TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID ISSUE
T2 - Visual Narratives about COVID-19 Improve Message Accessibility, Self-Efficacy, and Health Precautions
AU - Jarreau, Paige Brown
AU - Su, Leona Yi Fan
AU - Chiang, Elfy Chun Lin
AU - Bennett, Shauna M.
AU - Zhang, Jennifer Shiyue
AU - Ferguson, Matt
AU - Algarra, Doryan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Jarreau, Su, Chiang, Bennett, Zhang, Ferguson and Algarra.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Visual narratives are promising tools for science and health communication, especially for broad audiences in times of public health crisis, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we used the Lifeology illustrated "flashcard"course platform to construct visual narratives about COVID-19, and then assessed their impact on behavioral intentions. We conducted a survey experiment among 1,775 health app users. Participants viewed illustrated (sequential art) courses about: 1) sleep, 2) what COVID-19 is and how to protect oneself, 3) mechanisms of how the virus works in the body and risk factors for severe disease. Each participant viewed one of these courses and then answered questions about their understanding of the course, how much they learned, and their perceptions and behavioral intentions toward COVID-19. Participants generally evaluated "flashcard"courses as easy to understand. Viewing a COVID-19 "flashcard"course was also associated with improved self-efficacy and behavioral intentions toward COVID-19 disease prevention as compared to viewing a "flashcard"course about sleep science. Our findings support the use of visual narratives to improve health literacy and provide individuals with the capacity to act on health information that they may know of but find difficult to process or apply to their dailylives.
AB - Visual narratives are promising tools for science and health communication, especially for broad audiences in times of public health crisis, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we used the Lifeology illustrated "flashcard"course platform to construct visual narratives about COVID-19, and then assessed their impact on behavioral intentions. We conducted a survey experiment among 1,775 health app users. Participants viewed illustrated (sequential art) courses about: 1) sleep, 2) what COVID-19 is and how to protect oneself, 3) mechanisms of how the virus works in the body and risk factors for severe disease. Each participant viewed one of these courses and then answered questions about their understanding of the course, how much they learned, and their perceptions and behavioral intentions toward COVID-19. Participants generally evaluated "flashcard"courses as easy to understand. Viewing a COVID-19 "flashcard"course was also associated with improved self-efficacy and behavioral intentions toward COVID-19 disease prevention as compared to viewing a "flashcard"course about sleep science. Our findings support the use of visual narratives to improve health literacy and provide individuals with the capacity to act on health information that they may know of but find difficult to process or apply to their dailylives.
KW - COVID-19
KW - public engagement
KW - storytelling
KW - visual communication
KW - visual narratives
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117899234&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85117899234&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fcomm.2021.712658
DO - 10.3389/fcomm.2021.712658
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85117899234
SN - 2297-900X
VL - 6
JO - Frontiers in Communication
JF - Frontiers in Communication
M1 - 12658
ER -