A situational awareness framework for mitigating health misinformation: A case for the COVID-19 vaccine

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dc.contributor.advisorCilliers, Liezel
dc.contributor.authorManene, Sivile
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-08T13:21:33Z
dc.date.available2026-09-08T13:21:33Z
dc.date.issued2025-04
dc.description.abstractThe rapid increase in social media usage during the COVID-19 pandemic created an environment for the rapid dissemination of health misinformation, contributing to public confusion and mistrust in health authorities. During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization adopted the term 'infodemic' to describe the widespread dissemination of both accurate and incorrect health information, highlighting its impact on vaccine acceptance and public health outcomes. This study, therefore, aimed to develop a situational awareness framework to mitigate health misinformation on social media. This research explores how a situational awareness framework could mitigate the impact of health misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine on social media users. The objectives were to determine how misinformation contributed to vaccine hesitancy, investigate existing strategies for combating misinformation on social media, and examine how situational awareness could help users identify and manage health-related misinformation. By addressing these areas, this study developed insights into enhancing public health communication and reducing the influence of information disorder. This study adopted a quantitative research approach grounded in a positivist philosophy. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 214 participants aged 18 to 35, selected through a non-probability convenience sampling technique. The questionnaire was distributed online, targeting young adult social media users. The data was analysed using SPSS and SmartPLS 4.0. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with regression coefficients was applied to test the relationships between the scales and underlying variables. The results indicate that Perceived Susceptibility (PSU) (β = 0.189, p = 0.010), Perceived Severity (PSEV) (β = 0.288, p = 0.001), Health Motivation (HM) (β = 0.462, p = 0.000), Perceived Benefits (PBE) (β = 0.221, p = 0.020), and Cue to Action (CA) (β = 0.281, p = 0.000) significantly influenced Behavioural Intent (BI) to address COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Self-efficacy (PSE) (β = -0.251, p = 0.008) had a negative effect, while Perceived Barriers (PBA) (β = -0.028, p = 0.647) did not significantly affect BI. This study developed a situational awareness framework to mitigate COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on social media. The findings reveal that perceived susceptibility, severity, health motivation, benefits, and cues to action significantly influence users' intention to address misinformation, while perceived barriers do not. The framework offers practical insights for public health authorities and social media platforms to enhance communication and real-time monitoring. Future research should expand its scope and validate its effectiveness across diverse contexts.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11837/5097
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Fort Hare
dc.subjectCommunication in public health
dc.subjectSocial media -- Influence
dc.subjectCOVID-19 (Disease) -- Vaccination
dc.titleA situational awareness framework for mitigating health misinformation: A case for the COVID-19 vaccine
dc.typeThesis
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-6194-0010

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