Exploring the effectiveness of media in communicating public health messages to people with learning disabilities during the pandemic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12313229 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stephen J Macdonald (0000-0003-4409-9535, Durham University, corresponding author), Alexander Wilde (0000-0003-1583-3833, Durham University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1176-1194 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Disability & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0968-7599 • E-ISSN: 1360-0508 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09687599.2024.2333017 |
| OpenAlex | W4393408177 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 18 |
The article aims to explore mass and social media's role in communicating public health messages in Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic.The article presents findings from a realist mixed methods study analysing data collected from 137 participants who have a learning disability and/or autism.Our study discovered that participants reported that social media only led to confusion because of contradictory messages being presented on COVID-19.Although people with learning disabilities and/or autism preferred gaining information from TV news, they also reported that this information was often confusing and inaccessible.Participants drew on family members, and social care professionals, to explain and help them negotiate the complexities of public health messages during the global pandemic.The study concludes by suggesting the need for accessible information and health communications to effectively contend with any future global pandemic or health emergency to reduce the health risks for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. Point of interest Our study explores how successful TV, the Internet and radio were in communicating public health messages to people with learning disabilities and/or autism. The research illustrates that public health messages presented on TV, the Internet and radio confused participants. The findings highlight that it was parents, friends, and/or partners who helped explain public health messages communicated from the mass media to people with learning disabilities and/or autism
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Internet privacy · Media studies · Pandemic · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Sociology · Computer Science · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology
Leveraging media and health communication strategies to overcome the Covid-19 infodemic
The Oxford Handbook of Multimethod and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry
Social Surveys
The global Covid-19 Disability Rights Monitor
I may be left with no choice but to end my torment’
The invisible enemy’
Disabled people in Britain and the impact of the Covid ‐19 pandemic
| Citations per year | 1.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |