"Youth Perspectives on Information and Trust During COVID-19: A Crosssectional Study" Authors

Salma Seddik^1,2*Ahmed Taha Aboushady³Ahmed Nawwar³Omar Emam⁴Mahmoud Hemida⁵Mennatallah Zohny³Adham Ramadan³Eslam Aboismail⁶Noha AbuBakr⁷Amira Hegazy⁵

• ¹Kasr Al Ainy Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
• ²Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
• ³Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt
• ⁴University of Louisville, Louisville, Colorado, United States
• ⁵Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Beni Suef, Egypt
• ⁶Proton Therapy Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
• ⁷Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismaïlia, Ismailia, Egypt

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of trustworthy health information and effective risk communication. Understanding how youth perceive, access, and trust health information is essential to strengthen public health responses. This study aimed to assess Egyptian youth’s trust in key decision-makers and their primary sources of health information during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between May and August 2020 targeting Egyptian youth. The structured questionnaire collected data on socio-demographics, sources of COVID-19 information, and confidence in those sources and relevant authorities. Results: Of 406 respondents, 58.6% were female, and 63.5% studied in medical fields. Most participants (95%) had university or postgraduate education, and 82.3% lived in rural areas. Despite low confidence in them, television (40.1%) and social media (30.3%) were the main information sources. Only 12.8% and 5.9% cited the Ministry of Health and WHO, respectively. While 89.4% expressed high confidence in doctors, especially those in isolation hospitals, 77.6% were concerned about decisions taken by key actors during the pandemic. The findings reveal a trust gap between youth and official health authorities, alongside high dependence on potentially unreliable information sources. These insights underscore the need for improved health communication strategies targeting youth, both during and beyond health emergencies. .Infodemics is a substantial public health threat. Public health authorities and governments should take action to ensure comprehensive health information literacy and develop information technology strategies that promote access to evidence-based information.