Discerning Fact From Fiction: An Assessment of Coronavirus-19 Misinformation Among Patients in Rural Michigan

Coronavirus-19 misinformation poses a unique challenge for public health communication efforts. In rural communities, COVID-19 misinformation is not well studied. We investigate patients’ ability to discriminate COVID-19 fact from fiction from their news sources, as well as general COVID-19 knowledge, perceptions, public health practices, and their primary news sources in 258 adult patients at a primary health clinic in rural Michigan. Most of the population surveyed was able to correctly differentiate reliable COVID-19 public health information from fabricated information. However, only 55.4% of participants reported that they would be somewhat or extremely likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The most reported news source was mainstream broadcast television channels such as CBS and ABC. Our data support those older participants are better informed and more likely to practice safe public health practices than younger participants. Based on our data, we offer strategies for public health campaigns in rural communities, such as targeted interventions towards younger people and utilizing local television stations and community institutions to disseminate public health communications and health promotions. Public health interventions beyond education should be considered to mitigate the gap between COVID-19 knowledge and prevention behaviors. Future studies should investigate the role of health care providers in COVID-19 communication with patients, understanding hesitations toward COVID-19 vaccination, and communication strategies to best increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in rural communities.