Does Quality of Life Act as a Protective Factor against Believing Health Rumors? Evidence from a National Cross-Sectional Survey in China

Haixia Wang, Xiqian Zou, Kaisheng Lai, Weiping Luo and Lingnan He
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Haixia Wang: School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Xiqian Zou: School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Kaisheng Lai: School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Weiping Luo: School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Lingnan He: School of Communication and Design, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: A high quality of life (QoL), an individual’s subjective assessment of overall life condition, has been shown to have a protective effect against negative behaviors. However, whether QoL protects people from the harmful impact of health rumors is still unknown. In this study, a national survey in China (n = 3633) was conducted to explore the relationship between health rumor belief (HRB) and QoL, which includes physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains. The results show that people with a poor perception of their physical health are more likely to believe health rumors. Additionally, those who had better self-reported satisfaction in social relationships were more susceptible to health rumors. Furthermore, women and older adults showed a greater belief in health rumors. This study expands upon our understanding of how people with different QoL levels interact with false health-related information. Based on health-rumor-susceptible groups, several essential online and offline strategies to govern health rumors are also proposed.

Keywords: quality of life; WHOQOL-BREF; health rumor belief; social media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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