How have changes in media affected our everyday experience, behavior, and sense of identity? Such questions have generated endless arguments and speculations, but no thinker has addressed the issue with such force and originality as Joshua Meyrowitz in No Sense of Place. Advancing a daring and sophisticated theory, Meyrowitz shows how television and other electronic media have created new social situations that are no longer shaped by where we are or who is "with" us. While other media experts have limited the debate to message content, Meyrowitz focuses on the ways in which changes in media rearrange "who knows what about whom" and "who knows what compared to whom," making it impossible for us to behave with each other in traditional ways. No Sense of Place explains how the electronic landscape has encouraged the development of: -More adultlike children and more childlike adults; -More career-oriented women and more family-oriented men; and -Leaders who try to act more like the "person next door" and real neighbors who want to have a greater say in local, national, and international affairs. The dramatic changes fostered by electronic media, notes Meyrowitz, are neither entirely good nor entirely bad. In some ways, we are returning to older, pre-literate forms of social behavior, becoming "hunters and gatherers of an information age." In other ways, we are rushing forward into a new social world. New media have helped to liberate many people from restrictive, place-defined roles, but the resulting heightened expectations have also led to new social tensions and frustrations. Once taken-for-granted behaviors are now subject to constant debate and negotiation. The book richly explicates the quadruple pun in its title: Changes in media transform how we sense information and how we make sense of our physical and social places in the world.

No sense of place : the impact of electronic media on socialbehavior

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a major public health challenge globally with countries of the world adopting unprecedented infection prevention and control (IPC) measures to urgently curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the people toward COVID-19 is critical to understanding the epidemiological dynamics of the disease and the effectiveness, compliance and success of IPC measures adopted in a country. This study sought to determine the levels of KAP toward COVID-19 among residents of north-central Nigeria. A cross-sectional online survey with a semi-structured questionnaire using a Snowball sampling technique was conducted during the national lockdown. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s correlation and regression tests. From a total of 589 responses received, 80.6, 59.6, 90.4 and 56.2% were from respondents between ages 18–39 years, males, had a college (Bachelor) degree or above and reside in urban areas respectively. Respondents had good knowledge (99.5%) of COVID-19, gained mainly through the internet/social media (55.7%) and Television (27.5%). The majority of the respondents (79.5%) had positive attitudes toward the adherence of government IPC measures with 92.7, 96.4 and 82.3% practicing social distancing/self-isolation, improved personal hygiene and using face mask respectively. However, 52.1% of the respondents perceived that the government is not doing enough to curtail COVID-19 in Nigeria. Pearson’s correlation showed significant relationship between knowledge of COVID-19 and attitude towards preventive measures (r = 0.177, p = 0.004, r = 0.137, p = 0.001). Although 61.8% of the respondents have no confidence in the present intervention by Chinese doctors, only 29.0% would accept COVID-19 vaccines when available. This study recorded good knowledge and attitudes among participants, however, community-based health campaigns are necessary to hold optimistic attitudes and practice appropriate intervention measures devoid of misconceptions.

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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards COVID-19: An Epidemiological Survey in North-Central Nigeria.

Purpose: The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the worst global crisis after the Second World War Since no successful treatment and vaccine have been reported, efforts to enhance the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of the public, especially the high-risk groups, are critical to manage COVID-19 pandemic Thus, this study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 among patients with chronic disease Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 404 chronic disease patients from March 02 to April 10, 2020, at Addis Zemen Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses with a 95% confidence interval were fitted to identify factors associated with poor knowledge and practice towards COVID-19 The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was used to determine the magnitude of the association between the outcome and independent variables P-value <005 was considered statistically significant Results: The mean age of the participants was 565±135 The prevalence of poor knowledge and poor practice was 339% and 473%, respectively Forty-one percent of the participants perceived that avoiding of attending a crowded population is very difficult Age (AOR=105, (95% CI (101–108)), educational status of “can’t read and write” (AOR=71, 95% CI (158–3193)), rural residence (AOR=190, 95% CI (687–5266)) and monthly income (AOR=08, 95% CI (079–089)) were significantly associated with poor knowledge Being unmarried (AOR=39, 95% CI (147–1058)), cannot read and write (AOR=27, 95% CI (103–729)), can read and write (AOR=35, 95% CI (148–838)), rural residence (AOR=27, 95% CI (109–670)), income of <7252 Ethiopian birr (AOR=23, 95% CI (120–415)) and poor knowledge (AOR=86, 95% CI (381–1945)) were significantly associated with poor practice Conclusion: The prevalence of poor knowledge and poor practice was high Leaflets prepared in local languages should be administered and health professionals should provide detailed information about COVID-19 to their patients

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Knowledge, attitude and practice towards covid-19 among chronic disease patients at addis zemen hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Background Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in late 2019, communities have been required to rapidly adopt community mitigation strategies rarely used before, or only in limited settings This study aimed to examine the attitudes and beliefs of Australian adults towards the COVID-19 pandemic, and willingness and capacity to engage with these mitigation measures In addition, we aimed to explore the psychosocial and demographic factors that are associated with adoption of recommended hygiene-related and avoidance-related behaviors Methods A national cross-sectional online survey of 1420 Australian adults (18 years and older) was undertaken between the 18 and 24 March 2020 The statistical analysis of the data included univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis Findings The survey of 1420 respondents found 50% (710) of respondents felt COVID-19 would ‘somewhat’ affect their health if infected and 19% perceived their level of risk as high or very high 84·9% had performed ≥1 of the three recommended hygiene-related behaviors and 93·4% performed ≥1 of six avoidance-related behaviors over the last one month Adopting avoidance behaviors was associated with trust in government/authorities (aOR: 60, 95% CI 26–11·0), higher perceived rating of effectiveness of behaviors (aOR: 4·0, 95% CI: 1·8–8·7), higher levels of perceived ability to adopt social distancing strategies (aOR: 50, 95% CI: 1·5–93), higher trust in government (aOR: 60, 95% CI: 26–110) and higher level of concern if self-isolated (aOR: 18, 95% CI: 11–30) Interpretation In the last two months, members of the public have been inundated with messages about hygiene and social (physical) distancing However, our results indicate that a continued focus on supporting community understanding of the rationale for these strategies, as well as instilling community confidence in their ability to adopt or sustain the recommendations is needed

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COVID-19 is rapidly changing: Examining public perceptions and behaviors in response to this evolving pandemic.

The aim of the study is to identify the factors affecting students' satisfaction and performance regarding online classes during the pandemic period of COVID-19 and to establish the relationship between these variables. The study is quantitative in nature, and the data were collected from 544 respondents through online survey who were studying the business management (B.B.A or M.B.A) or hotel management courses in Indian universities. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the proposed hypotheses. The results show that four independent factors used in the study viz. quality of instructor, course design, prompt feedback, and expectation of students positively impact students' satisfaction and further student's satisfaction positively impact students' performance. For educational management, these four factors are essential to have a high level of satisfaction and performance for online courses. This study is being conducted during the epidemic period of COVID- 19 to check the effect of online teaching on students' performance.

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Impact of online classes on the satisfaction and performance of students during the pandemic period of COVID 19.

In an effort to mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19, many countries have imposed drastic lockdown, movement control or shelter in place orders on their residents. The effectiveness of these mitigation measures is highly dependent on cooperation and compliance of all members of society. The knowledge, attitudes and practices people hold toward the disease play an integral role in determining a society's readiness to accept behavioural change measures from health authorities. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge levels, attitudes and practices toward COVID-19 among the Malaysian public. A cross-sectional online survey of 4,850 Malaysian residents was conducted between 27th March and 3rd April 2020. The survey instrument consisted of demographic characteristics, 13 items on knowledge, 3 items on attitudes and 3 items on practices, modified from a previously published questionnaire on COVID-19. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. The overall correct rate of the knowledge questionnaire was 80.5%. Most participants held positive attitudes toward the successful control of COVID-19 (83.1%), the ability of Malaysia to conquer the disease (95.9%) and the way the Malaysian government was handling the crisis (89.9%). Most participants were also taking precautions such as avoiding crowds (83.4%) and practising proper hand hygiene (87.8%) in the week before the movement control order started. However, the wearing of face masks was less common (51.2%). This survey is among the first to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. The results highlight the importance of consistent messaging from health authorities and the government as well as the need for tailored health education programs to improve levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices.

/pdf/public-knowledge-attitudes-and-practices-towards-covid-19-a-slnp0wrhrw.pdf

Public knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Malaysia.

In an effort to mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19, many countries have imposed drastic lockdown, movement control or shelter in place orders on their residents. The effectiveness of these mitigation measures is highly dependent on cooperation and compliance of all members of society. The knowledge, attitudes and practices people hold toward the disease play an integral role in determining a society’s readiness to accept behavioural change measures from health authorities. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge levels, attitudes and practices toward COVID-19 among the Malaysian public. A cross-sectional online survey of 4,850 Malaysian residents was conducted between 27th March and 3rd April 2020. The survey instrument consisted of demographic characteristics, 13 items on knowledge, 3 items on attitudes and 3 items on practices, modified from a previously published questionnaire on COVID-19. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. The overall correct rate of the knowledge questionnaire was 80.5%. Most participants held positive attitudes toward the successful control of COVID-19 (83.1%), the ability of Malaysia to conquer the disease (95.9%) and the way the Malaysian government was handling the crisis (89.9%). Most participants were also taking precautions such as avoiding crowds (83.4%) and practising proper hand hygiene (87.8%) in the week before the movement control order started. However, the wearing of face masks was less common (51.2%). This survey is among the first to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. The results highlight the importance of consistent messaging from health authorities and the government as well as the need for tailored health education programs to improve levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices.

/pdf/public-knowledge-attitudes-and-practices-towards-covid-19-a-2olshvwnix.pdf

Public knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Malaysia

Living in a globalized world spearheaded by technological advancement and innovations, media have long been instrumental in imparting various kinds of information towards the populace. Consistent with the overwhelming growth of health communication, it is essential to use appropriate media channels to alarm the public on the severity of various diseases. However, it is a challenge for media practitioners to convey such messages in an explicit context. Veiled messages in news reporting of the disease only may result in uncertain, shallow and ambiguous understanding among the readers. On that account, this study seeks to examine the nature and pattern of the news coverage on HIV/AIDS to generate awareness among the people with more care and responsibility. Based on the 72 articles attributed by The Star, only 61 articles fitted the identified themes. The findings indicate that both themes: government response and community involvement on the issue of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia were prominent in the newspaper in year 2006 compared for the year 2011.

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Coverage of hiv/aids in malaysia: a case study of the star

Everyone has a voice and can broadcast it to the world. We hear about the old maxim of media do not tell people what to think but what to think about. Under this theory or approach, a key function of political communication is to make the public think about an issue in a way that is favorable to the sender of the message. In a democracy, political communication is seen as crucial for the building of a society where the state and its people feel they are connected. Thus, this is a study on how social media (e.g., Facebook, blogs, and YouTube) were used in the domain of Malaysian politics during the 13th general election campaigning period in order to set the agenda to form public opinion. The study found that Facebook was the most popular social media tool that political parties actively engaged with during the 13th general election campaign period. Apart from that, issues pertaining to the election were significantly highlighted by the political parties in social media, especially Facebook. However, other issues that were also important to the people such as the economy, crime, and education were not sufficiently highlighted during the election campaign period. This indicates that the political parties influence the public on what to think about using social media.

http://www.ndsl.kr/soc_img/society/anpor/ORJSBL/2014/v1n2/ORJSBL_2014_v1n2_73.pdf

Malaysia's 13th General Election: Political Communication and Public Agenda in Social Media

HIV/AIDS has been a growing public health problem in Malaysia for over three decades. To curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and to increase public awareness regarding the disease, numerous initiatives have been developed by various stakeholders. This study is an exploratory investigation of health communication and public awareness of HIV/AIDS, based on a cross-sectional survey of 384 respondents in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The study examines public knowledge of HIV/AIDS and public perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) as well as public awareness of public initiatives. The results show that interpersonal channels are important HIV/AIDS informational sources, and that newspapers are a major mass communication or media source for HIV/AIDS information. The public is generally aware of HIV/AIDS transmission, but still harbors moderate, rather than straight-cut positive, perceptions and attitudes towards PLHIV. This shows that the National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS may not be fully supported by existing public initiatives.

https://ejournal.ukm.my/mjc/article/download/16494/7632

Tham Jen Sern

Papers

Public knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Malaysia.

Public knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Malaysia

Coverage of hiv/aids in malaysia: a case study of the star

Malaysia's 13th General Election: Political Communication and Public Agenda in Social Media

Government initiatives and public awareness on hiv/aids in malaysia: where are we after 30 years?