Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35420756›Full record

SynthesisHealth promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice2022

A comparative systematic scan of COVID-19 health literacy information sources for Canadian university students.

Sana Mahmood, John Vincent Lobendino Flores, Erica Di Ruggiero, Paola Ardiles, Hussein Elhagehassan, Simran Purewal

Open access · diamondAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Sana MahmoodFaculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
John Vincent Lobendino FloresFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Erica Di RuggieroDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Paola ArdilesFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Hussein ElhagehassanFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Simran PurewalFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Simon Fraser University · CAPublic Health Ontario · CAUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionWith the rapid spread of online coronavirus-related health information, it is important to ensure that this information is reliable and effectively communicated. This study observes the dissemination of COVID-19 health literacy information by Canadian postsecondary institutions aimed at university students as compared to provincial and federal government COVID-19 guidelines.

methodsWe conducted a systematic scan of web pages from Canadian provincial and federal governments and from selected Canadian universities to identify how health information is presented to university students. We used our previously implemented health literacy survey with Canadian postsecondary students as a sampling frame to determine which academic institutions to include. We then used specific search terms to identify relevant web pages using Google and integrated search functions on government websites, and compared the information available on pandemic measures categorized by university response strategies, sources of expertise and branding approaches.

resultsOur scan of Canadian government and university web pages found that universities similarly created one main page for COVID-19 updates and information and linked to public sector agencies as a main resource, and mainly differed in their provincial and local sources for obtaining information. They also differed in their strategies for communicating and displaying this information to their respective students.

conclusionThe universities in our sample outlined similar policies for their students, aligning with Canadian government public health recommendations and their respective provincial or regional health authorities. Maintaining the accuracy of these information sources is important to ensure student health literacy and counter misinformation about COVID-19.

Indexed as

COVID-19Health LiteracyCanadaCross-Sectional StudiesHumansStudentsUniversitiesCanadaCOVID-19health literacyonline informationpostsecondary studentspublic healthuniversity

Identifiers

PMID35420756
PMCPMC9306319
OpenAlexW4220934439

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.