROUND: Narratives can provide an interesting approach to health communication, incorporating anecdotes, imagery, and details that resonate with readers. Given this context, the purpose of this study was to explore the use of Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic to define and demonstrate an understanding of Ethos, Pathos and Logos. METHODS: This qualitative, cross-sectional education research was based on the use of Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones in an undergraduate elective. The elective course focused on using popular literature to promote a better understanding of health concepts. The assignment focused on the applicability of models of persuasion (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos) used in this book. Responses (n = 18) were compiled and reviewed following the basic premise of the Grounded Theory approach. This allowed for the identification and development of overarching themes in a way that gives a sense of how students applied this reading to the aforementioned directed question regarding models of persuasion. RESULTS: In establishing Ethos, the author's background as a journalist and the detailed interviews with credible sources were two major themes. Student quotations demonstrate that Pathos in this book was exemplified by presenting many different aspects of a complicated epidemic, rife with possibilities for evoking emotion. Illustrative quotations indicate that students are critically analyzing the text. CONCLUSION: Narratives can serve as a vehicle that influences people's understandings and beliefs, potentially promoting change in behavior or attitudes. They can enhance public health education and learning in an enriching and cross-disciplinary way.