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Volume 18
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10.3390/ijerph18052243
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Article

Does Science Literacy Guarantee Resistance to Health Rumors? The Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy of Science Literacy in the Relationship between Science Literacy and Rumor Belief

by
Lingnan He
1,2,3,
Yue Chen
1,
Xiling Xiong
4,*,
Xiqian Zou
5 and
Kaisheng Lai
5,*
1
School of Communication and Design, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
2
Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
3
Guangdong Key Laboratory for Big Data Analysis and Simulation of Public Opinion, Guangzhou 510006, China
4
School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
5
School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(5), 2243; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052243
Submission received: 8 January 2021 / Revised: 14 February 2021 / Accepted: 21 February 2021 / Published: 24 February 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Misinformation on Social Media)
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Abstract

Health rumors not only incite unnecessary fears and skepticism, but may also cause individuals to refuse effective remedy and thus delay their treatment. Studies have found that health literacy may help the public identify the falsity of health rumors and avoid their negative impact. However, whether other types of literacy work in helping people disbelieve health rumors is still unknown. With a national survey in China (N = 1646), our study examined the effect of science literacy on rumor belief and further analyzed the moderating role of self-efficacy of science literacy in their relationship. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that science literacy significantly decreased the likelihood of people believing in health rumors, and moderator analysis showed that self-efficacy of science literacy plays a moderating role in this relationship; such that the relationship between science literacy and health rumor belief would be weakened if one′s self-efficacy of science literacy was low. This finding reveals that during campaigns to combat health rumors, improving and enhancing the self-efficacy of people′s science literacy is an effective way to prevent them from believing in health rumors. Our study highlights the benefits of science education in public health and the improvement of public science literacy.
Keywords: science literacy; health rumor; self-efficacy science literacy; health rumor; self-efficacy

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MDPI and ACS Style

He, L.; Chen, Y.; Xiong, X.; Zou, X.; Lai, K. Does Science Literacy Guarantee Resistance to Health Rumors? The Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy of Science Literacy in the Relationship between Science Literacy and Rumor Belief. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 2243. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052243

AMA Style

He L, Chen Y, Xiong X, Zou X, Lai K. Does Science Literacy Guarantee Resistance to Health Rumors? The Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy of Science Literacy in the Relationship between Science Literacy and Rumor Belief. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(5):2243. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052243

Chicago/Turabian Style

He, Lingnan, Yue Chen, Xiling Xiong, Xiqian Zou, and Kaisheng Lai. 2021. "Does Science Literacy Guarantee Resistance to Health Rumors? The Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy of Science Literacy in the Relationship between Science Literacy and Rumor Belief" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 5: 2243. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052243

APA Style

He, L., Chen, Y., Xiong, X., Zou, X., & Lai, K. (2021). Does Science Literacy Guarantee Resistance to Health Rumors? The Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy of Science Literacy in the Relationship between Science Literacy and Rumor Belief. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), 2243. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052243

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