Teaching analysis tools for infodemic managers

PUBLIC HEALTH
ANALYSIS TOOLS
FOR INFODEMIC
MANAGERS
GAME EDITION
Heidelberg, 7-8 February 2024
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Rules of the game
4 teams 5 scenarios to solve
You will work on five different
situations where you will use tools
to problem-solve an information
environment and public health
challenge.
30 minutes per
scenario
Agenda per scenario:
• Introduction - 5 minutes
• Team work - 15 minutes
• Discussion - 10 minutes
• Health Guardians
• Public Health Pioneers
• Wellness Wizards
• Epidemic Eradicators

Task #1 - User experience
analysis to rapidly understand
people’s needs and attitudes
about a health topic
CASE EXAMPLES IN INFODEMIC MANAGEMENT
Heidelberg, 7 February 2024

A large-scale communication
campaign backfired and increased
resistant attitudes in the population.
People’s proximity to services
does not predict coverage.
The Importance of Understanding People's Experience with
the Health System
To address situations where health services are
available but a subset of the intended population of
clients are not actively seeking them.
Despite making services more
available, the population is still not
actively seeking them.

JOURNEY TO HEALTH TOOL
• The Journey to Health is a way of mapping information about a population that can be a
helpful planning tool that uses a human-centered approach.
• It is important to put yourself in the shoes of your target population and identify any
assumptions or gaps you have about what their barriers or enablers to seeking health
services are.
Further reading: UNICEF - Using human-centered design for health. https://www.hcd4health.org/resources

Practical knowledge,
norms and values, trust
in medical products,
PHSM, services and
providers
Practical
competencies, norms
and values, perception
of clients
Decision-making
power, self-efficacy
Motivation/satisfacti
on, social
recognition,
community respect
Logistics of remembering,
transport, childcare,
juggling competing
priorities, social &
opportunity costs
Preparing, getting to
clinic/outreach site,
opportunity cost
Appropriateness and
convenience of
services, service hours,
social distance
Training, job aids,
workload, facility/flow
IPC and treatment by
health workers,
physical conditions, use
of home-based records,
client satisfaction
Interpersonal comm.
skills, trust building,
pain mitigation, training
and experience, social
distance
Information on adverse
events and when & where
to return, sharing +/-
experience, reinforcement
of vaccination as norm
Family and community
respect, celebration of
achievements, supportive
supervision
Further reading: UNICEF - Using human-centered design for health. https://www.hcd4health.org/resources

JOURNEY TO HEALTH TOOL - THE INFORMATION
ENVIRONMENT COMPONENT
• The Journey to Health includes domains impacted by the infodemic on all stages of the
journey.
• Wherever information is received, sought, exchanged can be places along the journey
where the information environment may also impact perceptions and behavior.
Further reading: Tina Purnat & Elisabeth Wilhelm: Infodemic managemetn interventions to adress the infodemic and
infodemic risk - https://demandhub.org/knowledge-base/?_eventtrain=comprehensive-training&_search=toolbox

• How do people talk about medical products, health services or PHSM compared to how they signal about them online and
offline? Before and after seeking health services?
• What kinds of health information about this topic seems to feel overwhelming to people? What kind of health information are
they seeking and not getting enough of?
• What role does the media play in amplifying or channeling concerns and misinformation about this health topic? What can be
done to address this?
• How are health workers affected by the information environment and how does it affect their relationship to their patients?
• Where is there silence? Which perspectives or reflections each step of the journey are you missing?
Further reading: Tina Purnat & Elisabeth Wilhelm: Infodemic managemetn interventions to adress the infodemic and infodemic risk - https://demandhub.org/knowledge-base/?_eventtrain=comprehensive-training&_search=toolbox

SITUATION #1
In Country X, the immunization program has recently introduced a shingles
vaccine for people aged 65+. However, uptake has been very low for this
population.
In an effort to understand individual, community, social,
and health system factors, the National Institute of
Health conducted an analysis to understand barriers
and enablers to vaccine uptake and conducted a series
of focus group discussions, key informant interviews,
and health system data.

YOUR TASK #1
• Look into the Google Folder. Find several summaries of
the data collected by the National Institute of Health.
• In your team’s Google Slide deck, there is a blank
Journey to Health map. Work as a team to analyze the
summaries and identify common barriers and enablers,
including information ecosystem considerations, that are
present throughout the data sources and label them on
the journey map.
Hints: Refer to the summary slides in the introductory
presentation to help you map the data for each step of the
journey. Use the disease cheat sheet to refresh about the disease.
Google Folder

Task #2 - Assessing risk of
narratives about a health
topic

Left unaddressed, these can contribute to erosion of trust health guidance, health interventions, health workers and health
systems, reduce risk perception, discourage healthy behaviors and contribute to vaccine hesitancy. This can be prevented.
Information environment challenges go
beyond misinformation
Questions Concerns Information voids Misinformation Disinformation
More common,
easier to address
Less common, harder to
address

INFODEMIC INSIGHTS ANALYSIS AND REPORTING
Includes:
• Manual
• Editable templates
• Workbook
• Teaching simulation
• eLearning modules
• Annex with emergency, outbreak response and
immunization resources
Furhter reading: WHO/UNICEF How to build and infodemic insights report in six steps -
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11gPTx1odWE0XOBUZHw17n7MvCXNh-hFr?usp=drive_link

What kind of challenges can developing infodemic
insights solve?
Answer
programmatic
questions on why
there may be a
gap between
health guidance
and behavior
Monitor change in
conversations and
sentiment in a
population
Investigate
anecdotal reports
that
misinformation or
concerns are
causing vaccine
hesitancy
Understand
information
seeking behaviors
of individuals
Identify
information voids
where
misinformation
may take root
Furhter reading: WHO/UNICEF How to build and infodemic insights report in six steps - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11gPTx1odWE0XOBUZHw17n7MvCXNh-hFr?usp=drive_link

Six steps to build an infodemic insights report

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SITUATION #2
In Country A, which enjoys tropical weather year round and is a global tourism
destination, there have been increasing reports of cross-border malaria
transmission, even though malaria had been officially eliminated in 2011.
The general public has widespread knowledge of but low risk perception of
malaria and bed net use and tolerance for indoor residual spraying is quite low.
The Ministry of Health is trying to address rumors that
herbal supplements can protect against malaria and to
promote bednet use. Meanwhile, the Tourism Board is very
worried how perceptions of malaria in Country A will affect
tourism and tourists may not be aware of what steps to take
to protect themselves from infection.

YOUR TASK #2
• In your team’s Google Slides deck, complete a risk
matrix for narratives related to malaria.
• What is the objective of the Ministry of Health as it
relates to this narrative? What actions does the
MOH want people to take? What solutions can
Ministry of Health propose that keep both citizens
and tourists safe?
Hint: Use the disease cheat sheet to refresh about the disease.
Google Folder

Risk assessment for infodemic insights on malaria in Country A
Low Risk
Narrative does not:
• apply to Lilipatch
• have widespread
circulation in Lilipatch
• provoke strong or
emotional reactions
in Lilipatch
• have evidence of
negatively impacting
health behavior in
Lilipatch.
Positive Sentiment
Rare, but:
• pro-healthy behaviors are
encouraged such as socially
norming avoiding mosquito bites.
• trust in health systems or
government is reinforced.
• adherence to health guidance is
encouraged.
For purposes of this analysis, several vulnerable populations have been defined: tourists, pregnant women and women of
childbearing age, men ages 18-45, people living near mosquito breeding grounds (marshes, bodies of fresh water).
High Risk
Narrative has widespread:
• amplification/ message adaption
into Country A-based languages
and appears on multiple platforms
or data sources; also includes
locally generated content and
misinformation
• strong or emotional reactions
• evidence of negatively impacting
health behavior.
• negative sentiment toward
government, health authorities,
health workers or tourists.
• Linkages to tourism and influences
global perception of Country A.
Narrative has some:
• application to population of focus
in Country A.
• modest amplification/ message
adaption in English or other local
languages.
• evidence of provoking strong or
emotional reactions through
widespread sharing and
engagement with inaccurate,
emotionally manipulative content.
• anecdotal evidence of negatively
impacting health behavior through
media mentions or occasional
HCW reports.
Medium Risk
Low Risk
Narrative does not:
• apply to Country A
• have widespread circulation in
Country A
• provoke strong or emotional
reactions in Country A
• have evidence of negatively
impacting health behavior in
Country A.

Task #3 - Integrated
analysis for an infodemic
insights report

SITUATION #3
In Country F, the number of reported STIs has skyrocketed in the past year,
particularly gonorrhea. Unfortunately, those seeking care the most tend to be
women and men are far less likely to pursue regular testing for STIs or report
using condoms during sex to prevent transmission. The Ministry of Health is
concerned about the low testing and treatment rates for young men ages 16-24
for gonorrhea, especially since drug resistance to first-line antibiotics used to
treat this illness is increasing.
They want to understand what the potential reasons may be
why young men are not testing or treating for STIs and why
regular condom use has fallen. Several data sources have
been collected for you to help you understand this issue.

YOUR TASK #3
• Look up the data sources in Google Folder and
analyze them individually.
• In your team’s Google Slides deck, fill out a table to
identify intelligence that each data source
provides, including major themes that would inform
how the Ministry of Health responds.
Google Folder

Task #4 - Addressing
identified information
environment challenges

SITUATION #4 - 1/2
A major measles outbreak in a refugee camp in the northern part of Country Z
has resulted in a handful of hospitalizations and deaths among young children
from families fleeing war. The measles outbreak in the refugee camp was fueled
by low vaccine uptake and measles cases are now appearing in large cities in
neighboring provinces, where routine immunization was interrupted due to
COVID-19.
The national media and social media have promoted
politicians claiming that the measles outbreak was caused
by “dirty refugees” and that they should pay for their
treatment instead of receiving it for free and this has led to
stigma among refugee populations and led to people not
taking their sick kids to the hospital until it’s too late.

SITUATION #4 - 2/2
The Ministry of Health is concerned about low vaccine coverage for many
children across the country, but also the narrative that is stigmatizing access to
treatment and care. The infodemic insights team has conducted a rapid data
analysis across multiple sources (MOH website visits, feedback from CSOs
working in refugee camps, social media monitoring, KAP survey among refugees
on childhood vaccination, opinion polls) and produced a summary of insights.

YOUR TASK #4
• Look up the Google Folder and review the one-slide
summary of infodemic insights related to this
measles outbreak.
• In your team’s Google Slides deck, fill out the table
and provide recommendations for how to address
this issue within the Ministry of Health mandate in
the short and medium-term.
Google Folder

Task #5 - Rapidly
understanding a community

Tool For what purpose Strength Weakness
Rapid community
assessment
Diagnose how a community understands a health
topic
Can be conducted in three weeks or
less and allows for localized insights
Can be resource-intensive and requires
intensive community and stakeholder
engagement
Infodemic insights
Understand how information environment on
health topic affect people and what they are
thinking and feeling
Can more quickly triangulate between
online and offline data sources to
rapidly understand information
environment
Requires access to multiple data sources
and skilled staff to analyze and use
insights
Social media analysis
with AI
Track online conversation and sentiment on a
specific health topic
Rapidly analyze massive amounts of
data from social media platforms
Not built for public health; limited access
to data on many platforms, and only
reflects people who leave digital
footprints
KAP survey
Measure the knowledge, attitudes and practices
of people surveyed related to a health topic
More scientifically robust if
representative of population of focus
and is a well-accepted tool in public
health
Can be time-consuming, expensive,
quickly outdated and is descriptive,
doesn’t indicate directionality unless
repeated
Journey mapping
Assess how people’s health seeking behavior is
affected by experience of health systems and
day-to-day barriers and enablers
A human-centered approach that
considers patient/population
perspective first and can layer
multiple data insights
It only focuses at individual level, is often
specific to a segment of population and
isn’t generalizable
Ways of measuring and understanding a community, information environmment,
and interactions with health system (non-exhaustive)

Includes:
• Manual with templates
• Example assessment
• Training video
• Addendums with considerations
for different contexts and
populations
CONDUCTING A RAPID COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
Furhter reading: US CDC Rapid Community Assessment Guide and Addendums -
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccinate-with-confidence/rca-guide/index.html#additional-resources

Step 1 Identify Objectives and
Community(ies) of Focus
• Identify Your Objectives
• Identify Your Community(ies) of Focus
• Review Existing Data
• Human Subject Considerations
Step 2 Plan for the Rapid Community
Assessment
• Identify Partners
• Obtain Partner Support
• Identify Resources
• Choose Assessment Methods
• Form Your Assessment Team
• Recruit Participants
Steps to leading a rapid community assessment
Furhter reading: US CDC Rapid Community Assessment Guide and Addendums - https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccinate-with-confidence/rca-guide/index.html#additional-resources
Step 3 Collect and Analyze Data
• Data Collection Tools
• Data Analysis
Step 4 Report Findings and Identify
Solutions
Step 5 Evaluate Your Efforts

Steps to leading a rapid community assessment
Furhter reading: US CDC Rapid Community Assessment Guide and Addendums - https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccinate-with-confidence/rca-guide/index.html#additional-resources
What time is needed?
Your timelines and scope will be
depedant on the objectives,
communities of focus and your
resources. RCAs should take no longer
than 3 weeks from planning (week 1) to
data collection (week 2) and analysis
and presentation of results (week 3)
Why rapid?
Emphasis is on rapid because the
information environment changes
quickly, as does the health challenge. In
emergencies, an RCA should inform the
public health response--insights older
than a month aren’t very helpful.

SITUATION #5 - 1/2
Instances of binge drinking among young people between age 13-18 in Country K
have dramatically increased in the capital city. This has led to several highly
publicized instances of teenagers being admitted into hospital with alcohol
poisoning, as well as several deaths caused by drunk driving.
The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education are both
concerned about this development, despite recent efforts
by lawmakers to limit the number of hours bars and pubs
can serve alcohol and clamping down on store sales of
alcoholic beverages marketed toward young people.

SITUATION #5 - 2/2
They would like to understand what the potential reasons might be why binge
drinking cases have increased and if anything in young people’s information or
social scene has changed that promote binge drinking.

YOUR TASK #5
• In your team’s Google Slides deck, fill out the table to
build a proposal for a rapid community assessment so
you may investigate online and offline spaces and
how young people characterize and respond to
discussions about binge drinking.
• Consider what data sources, spaces, and types of
data collection approaches you may want to include.
• Also consider what type of expertise should be
included on the investigation team.
Google Folder

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