Lin Chia-Hsien, Chang Yen-Jung, Lu Hung-Yi
Independent Researcher, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 May 30;19(5):e0012723. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012723. eCollection 2025 May.
Dengue remains a significant public health challenge in Taiwan, particularly in the southern region where Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes thrive. Despite nationwide dengue prevention campaigns, message fatigue-where individuals become disengaged due to repetitive messaging-may reduce the effectiveness of public health communication. This study analyses trends and associations between key predictors-such as age, sex, education, job, and perceived risks (optimistic bias, perceived prevalence, and perceived severity)-and message fatigue across different dengue-risk areas in Taiwan.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from October 25 to November 13, 2023, among 814 adults across Taiwan. Participants were classified into high-risk (southern Taiwan) and low-risk (other regions) groups. Message fatigue was assessed using the message environment (ME) and audience response (AR) dimensions. Perceived risks (perceived prevalence, severity, and optimistic bias) and demographic variables (sex, age, education, job experience, and residency) were analyzed using Poisson and Negative Binomial regression models.
The findings revealed that message fatigue varied by region and demographic factors. In high-risk areas, individuals with lower education levels exhibited higher AR fatigue (boredom and disengagement) (p = 0.04). In low-risk areas, males (p = 0.02), individuals with lower education (p = 0.01), and those with optimistic bias (p = 0.02) reported significantly higher ME fatigue (perceived overexposure). Despite uniform nationwide messaging, participants in high-risk regions exhibited greater message fatigue, possibly due to habituation.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Message fatigue is associated with regional dengue risk, demographic factors, and perceived risk. A uniform health communication approach may not be effective across different populations. In high-risk regions, message fatigue is more pronounced. Repetitive warnings may contribute to disengagement, suggesting a need for communication strategies that reduce redundancy and emphasize localized, actionable information. In low-risk areas, messages should focus on engagement, particularly for men, who exhibited higher fatigue in this study. Simplified messaging can reduce cognitive overload for lower-educated populations. Addressing message fatigue can enhance the effectiveness of dengue prevention campaigns and sustain public engagement in long-term health communication efforts.
登革热仍是台湾地区一项重大的公共卫生挑战，尤其是在埃及伊蚊和白纹伊蚊大量繁殖的南部地区。尽管开展了全国性的登革热预防运动，但信息疲劳（即个体因信息重复而不再参与）可能会降低公共卫生宣传的效果。本研究分析了关键预测因素（如年龄、性别、教育程度、职业以及感知风险，即乐观偏差、感知流行率和感知严重性）与台湾不同登革热风险地区信息疲劳之间的趋势和关联。
方法/主要发现：2023年10月25日至11月13日，对台湾地区814名成年人进行了一项横断面在线调查。参与者被分为高风险组（台湾南部）和低风险组（其他地区）。使用信息环境（ME）和受众反应（AR）维度评估信息疲劳。使用泊松回归模型和负二项回归模型分析感知风险（感知流行率、严重性和乐观偏差）以及人口统计学变量（性别、年龄、教育程度、工作经验和居住地区）。
研究结果表明，信息疲劳因地区和人口统计学因素而异。在高风险地区，教育程度较低的个体表现出更高的AR疲劳（厌烦和不再参与）（p = 0.04）。在低风险地区，男性（p = 0.02）、教育程度较低的个体（p = 0.01）以及存在乐观偏差的个体（p = 0.02）报告的ME疲劳（感知过度曝光）显著更高。尽管全国的信息内容一致，但高风险地区的参与者表现出更大的信息疲劳，这可能是由于习惯化。
结论/意义：信息疲劳与地区登革热风险、人口统计学因素和感知风险相关。统一的健康宣传方法可能对不同人群无效。在高风险地区，信息疲劳更为明显。重复警告可能会导致不再参与，这表明需要采用减少冗余并强调本地化、可采取行动信息的宣传策略。在低风险地区，信息应侧重于参与度，特别是对于本研究中表现出更高疲劳的男性。简化信息可以减轻受教育程度较低人群的认知负担。解决信息疲劳问题可以提高登革热预防运动的效果，并在长期健康宣传工作中维持公众参与度。
