Conspiratorial Attitude of the General Public in Jordan towards Emerging Virus Infections: A Cross-Sectional Study Amid the 2022 Monkeypox Outbreak.

Autor:	Sallam M; Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan.; Department of Clinical Laboratories and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman 11942, Jordan.; Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, 22184 Malmö, Sweden., Eid H; Department of Dentistry, Queen Alia Military Hospital, Amman 11731, Jordan., Awamleh N; Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan., Al-Tammemi AB; Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan.; Migration Health Division, International Organization for Migration (IOM), The UN Migration Agency, Amman 11953, Jordan., Barakat M; Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan., Athamneh RY; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Zarqa University, Zarqa 13132, Jordan., Hallit S; Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11931, Jordan.; School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Jounieh P.O. Box 446, Lebanon.; Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib P.O. Box 60096, Lebanon., Harapan H; Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia.; Tropical Disease Centre, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia.; Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia.; Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC), Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia., Mahafzah A; Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan.; Department of Clinical Laboratories and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman 11942, Jordan.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Tropical medicine and infectious disease [Trop Med Infect Dis] 2022 Nov 30; Vol. 7 (12). Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 30.
DOI:	10.3390/tropicalmed7120411
Abstrakt:	Conspiracy theories accompany the emergence of infectious diseases and the 2022 multi-country monkeypox (MPX) outbreak is no exception. It is possible that the adoption of conspiracy beliefs negatively impacts health behavior. We aimed to assess the prevalence of conspiratorial attitudes towards emerging virus infections (EVIs) and the response measures aiming to control these infections among the general public in Jordan. In addition, we assessed MPX knowledge and the belief in the role of men who have sex with men (MSM) in virus spread. The online survey data were collected during 24 May 2022-28 June 2022. The survey instrument was based on previously published scales designed to measure MPX knowledge and EVI conspiracies. A total of 611 respondents formed the final study sample, with a mean age of 44 years and a majority of females ( n = 433, 70.9%). On a scale ranging from -10 to +10, the median MPX knowledge score in the study sample was +3 (interquartile range: +1 to +5). Educational level was a determinant of MPX knowledge in multivariate analysis. More than 50% of the participants agreed at least to some extent with 9 out of 12 of the EVI conspiracy items. Multivariate analysis showed that embracing conspiracy beliefs about EVIs was associated with being female, and agreeing with or having no opinion regarding the role of MSM in MPX spread. The current study revealed the high prevalence of belief in conspiracies surrounding EVIs, and its accompanying intervention measures, among the general public in Jordan. In addition, a lower level of MPX knowledge was observed compared to previous studies among university students and health professionals in the country. We recommend evaluating the impact of the widely prevalent conspiracy beliefs on health aspects in future studies. This aim is particularly relevant in the Middle Eastern countries where embracing specific conspiracy ideas is a common occurrence.
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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