TY  - JOUR
AU  - Erinoso, Olufemi
AU  - Wright, Kikelomo Ololade
AU  - Anya, Samuel
AU  - Kuyinu, Yetunde
AU  - Abdur-Razzaq, Hussein
AU  - Adewuya, Abiodun
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/1/25
TI  - Predictors of COVID-19 Information Sources and Their Perceived Accuracy in Nigeria: Online Cross-sectional Study
JO  - JMIR Public Health Surveill
SP  - e22273
VL  - 7
IS  - 1
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - communication
KW  - health information
KW  - public health
KW  - infodemiology
KW  - infodemic
KW  - accuracy
KW  - cross-sectional
KW  - risk
KW  - information source
KW  - predictor
KW  - Nigeria
AB  - Background: Effective communication is critical for mitigating the public health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: This study assesses the source(s) of COVID-19 information among people in Nigeria, as well as the predictors and the perceived accuracy of information from these sources. Methods: We conducted an online survey of consenting adults residing in Nigeria between April and May 2020 during the lockdown and first wave of COVID-19. The major sources of information about COVID-19 were distilled from 7 potential sources (family and friends, places of worship, health care providers, internet, workplace, traditional media, and public posters/banners). An open-ended question was asked to explore how respondents determined accuracy of information. Statistical analysis was conducted using STATA 15.0 software (StataCorp Texas) with significance placed at P<.05. Approval to conduct this study was obtained from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Health Research Ethics Committee. Results: A total of 719 respondents completed the survey. Most respondents (n=642, 89.3%) obtained COVID-19–related information from the internet. The majority (n=617, 85.8%) considered their source(s) of information to be accurate, and 32.6% (n=234) depended on only 1 out of the 7 potential sources of COVID-19 information. Respondents earning a monthly income between NGN 70,000-120,000 had lower odds of obtaining COVID-19 information from the internet compared to respondents earning less than NGN 20,000 (odds ratio [OR] 0.49, 95% CI 0.24-0.98). In addition, a significant proportion of respondents sought accurate information from recognized health organizations, such as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Conclusions: The internet was the most common source of COVID-19 information, and the population sampled had a relatively high level of perceived accuracy for the COVID-19 information received. Effective communication requires dissemination of information via credible communication channels, as identified from this study. This can be potentially beneficial for risk communication to control the pandemic. 
SN  - 2369-2960
UR  - http://publichealth.jmir.org/2021/1/e22273/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/22273
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33428580
DO  - 10.2196/22273
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/22273
ER  -