Belief Factors of Fake News and Management of Health Fake News in Online Media of Communication Arts Students, Northen Rajabhat Universities

Abstract

The research aimed to: 1) explore health fake news consumption behavior and experiences in online media; 2) investigate the connection between suspected health fake news topics and their prevalence in online media; 3) compare communication arts students' beliefs in health fake news based on demographics; 4) analyze belief factors influencing health fake news management among students at Northern Rajabhat Universities.

The study involved 1,769 Communication Arts students from eight Northern Rajabhat Universities, with 326 students selected via multistage sampling. Data analysis employed various statistics, including frequency, percentage, means, standard deviation, Pearson correlation, analysis of variance, and multiple regression.

Results indicated that students predominantly accessed health news online between 12:01 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., approximately three times a week. Their primary motivations included health protection, knowledge acquisition, and problem-solving. Facebook, various websites, and Line were the top platforms for suspected health fake news.

Three significant issues related to fake health news patterns were herbal matters, life problems, and sex education. Students' opinions on belief factors remained consistent across different academic years. Both recipient and health news publisher factors positively influenced health fake news management in online media.