ArticlePloS one2021
The Role of Tailored Public Health Messaging to Young Adults during COVID-19: "There's a lot of ambiguity around what it means to be safe".
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Mediating Effect of Risk Awareness on the Relationship Between Infectious Disease Knowledge and Protective Behaviors Among Earthquake-Affected Populations.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Evaluating the efficacy of digital media platforms in disseminating public health information: A global review with implications for South Africa.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2026Review
- Exploring Conceptualizations of COVID-19 Risk in Ideologically Distinct Online Communities: A Computational Grounded Theory Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Is Covid-19 "vaccine uptake" in postsecondary education a "problem"? A critical policy inquiry.Health (London, England : 1997) · 2024Article
- Content Analysis of Official Public Health Communications in Ontario, Canada during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- 'It's quite a balancing act': A qualitative study of parents' experiences and information needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Trust by Proxy.Cureus · 2023Article
- Perceptions and Experiences of Undergraduate Students Regarding Social Media as a Tool for Government COVID-19-Related Messages: A Qualitative Study in Nottingham, UK.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Relationships between Intolerance of Uncertainty, Worry, Rumination, and Distress in College Students During the Coronavirus Pandemic: the Role of COVID-19 Threat Appraisals.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2023Article
- Engagement with regular asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in young people in North West England: a qualitative focus group study.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Poor air passenger knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms and behaviour undermines strategies aimed at preventing the import of SARS-CoV-2 into the UK.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Public health communication during the COVID-19 pandemic: perspectives of communication specialists, healthcare professionals, and community members in Quebec, Canada.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2022Article
- Healthcare workers' attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods study.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2022Article
- Age and Gender Perspectives on Social Media and Technology Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Next Gen Hawai'i: Collaborative COVID-19 Social Media Initiative to Engage Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander, and Filipino Youth.Hawai'i journal of health & social welfare · 2022Article
- A comparative study on mental health and adaptability between older and younger adults during the COVID-19 circuit breaker in Singapore.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 global incidence rate among young adults (age 19-40) drastically increased since summer 2020, and young adults were often portrayed by popular media as the "main spreader" of the pandemic. However, young adults faced unique challenges during the pandemic due to working in high-risk, low-paying essential service occupations, as well as having higher levels of financial insecurity and mental burden. This qualitative study aims to examine the attitudes and perceptions of health orders of young adults to better inform public health messaging to reach this demographic and increase compliance to public health orders. A total of 50 young adults residing in British Columbia, Canada, were recruited to participate in focus group in groups of four to six. Focus group discussions were conducted via teleconferencing. Thematic analysis revealed four major themes: 1) risks of contracting the disease, 2) the perceived impact of COVID-19, 3) responsibility of institutions, 4) and effective public health messaging. Contrary to existing literature, our findings suggest young adults feel highly responsible for protecting themselves and others. They face a higher risk of depression and anxiety compared to other age groups, especially when they take on multiple social roles such as caregivers and parents. Our findings suggest young adults face confusion due to inconsistent messaging and are not reached due to the ineffectiveness of existing strategies. We recommend using evidence-based strategies proven to promote behaviour change to address the barriers identified by young adults through tailoring public health messages, specifically by using positive messaging, messaging that considers the context of the intended audiences, and utilizing digital platforms to facilitate two-way communication.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.