Information Channels and Knowledge of Coronavirus Disease 2019 among Vietnamese/Nepalese Students in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Information Channels and Knowledge of Coronavirus Disease 2019 among Vietnamese/Nepalese Students in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Information Channels and Knowledge of Coronavirus Disease 2019 among Vietnamese/Nepalese Students in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study Madoka Takemura, Michiyo Higuchi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7569187/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Aim This study aimed to assess the knowledge level of coronavirus disease 2019 and identify related factors, including information channels, among Vietnamese/Nepalese students in Japanese language schools. Methods A self-administered online questionnaire survey was administered between January 31 and February 28, 2022. One hundred forty-one Vietnamese and 33 Nepalese students participated in this survey. Results Facebook was the most commonly used social media platform for obtaining coronavirus disease 2019 information. Approximately 75% of the participants were aware of one of the multilingual posters issued by the government. The mean score for coronavirus disease 2019 knowledge was 17.6 out of 23. Knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 was associated with using Facebook to obtain coronavirus disease 2019 information (β=1.01; 95% confidence interval, 0.09–1.93; p=0.03), seeing an official multilingual poster (β=0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.09–1.68; p=0.03), and country of origin (β=2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–3.13; p<0.001). Conclusions Providing multilingual information from reliable sources, such as official posters, through popular channels, such as Facebook, is useful for increasing access to information. Such information must be tailored to the characteristics of the community and its members. In this study, we conducted a survey among international students at Japanese language schools who were among the information-vulnerable groups while living with coronavirus disease 2019. They were newcomers to Japan and faced language barriers. COVID-19 Japan Knowledge Social media Transients and migrants Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 1. Background At the end of 2022, the number of foreign residents in Japan exceeded three million [ 1 ]. From several perspectives, migrants are one of the most vulnerable groups in society [ 2 ]. Foreign residents in Japan face language barriers and have difficulty accessing vital information [ 3 ]. Particularly, newcomers tend to have information gaps because they do not have acquaintances in Japan or do not belong to communities that can help them. When unpredictable situations, such as natural disasters or the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, occur, foreign residents become even more vulnerable to information scarcity [ 4 , 5 ]. Social media have been suggested as a practical tool for obtaining information for foreign residents in Japan [ 6 ]. It is interactive and allows anyone to easily transmit information and interact with others using the Internet [ 7 ]. Social networking services (SNS) are a popular type of social media, and Facebook is the most widely used SNS platform among foreign residents in Japan; nearly 80% of foreign residents use social media daily [ 8 ]. They reported using social media more frequently than before arriving in Japan [ 8 ]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, including migrants, accessed online information about COVID-19 [ 9 , 10 ]. Following the identification of the first case in China in December 2019 [ 11 ], the number of COVID-19 cases in Japan increased [ 12 ], and in March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic [ 11 ]. On April 16, 2020, a state of emergency was declared in all prefectures of Japan [ 13 ]. Citizens were instructed to stay at home[ 13 ]; thus, there were few opportunities for contact with other people, and social media was used more than ever before [ 14 , 15 ]. However, the amount of information on social media is overwhelming, and the public has been warned to be aware of misinformation and disinformation regarding COVID-19 [ 16 , 17 ]. Although the Japanese government provided the people with reliable Japanese and multilingual information about COVID-19 through various channels [ 18 ], a large percentage of foreign residents obtained information from social media and websites other than official media outlets when seeking information from public institutions [ 19 ]. According to an official report, only 20% of foreign residents were aware of “A Daily Life Support Portal for Foreign Nationals” [ 18 ]. This website, established by a Japanese government organization, serves as an informational platform designed to provide essential knowledge and guidance to foreign residents on everyday life and key aspects of living in Japan. During and after the pandemic, the Japanese government has provided more downloadable multilingual posters [ 20 ]. To the best of our knowledge, there are no data on whether these posters reached foreign residents. Social media usage may influence COVID-19 knowledge. Several studies have been conducted on immigrants’ knowledge of COVID-19 worldwide [ 21 , 22 ]. Previous studies have produced inconsistent results; one study suggested a positive association between media use and COVID-19 knowledge [ 22 ], whereas another found no association [ 21 ]. Although many studies in Japan have reported the use of social media and COVID-19 among migrants, no study has found a relationship between knowledge about COVID-19 and social media use among foreign residents in Japan [ 6 , 23 ]. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, awareness of official multilingual posters on COVID-19 in Japan among foreign residents and its relationship with knowledge of COVID-19 have not been reported. This study aimed to understand the channels used to find information on COVID-19, to assess knowledge of COVID-19, and to identify factors, including the use of social media and awareness of official multilingual posters, related to the knowledge level among Vietnamese/Nepalese students in Japanese language schools. We focused on this population in our study because the number of foreign residents enrolled in Japanese language schools has been rapidly increasing under the government’s 300,000 International Students Plan. Japanese language students account for approximately 21% of all international students. The students’ nationalities are diverse. Chinese students have consistently constituted the largest group, whereas Vietnamese and Nepalese students have been increasing recently [ 1 ] and are now the second- and third-largest groups, respectively. Language schools are often the entry points for new arrivals, and their students generally show limited Japanese language skills. Therefore, we considered them a suitable target population for this study. 2. Methods 2.1 Study design and participants This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire. We approached 23 Japanese language schools in prefectures in the Tokai area – Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu, and Mie – for possible participation in this study. This area is known for its thriving manufacturing industry and a large number of foreign residents. The inclusion criterion for schools was having Vietnamese/Nepalese students registered with the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education. Of the 23 schools that met the inclusion criteria, 18 agreed to participate. The individual criteria for the students were as follows: Vietnamese/Nepalese nationality, staying in Japan for ≤ 5 years, aged ≥ 18 years, having student residence status, and living in one of the four specified prefectures. 2.2 Study instrument Our online survey questionnaire was translated from Japanese into Vietnamese and Nepalese by a native speaker of each language. The research team then back-translated the Vietnamese and Nepalese versions using a translation application. If there were any inconsistencies between the original and back-translated Japanese, the translator and the research team discussed the sentences until we reached an agreement on the meaning. The questionnaire consisted of five parts: (1) sociodemographic characteristics, (2) health-related issues, (3) media use, (4) access to multilingual information about COVID-19, and (5) knowledge of COVID-19. We created an online survey questionnaire using Questant®, a web-based survey tool, the server for which is located in Japan and is SSL-encrypted. Sociodemographic characteristics included age, sex, prefecture of residence, marital status, educational level, Japanese language ability, employment status, and monthly income. For Japanese proficiency, we used level definitions from the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test. The levels were as follows: N1, able to understand Japanese used in a variety of circumstances; N2, able to understand Japanese used in everyday situations and in several circumstances to a certain degree; N3, able to understand Japanese used in everyday situations to a certain degree; N4, able to understand basic Japanese; and N5, able to understand basic Japanese [ 24 ]. Regarding health, we asked the participants about their self-rated health status, public insurance coverage, and unmet healthcare needs. For self-rated health, we used a five-point scale of “very good, good, average, poor, or very poor” [ 25 ]. To assess unmet healthcare needs, a standardized question [ 26 ] was modified and divided into two questions. For these questions, we used “since you came to Japan” instead of the original phrase “during the last 12 months.” The first question was, “Was there any time since you came to Japan when you personally, really needed a medical examination or treatment for a health problem?” If the participant answered “Yes,” we asked the second question: “Was there a time when you had a medical problem but did not consult a doctor?” Questions about the use of media included the way the participants searched for COVID-19 information, the amount of time spent using social media, the social media platform most frequently used to obtain COVID-19 information, whether the time spent using social media increased because of COVID-19, and their confidence in being able to determine if the COVID-19 information provided on social media was correct. For questions about access to multilingual information on COVID-19, we showed two portal websites and four posters: (1) about infection control by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), (2) about symptoms by the MHLW, (3) about infection control by a local government, and (4) about handwashing with navigation codes to portal sites by the local government. The local government in Aichi Prefecture, whose poster was used for the questionnaire, was one of the four target prefectures. Aichi Prefecture has the largest overall population and the most significant foreign population among the four target prefectures owing to its large manufacturing industry, which employs many foreign workers. Only the Aichi official website provided posters about COVID-19 in both Vietnamese and Nepalese, whereas provisions in the other three prefectures were only in Vietnamese [ 27 – 30 ]. We asked the participants whether they had accessed each webpage or had seen each multilingual poster. Twenty-three questions were used to assess COVID-19 knowledge. Seventeen statements were cited from the WHO “Q&As on COVID-19 and related health topics” [ 31 ] and six from “COVID-19 vaccine: misinformation that needs attention” by the MHLW, Japan [ 32 ]. The COVID-19 section consisted of four parts: (1) symptoms, (2) protection, (3) treatment, and (4) vaccination. The question order was randomized, and “True” or “False” responses to each of the questions were also randomly assigned. 2.3 Data collection Data were collected from January 31 to February 28, 2022. The principal investigator distributed a written explanation of the survey to the Japanese language schools and explained it to the Vietnamese and Nepalese students in each school. Alternatively, if a school preferred, written information in Vietnamese and Nepalese could be sent to that school for a nominated person to distribute and explain to the students. A QR code leading to the questionnaire was attached to the written information, which confirmed that participation in the survey was voluntary. The questionnaire began with one question to establish consent to participate in the survey and five questions to check participant inclusion criteria. Only those who answered “Yes” to all six questions participated in the survey. 2.4 Statistical analyses COVID-19 knowledge was scored as 1 point for each question, with the total score ranging from 0 to 23. COVID-19 knowledge was used as the dependent variable in this study. T-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to examine the differences in knowledge of COVID-19 among the categories of each explanatory variable. Finally, factors that significantly differed in knowledge scores in the univariate tests and major sociodemographic characteristics (sex and educational level) were included in a multiple linear regression model. Age and length of stay in Japan were not included in the final model because they were homogeneous across participants. All statistical tests were considered significant at a 95% confidence interval (CI) with a p-value of < 0.05. All analyses were performed using EZR [ 33 ], which is a graphical user interface for R (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, version 2.13.0). More precisely, it is a modified version of R Commander (version 1.6-3), which was designed to add statistical functions frequently used in biostatistics. 2.5 Ethical considerations Informed consent was obtained from all the participants at the beginning of the questionnaire. This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved on December 3, 2021, by the Research Ethics Committee of the Graduate School of Nursing of Nagoya City University (ID number: 21024-5). 3. Results 3.1 Participant characteristics Participant characteristics are shown in Table 1 . Among the Vietnamese participants, 72 (51%) were male and 69 (49%) were female. Among the Nepalese participants, 18 (55%) were male and 15 (45%) were female. The average ages of the participants were 21.9 years among the Vietnamese and 23.2 years among Nepalese. Most (131, 93%) of the Vietnamese and all Nepalese participants (33, 100%) had stayed in Japan for < 2 years. Among the Vietnamese students, 111 (79%) had Japanese proficiency at N3 or N4, and among the Nepalese students, 32 (97%) had Japanese proficiency. Among the various types of SNS, 109 (77%) Vietnamese and 21 (64%) Nepalese participants mostly used Facebook. Some Vietnamese (67, 48%) and Nepalese (13, 39%) had seen a poster on infection control issued by the local government (Aichi Prefecture); this was the most viewed poster among all the participants. Sixty-one (43%) Vietnamese and 17 (52%) Nepalese participants were unsure whether they could determine the accuracy of the COVID-19 information reported on SNS. The channels used to obtain information on COVID-19 are shown in Fig. 1 . One hundred thirty-eight (98%) Vietnamese and 31 (94%) Nepalese participants used social media to obtain information on COVID-19. Some participants (Vietnamese, 44%; Nepalese, 42%) obtained information about COVID-19 from friends, acquaintances, or their community. The distribution of COVID-19 knowledge scores according to nationality is shown in Fig. 2 . The overall mean scores for knowledge were 17.6–18.0 among Vietnamese and 15.6 among Nepalese participants. Figure 1 shows the channels used to obtain information about COVID-19 (multiple answers were acceptable). Table 1 Characteristics of the participants (N = 174) Variables Vietnamese (N = 141) Nepalese (N = 33) Total (N = 174) n % n % n % Age 18–20 46 32.6 4 12.1 50 28.7 21–25 82 58.2 21 63.6 103 59.2 26–30 13 9.2 8 24.2 21 12.1 Residential area Aichi 39 27.7 9 27.3 48 27.6 Shizuoka 98 69.5 21 63.6 119 68.4 Gifu 4 2.8 0 0.0 4 2.3 Mie 0 0.0 3 9.1 3 1.7 Months of stay in Japan –12 13 9.2 4 12.1 17 9.8 13–24 118 83.7 29 87.9 147 84.5 25–36 8 5.7 0 0.0 8 4.6 37–48 2 1.4 0 0.0 2 1.1 48–59 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Sex Male 72 51.1 18 54.6 90 51.7 Female 69 48.9 15 45.5 84 48.3 Education Higher secondary or below 113 80.1 21 63.6 134 77.0 Undergraduate or above 28 19.9 12 36.4 40 23.0 Japanese proficiency N1 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 N2 26 18.4 0 0.0 26 14.9 N3 79 56.0 23 69.7 102 58.6 N4 32 22.7 9 27.3 41 23.6 N5 4 2.8 1 3.0 5 2.9 Monthly income < 100,000 yen 52 36.9 21 63.6 73 42.0 ≥ 100,000 yen 89 63.1 12 36.4 101 58.0 Marital status Married 2 1.4 5 15.2 7 4.0 Not married 139 98.6 28 84.9 167 96.0 Table 1 . Characteristics of the participants (N = 174) (continued) Variables Vietnamese (N = 131) Nepalese (N = 33) Total (N = 174) n % n % n % Self-rated health status Excellent/very good 77 54.6 22 66.7 99 56.9 Good 64 45.4 10 30.3 74 42.5 Bad/very bad 0 0.0 1 3.0 1 3.0 Health insurance (yes) 135 95.7 27 81.8 162 93.1 Had hoped to see a doctor (yes) 84 59.6 14 42.4 98 56.3 Had hoped to have seen a doctor, but were not able to (N = 84) (yes) 34 40.5 5 35.7 39 39.8 The channel to find out information of COVID-19 among social media Facebook 109 77.3 21 63.6 130 74.7 YouTube 16 11.3 7 21.2 23 13.2 Others 16 11.3 5 15.2 21 12.1 Having seen the poster issued by a local government (yes) 67 47.5 13 39.4 80 46.0 Determine if the information about COVID-19 on social media is correct Yes 80 56.7 16 48.5 96 55.2 No 44 31.2 6 18.2 50 28.7 Not sure 17 12.1 11 33.3 28 16.1 3.2 Factors related to knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 The univariate analyses are summarized in Table 2. Country of origin, Japanese proficiency, use of Facebook to find information on COVID-19, and having seen a poster on infection control issued by the local government were significantly related to knowledge of COVID-19. Table 3 shows the relationship between COVID-19 knowledge and the participants’ characteristics. Seeing one of the listed local government posters about infection control (β=0.88; 95% CI, 0.09–1.68; p=0.03), using Facebook to obtain information about COVID-19 (β=1.01; 95% CI, 0.09–1.93; p=0.03), and country of origin (β=2.09; 95% CI, 1.05–3.13; p<0.001) were related to knowledge of COVID-19 score. No relationship was found between the other sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and their knowledge of COVID-19. Table 2. Univariate analysis with the knowledge score of COVID-19 Variables Mean score SD p-value * Age 18–20 17.2 3.16 0.439 21–25 17.8 2.57 26–30 17.2 3.42 Months of stay in Japan <12 16.9 2.71 0.45 13–18 17.7 2.79 19– 17.4 3.11 Sex Male 17.4 3.21 0.435 Female 17.7 2.41 Table 2. Univariate analysis with knowledge score of COVID-19 (continued) Variables Mean score SD p-value * Country of origin Vietnam 18.0 2.65 <0.001 Nepal 15.6 2.93 Education Higher secondary or below 17.5 2.89 0.247 Undergraduate or above 18.2 2.58 Japanese proficiency N1/N2 18.6 2.70 0.043 N3/N4/N5 17.4 2.85 The channel to find out information of COVID-19 among social media Facebook 17.9 2.57 <0.001 Others 16.6 3.41 Having seen one of the posters issued by a local government Yes 18.1 2.13 0.019 No 17.1 3.29 * T-test * One-way ANOVA test Table 3. The relationship between COVID-19 and the characteristics of the participant Variables Adjusted coefficient 95% CI p-value* Having seen the poster issued by a local government No Ref. Yes 0.88 0.09 – 1.68 0.03 Most used social media to search about COVID-19 Others Ref. Facebook 1.01 0.09 – 1.93 0.03 Country of origin Nepal Ref. Vietnam 2.09 1.05 – 3.13 <0.001 Japanese proficiency N1/N2 Ref. N3/N4/N5 -0.70 -1.86 – 0.45 0.23 Sex Male Ref. Female 0.21 -0.60 – 1.02 0.61 Educational level High school or below Ref. Undergraduate or above 0.77 -0.41 – 1.94 0.20 *Multiple linear regression analysis 4. Discussion We aimed to understand the channels used to find information on COVID-19, to assess knowledge of COVID-19, and to identify factors related to knowledge level, including the use of social media and awareness of an official poster, among Vietnamese/Nepalese students. We found that Japanese language students mostly used Facebook as a social media platform to gather information on COVID-19. Approximately 75% of the participants had seen at least one of the listed multilingual government posters on COVID-19. Knowledge of COVID-19 was associated with the use of Facebook to obtain information about COVID-19 and with seeing a multilingual official poster. In addition, knowledge scores were significantly different between the two student groups categorized based on home country. Facebook is a social media platform used by > 80% of the foreign residents in Japan 8 . Migrants use social media more often in Japan than before arriving [ 8 ]. Approximately 57% of the respondents reported spending more time on social media because of COVID-19, and using Facebook to obtain COVID-19 information was related to their knowledge of COVID-19. Social support positively affects health knowledge [ 34 ]. The reduced opportunities for human contact caused by lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic have made social media an important resource for social support. Therefore, social media, SNS (Facebook) in this case, may be positively associated with knowledge. A previous study targeting immigrants of various nationalities living in China found results similar to those of the current study [ 22 ]. Another study among Indonesian migrant workers in China found that social media use was not related to knowledge about COVID-19 [ 21 ]. Possible reasons for these inconsistent results may be participant characteristics and the content provided on social media. Immigrants who use social media can be exposed to misinformation [ 35 , 36 ]. Previous studies in other countries have found that gathering information about COVID-19 on social media is negatively associated with vaccination motivation and rates [ 36 ]. Another issue with SNS, including Facebook, is the excess information that confuses users. In one qualitative study, foreign residents in Japan suggested, “Too much news and information about COVID-19 on online platforms like Facebook made me worried” [ 36 ]. However, the Japanese government and other reliable organizations engaged in supporting foreigners may also use popular social media platforms accessed by foreign residents. In particular, using such platforms while providing only the minimum necessary information can help prevent confusion among foreign residents. We also found that knowledge of COVID-19 was associated with seeing a multilingual poster provided by the local Japanese government. It was reported that “school, university, or office” were the most common channels for information issued by the Japanese government and local governments for international students, at 58% [ 19 ]. A previous study suggested that distributing leaflets at school as an informational tool could improve knowledge and attitudes toward disease [ 37 ]. Multilingual posters provided by the Japanese government are freely accessible and downloadable. Anyone can easily view them anytime and anywhere. Although the locations of the posters that the respondents had seen were not investigated in this study, participants may have seen official posters at their schools or offices. It is possible that government multilingual posters were displayed in reliable places, such as schools and workplaces, potentially influencing the participants’ knowledge. However, because this was a cross-sectional study, we could not suggest causality. It is also possible that participants familiar with COVID-19 recognized these multilingual posters, but seeing them was not an influential factor in their COVID-19 knowledge. Vietnamese students had significantly greater knowledge than Nepalese students. Community size and the length of the community’s history can contribute to this difference. More Vietnamese students than Nepalese students studied in Japan during the survey period in the target region. The Vietnamese community was larger, and the number of Vietnamese people started to increase earlier than that of the Nepalese community. A community with more members and a longer history may have a wider information network, and more information can be shared among its members. COVID-19 infection status and medical conditions in the respondents’ home countries were also considered influential factors for knowledge. At the time of this study, the number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam had increased rapidly, whereas that in Nepal had decreased [ 38 , 39 ]. In addition to the characteristics of each community, the infection situation in their home countries may have contributed to the need to gather information on COVID-19. 4.1 Limitations of the study First, owing to the small sample size, the statistical power of our findings was low. We systematically approached all the language schools in the target area that met the inclusion criteria and obtained consent to participate from 18 of the 23 schools. Despite our efforts, participation was low, probably because of the pandemic itself. Second, the results could not be generalized because we only included cooperating schools, leading to a sampling bias. Third, we could not consider causality because of the cross-sectional design. In addition, a COVID-19 knowledge score was devised for this study, but the reliability and validity of the scale have not yet been assessed. 5. Conclusions Many participants reported that Facebook was the social media platform they used most to gather information about COVID-19. Contrary to our expectations, this study found that most participants were aware of official posters. Both Vietnamese and Nepalese students knew more than two-thirds of the COVID-19 information items. Our findings also showed that knowledge of COVID-19 was associated with using Facebook to obtain information about COVID-19, seeing multilingual official posters, and students’ countries of origin. This study can serve as a useful reference when considering methods for providing information to improve the health knowledge of foreign students. As many Japanese language school students are newcomers to Japan, they are likely to have difficulty accessing multilingual healthcare information. Although there are known risks and disadvantages, using SNS is likely to help people obtain knowledge about COVID-19. Providing multilingual medical information from reliable sources through popular channels, such as Facebook, will be useful for increasing access to information. Posters and leaflets provided via official websites must be tailored to the characteristics of particular communities and their members. Reliable sources and accessible channels make it easier for foreign residents to gather information. In the current post-COVID-19 era, the findings of this study are applicable to other infectious diseases that cause health issues among foreign residents, such as tuberculosis, one of the most frequently cited public health concerns affecting foreign residents. 5.1 Future studies Considering the limitations of this study, it is necessary to expand the target area and conduct large-scale surveys. In the future, qualitative techniques, such as interviews, would be useful for gaining a more detailed understanding of foreign residents’ backgrounds, the processes used to gather information, and the effectiveness of information provision methods. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Informed consent was anonymously obtained from all participants at the beginning of the questionnaire. This survey was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Graduate School of Nursing of Nagoya City University (ID number: 21024-5) on 3rd December 2021. Funding This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Number 19K10563. Author Contribution MT and MH conceptualized and designed the study. MT acquired, analyzed, and interpreted data for the work under the supervision of MH. MT drafted the work, and MH reviewed it critically for important intellectual content. MT and MH approved the final version for publication and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Acknowledgement The authors thank all the Vietnamese/Nepalese participants in the survey as well as the staff members of the Japanese language schools who cooperated with the survey. We are also grateful to Mr. Nguen Ngoc Chi and Ms. Kabita Thapa for translating the questionnaires and to Dr. Julia Mortimer for editing the manuscript. This study was based on the MT’s master’s thesis submitted to Nagoya City University School of Nursing. Data Availability Data is provided within the manuscript or supplementary information files. References Immigration Services Agency of Japan. The number of immigrants in Japan. 2022. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001381744.pdf (In Japanese) WHO. Refugee and migrant health. Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.who.int/health-topics/refugee-and-migrant-health#tab=tab_1 Yamaguchi T. 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Results from the British Whitehall II and French Gazel cohort studies. J Epidemiol Community Health. Apr 2006;60(4):364-72. https://doi:10.1136/jech.2005.039883 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. unmet need for health care. Accessed 27 Dec 2022, https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/13aff239-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/13aff239-en#boxsection-d1e4493 Aichi Prefecture. For Foreigners. Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.pref.aichi.jp/site/covid19-aichi/forforeigners.html (In Japanese) GIFU Prefectural Office. Information about COVID-19. Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/site/covid19/ (In Japanese) Mie Prefectural Government. Coronavirus: what to do if you feel unwell. Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/YAKUMUS/HP/covid19info-jp.htm#%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AF%E5%85%88 (In Japanese) Shizuoka Prefecture. For Those Diagnosed with COVID-19. Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/kenkofukushi/covid19/iryoukikan/1053101/1054032.html (In Japanese) WHO. Q&As on COVID-19 and related health topics. Accessed 7 Jan 2022, https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub Ministry of Health LaW. COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA vaccine): misinformation that needs attention. Accessed 7 Jan 2022, https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10900000/000829138.pdf (In Japanese) Kanda Y. Investigation of the freely available easy-to-use software 'EZR' for medical statistics. Bone Marrow Transplant. Mar 2013;48(3):452-8. https://doi:10.1038/bmt.2012.244 Wang Y, Zhu J, Xu Z, Dai X, Chen K, Wang Y. Social support, oral health knowledge, attitudes, practice, self-efficacy and oral health-related quality of life in Chinese college students. Sci Rep. Jul 29 2023;13(1):12320. https://doi:10.1038/s41598-023-39658-6 Bhandari D, Kotera Y, Ozaki A, Abeysinghe S, Kosaka M, Tanimoto T. COVID-19: challenges faced by Nepalese migrants living in Japan. Article. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1)752. https://doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10796-8 Goldsmith LP, Rowland-Pomp M, Hanson K, et al. Use of social media platforms by migrant and ethnic minority populations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. BMJ Open. Nov 17 2022;12(11):e061896. https://doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061896 Mimura A, Sudo N, Kato N. [Educational effects of a single distribution of a leaflet on alcohol and pregnancy among female university students]. Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi. Jun 2010;57(6):431-8. (In Japanese) WHO. Nepal (Overview of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by date). Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.who.int/countries/npl/ WHO. Vietnam (Overview of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by date). Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.who.int/countries/vnm/ Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementaryfile250908.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 16 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 04 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 04 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 25 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 13 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 09 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":25721,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe channel used to find information on COVID-19 (Multiple answers were acceptable)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7569187/v1/1f661f5c374d45ce19a03b3b.png"},{"id":92168720,"identity":"8393ff1e-e6db-4a5e-9e71-4394ab4abcf1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-25 11:32:08","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":11852,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDistribution of COVID-19 knowledge score\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7569187/v1/9f79fbd13130d6aac6d2a056.png"},{"id":92169853,"identity":"ce8ef3ed-a598-4e14-b33d-837d9bd48d36","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-25 11:40:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":982973,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7569187/v1/63256702-7853-4b1f-af6c-642b3cd23556.pdf"},{"id":92168718,"identity":"7760e01b-4b75-404d-846c-7f4f268f4426","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-25 11:32:07","extension":"xlsx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":28285,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Supplementaryfile250908.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7569187/v1/9eed0c95c0c47994a50a0ef6.xlsx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eInformation Channels and Knowledge of Coronavirus Disease 2019 among Vietnamese/Nepalese Students in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eAt the end of 2022, the number of foreign residents in Japan exceeded three million [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. From several perspectives, migrants are one of the most vulnerable groups in society [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Foreign residents in Japan face language barriers and have difficulty accessing vital information [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. Particularly, newcomers tend to have information gaps because they do not have acquaintances in Japan or do not belong to communities that can help them. When unpredictable situations, such as natural disasters or the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, occur, foreign residents become even more vulnerable to information scarcity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSocial media have been suggested as a practical tool for obtaining information for foreign residents in Japan [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. It is interactive and allows anyone to easily transmit information and interact with others using the Internet [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Social networking services (SNS) are a popular type of social media, and Facebook is the most widely used SNS platform among foreign residents in Japan; nearly 80% of foreign residents use social media daily [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. They reported using social media more frequently than before arriving in Japan [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many people, including migrants, accessed online information about COVID-19 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Following the identification of the first case in China in December 2019 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e], the number of COVID-19 cases in Japan increased [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e], and in March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. On April 16, 2020, a state of emergency was declared in all prefectures of Japan [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. Citizens were instructed to stay at home[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]; thus, there were few opportunities for contact with other people, and social media was used more than ever before [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, the amount of information on social media is overwhelming, and the public has been warned to be aware of misinformation and disinformation regarding COVID-19 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Although the Japanese government provided the people with reliable Japanese and multilingual information about COVID-19 through various channels [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e], a large percentage of foreign residents obtained information from social media and websites other than official media outlets when seeking information from public institutions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. According to an official report, only 20% of foreign residents were aware of \u0026ldquo;A Daily Life Support Portal for Foreign Nationals\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. This website, established by a Japanese government organization, serves as an informational platform designed to provide essential knowledge and guidance to foreign residents on everyday life and key aspects of living in Japan. During and after the pandemic, the Japanese government has provided more downloadable multilingual posters [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. To the best of our knowledge, there are no data on whether these posters reached foreign residents.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSocial media usage may influence COVID-19 knowledge. Several studies have been conducted on immigrants\u0026rsquo; knowledge of COVID-19 worldwide [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Previous studies have produced inconsistent results; one study suggested a positive association between media use and COVID-19 knowledge [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e], whereas another found no association [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Although many studies in Japan have reported the use of social media and COVID-19 among migrants, no study has found a relationship between knowledge about COVID-19 and social media use among foreign residents in Japan [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, awareness of official multilingual posters on COVID-19 in Japan among foreign residents and its relationship with knowledge of COVID-19 have not been reported.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study aimed to understand the channels used to find information on COVID-19, to assess knowledge of COVID-19, and to identify factors, including the use of social media and awareness of official multilingual posters, related to the knowledge level among Vietnamese/Nepalese students in Japanese language schools.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe focused on this population in our study because the number of foreign residents enrolled in Japanese language schools has been rapidly increasing under the government\u0026rsquo;s 300,000 International Students Plan. Japanese language students account for approximately 21% of all international students. The students\u0026rsquo; nationalities are diverse. Chinese students have consistently constituted the largest group, whereas Vietnamese and Nepalese students have been increasing recently [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e] and are now the second- and third-largest groups, respectively. Language schools are often the entry points for new arrivals, and their students generally show limited Japanese language skills. Therefore, we considered them a suitable target population for this study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Study design and participants\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire. We approached 23 Japanese language schools in prefectures in the Tokai area \u0026ndash; Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu, and Mie \u0026ndash; for possible participation in this study. This area is known for its thriving manufacturing industry and a large number of foreign residents. The inclusion criterion for schools was having Vietnamese/Nepalese students registered with the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education. Of the 23 schools that met the inclusion criteria, 18 agreed to participate. The individual criteria for the students were as follows: Vietnamese/Nepalese nationality, staying in Japan for \u0026le;\u0026thinsp;5 years, aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;18 years, having student residence status, and living in one of the four specified prefectures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Study instrument\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOur online survey questionnaire was translated from Japanese into Vietnamese and Nepalese by a native speaker of each language. The research team then back-translated the Vietnamese and Nepalese versions using a translation application. If there were any inconsistencies between the original and back-translated Japanese, the translator and the research team discussed the sentences until we reached an agreement on the meaning. The questionnaire consisted of five parts: (1) sociodemographic characteristics, (2) health-related issues, (3) media use, (4) access to multilingual information about COVID-19, and (5) knowledge of COVID-19. We created an online survey questionnaire using Questant\u0026reg;, a web-based survey tool, the server for which is located in Japan and is SSL-encrypted.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSociodemographic characteristics included age, sex, prefecture of residence, marital status, educational level, Japanese language ability, employment status, and monthly income. For Japanese proficiency, we used level definitions from the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test. The levels were as follows: N1, able to understand Japanese used in a variety of circumstances; N2, able to understand Japanese used in everyday situations and in several circumstances to a certain degree; N3, able to understand Japanese used in everyday situations to a certain degree; N4, able to understand basic Japanese; and N5, able to understand basic Japanese [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRegarding health, we asked the participants about their self-rated health status, public insurance coverage, and unmet healthcare needs. For self-rated health, we used a five-point scale of \u0026ldquo;very good, good, average, poor, or very poor\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. To assess unmet healthcare needs, a standardized question [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e] was modified and divided into two questions. For these questions, we used \u0026ldquo;since you came to Japan\u0026rdquo; instead of the original phrase \u0026ldquo;during the last 12 months.\u0026rdquo; The first question was, \u0026ldquo;Was there any time since you came to Japan when you personally, really needed a medical examination or treatment for a health problem?\u0026rdquo; If the participant answered \u0026ldquo;Yes,\u0026rdquo; we asked the second question: \u0026ldquo;Was there a time when you had a medical problem but did not consult a doctor?\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eQuestions about the use of media included the way the participants searched for COVID-19 information, the amount of time spent using social media, the social media platform most frequently used to obtain COVID-19 information, whether the time spent using social media increased because of COVID-19, and their confidence in being able to determine if the COVID-19 information provided on social media was correct.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFor questions about access to multilingual information on COVID-19, we showed two portal websites and four posters: (1) about infection control by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), (2) about symptoms by the MHLW, (3) about infection control by a local government, and (4) about handwashing with navigation codes to portal sites by the local government. The local government in Aichi Prefecture, whose poster was used for the questionnaire, was one of the four target prefectures. Aichi Prefecture has the largest overall population and the most significant foreign population among the four target prefectures owing to its large manufacturing industry, which employs many foreign workers. Only the Aichi official website provided posters about COVID-19 in both Vietnamese and Nepalese, whereas provisions in the other three prefectures were only in Vietnamese [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. We asked the participants whether they had accessed each webpage or had seen each multilingual poster.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTwenty-three questions were used to assess COVID-19 knowledge. Seventeen statements were cited from the WHO \u0026ldquo;Q\u0026amp;As on COVID-19 and related health topics\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e] and six from \u0026ldquo;COVID-19 vaccine: misinformation that needs attention\u0026rdquo; by the MHLW, Japan [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. The COVID-19 section consisted of four parts: (1) symptoms, (2) protection, (3) treatment, and (4) vaccination. The question order was randomized, and \u0026ldquo;True\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;False\u0026rdquo; responses to each of the questions were also randomly assigned.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.3 Data collection\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eData were collected from January 31 to February 28, 2022. The principal investigator distributed a written explanation of the survey to the Japanese language schools and explained it to the Vietnamese and Nepalese students in each school. Alternatively, if a school preferred, written information in Vietnamese and Nepalese could be sent to that school for a nominated person to distribute and explain to the students. A QR code leading to the questionnaire was attached to the written information, which confirmed that participation in the survey was voluntary. The questionnaire began with one question to establish consent to participate in the survey and five questions to check participant inclusion criteria. Only those who answered \u0026ldquo;Yes\u0026rdquo; to all six questions participated in the survey.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4 Statistical analyses\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCOVID-19 knowledge was scored as 1 point for each question, with the total score ranging from 0 to 23. COVID-19 knowledge was used as the dependent variable in this study. T-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to examine the differences in knowledge of COVID-19 among the categories of each explanatory variable. Finally, factors that significantly differed in knowledge scores in the univariate tests and major sociodemographic characteristics (sex and educational level) were included in a multiple linear regression model. Age and length of stay in Japan were not included in the final model because they were homogeneous across participants. All statistical tests were considered significant at a 95% confidence interval (CI) with a p-value of \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05. All analyses were performed using EZR [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e], which is a graphical user interface for R (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, version 2.13.0). More precisely, it is a modified version of R Commander (version 1.6-3), which was designed to add statistical functions frequently used in biostatistics.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.5 Ethical considerations\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInformed consent\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003ewas obtained from all the participants at the beginning of the questionnaire. This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved on December 3, 2021, by the Research Ethics Committee of the Graduate School of Nursing of Nagoya City University (ID number: 21024-5).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.1 Participant characteristics\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eParticipant characteristics are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. Among the Vietnamese participants, 72 (51%) were male and 69 (49%) were female. Among the Nepalese participants, 18 (55%) were male and 15 (45%) were female. The average ages of the participants were 21.9 years among the Vietnamese and 23.2 years among Nepalese. Most (131, 93%) of the Vietnamese and all Nepalese participants (33, 100%) had stayed in Japan for \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;2 years. Among the Vietnamese students, 111 (79%) had Japanese proficiency at N3 or N4, and among the Nepalese students, 32 (97%) had Japanese proficiency. Among the various types of SNS, 109 (77%) Vietnamese and 21 (64%) Nepalese participants mostly used Facebook. Some Vietnamese (67, 48%) and Nepalese (13, 39%) had seen a poster on infection control issued by the local government (Aichi Prefecture); this was the most viewed poster among all the participants. Sixty-one (43%) Vietnamese and 17 (52%) Nepalese participants were unsure whether they could determine the accuracy of the COVID-19 information reported on SNS.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe channels used to obtain information on COVID-19 are shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. One hundred thirty-eight (98%) Vietnamese and 31 (94%) Nepalese participants used social media to obtain information on COVID-19. Some participants (Vietnamese, 44%; Nepalese, 42%) obtained information about COVID-19 from friends, acquaintances, or their community.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe distribution of COVID-19 knowledge scores according to nationality is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The overall mean scores for knowledge were 17.6\u0026ndash;18.0 among Vietnamese and 15.6 among Nepalese participants. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the channels used to obtain information about COVID-19 (multiple answers were acceptable).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharacteristics of the participants (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;174)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVietnamese (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;141)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNepalese (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;33)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;174)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;20\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e46\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e82\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e58.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e103\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e59.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e24.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eResidential area\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAichi\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eShizuoka\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e98\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e119\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGifu\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMie\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMonths of stay in Japan\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ndash;12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13\u0026ndash;24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e118\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e83.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e87.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e147\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e84.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25\u0026ndash;36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37\u0026ndash;48\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48\u0026ndash;59\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e51.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e51.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEducation\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigher secondary or below\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e113\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e80.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e134\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e77.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eUndergraduate or above\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eJapanese proficiency\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e79\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e102\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e58.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMonthly income\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;100,000 yen\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;100,000 yen\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e89\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e101\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e58.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarital status\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot married\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e139\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e98.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e84.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e167\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e96.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. Characteristics of the participants (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;174) (continued)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVietnamese (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;131)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNepalese (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;33)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;174)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSelf-rated health status\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eExcellent/very good\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e77\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e54.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e66.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e99\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGood\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e64\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e45.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e74\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBad/very bad\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHealth insurance (yes)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e135\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e95.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e81.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e162\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e93.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHad hoped to see a doctor (yes)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e84\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e59.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e98\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHad hoped to have seen a doctor, but were not able to (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;84) (yes)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e40.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39.8\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe channel to find out information of COVID-19 among social media\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFacebook\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e109\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e77.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e130\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e74.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYouTube\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaving seen the poster issued by a local government (yes)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e67\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e47.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e39.4\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e46.0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDetermine if the information about COVID-19 on social media is correct\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e56.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48.5\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e96\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e55.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.7\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot sure\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33.3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e16.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e3.2 Factors related to knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe univariate analyses are summarized in Table\u0026nbsp;2. Country of origin, Japanese proficiency, use of Facebook to find information on COVID-19, and having seen a poster on infection control issued by the local government were significantly related to knowledge of COVID-19.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable 3 shows the relationship between COVID-19 knowledge and the participants\u0026rsquo; characteristics. Seeing one of the listed local government posters about infection control (\u0026beta;=0.88; 95% CI, 0.09\u0026ndash;1.68; p=0.03), using Facebook to obtain information about COVID-19 (\u0026beta;=1.01; 95% CI, 0.09\u0026ndash;1.93; p=0.03), and country of origin (\u0026beta;=2.09; 95% CI, 1.05\u0026ndash;3.13; p\u0026lt;0.001) were related to knowledge of COVID-19 score. No relationship was found between the other sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and their knowledge of COVID-19.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 2. Univariate analysis with the knowledge score of COVID-19\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"652\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean score\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep-value\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAge\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;18\u0026ndash;20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.439\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;21\u0026ndash;25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;26\u0026ndash;30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMonths of stay in Japan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u0026lt;12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.71\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;13\u0026ndash;18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.79\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;19\u0026ndash;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;Male\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.435\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;Female\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 652px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTable 2. Univariate analysis with knowledge score of COVID-19 (continued)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean score\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep-value\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCountry of origin\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;Vietnam\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;Nepal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.93\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEducation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHigher secondary or below\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.89\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.247\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUndergraduate or above\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eJapanese proficiency\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;N1/N2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.70\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.043\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;N3/N4/N5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.85\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe channel to find out information of COVID-19 among social media\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFacebook\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHaving seen one of the posters issued by a local government\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.019\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 435px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.29\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003eT-test\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003eOne-way ANOVA test\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 3. The relationship between COVID-19 and the characteristics of the participant\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAdjusted coefficient\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95% CI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep-value*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHaving seen the poster issued by a local government\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRef.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.88\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.09\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1.68\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.03\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMost used social media to search about COVID-19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRef.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFacebook\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1.01\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.09\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1.93\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.03\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCountry of origin\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNepal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRef.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVietnam\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.09\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1.05\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.13\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eJapanese proficiency\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eN1/N2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRef.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eN3/N4/N5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.70\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.86\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/strong\u003e0.45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRef.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.60\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/strong\u003e1.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.61\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 45px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEducational level\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHigh school or below\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRef.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUndergraduate or above\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 18px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.77\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.41\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003c/strong\u003e1.94\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*Multiple linear regression analysis\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eWe aimed to understand the channels used to find information on COVID-19, to assess knowledge of COVID-19, and to identify factors related to knowledge level, including the use of social media and awareness of an official poster, among Vietnamese/Nepalese students. We found that Japanese language students mostly used Facebook as a social media platform to gather information on COVID-19. Approximately 75% of the participants had seen at least one of the listed multilingual government posters on COVID-19. Knowledge of COVID-19 was associated with the use of Facebook to obtain information about COVID-19 and with seeing a multilingual official poster. In addition, knowledge scores were significantly different between the two student groups categorized based on home country.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFacebook is a social media platform used by \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;80% of the foreign residents in Japan \u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e. Migrants use social media more often in Japan than before arriving [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. Approximately 57% of the respondents reported spending more time on social media because of COVID-19, and using Facebook to obtain COVID-19 information was related to their knowledge of COVID-19. Social support positively affects health knowledge [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. The reduced opportunities for human contact caused by lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic have made social media an important resource for social support. Therefore, social media, SNS (Facebook) in this case, may be positively associated with knowledge. A previous study targeting immigrants of various nationalities living in China found results similar to those of the current study [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Another study among Indonesian migrant workers in China found that social media use was not related to knowledge about COVID-19 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Possible reasons for these inconsistent results may be participant characteristics and the content provided on social media. Immigrants who use social media can be exposed to misinformation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. Previous studies in other countries have found that gathering information about COVID-19 on social media is negatively associated with vaccination motivation and rates [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. Another issue with SNS, including Facebook, is the excess information that confuses users. In one qualitative study, foreign residents in Japan suggested, \u0026ldquo;Too much news and information about COVID-19 on online platforms like Facebook made me worried\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. However, the Japanese government and other reliable organizations engaged in supporting foreigners may also use popular social media platforms accessed by foreign residents. In particular, using such platforms while providing only the minimum necessary information can help prevent confusion among foreign residents.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe also found that knowledge of COVID-19 was associated with seeing a multilingual poster provided by the local Japanese government. It was reported that \u0026ldquo;school, university, or office\u0026rdquo; were the most common channels for information issued by the Japanese government and local governments for international students, at 58% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. A previous study suggested that distributing leaflets at school as an informational tool could improve knowledge and attitudes toward disease [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. Multilingual posters provided by the Japanese government are freely accessible and downloadable. Anyone can easily view them anytime and anywhere. Although the locations of the posters that the respondents had seen were not investigated in this study, participants may have seen official posters at their schools or offices. It is possible that government multilingual posters were displayed in reliable places, such as schools and workplaces, potentially influencing the participants\u0026rsquo; knowledge. However, because this was a cross-sectional study, we could not suggest causality. It is also possible that participants familiar with COVID-19 recognized these multilingual posters, but seeing them was not an influential factor in their COVID-19 knowledge.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVietnamese students had significantly greater knowledge than Nepalese students. Community size and the length of the community\u0026rsquo;s history can contribute to this difference. More Vietnamese students than Nepalese students studied in Japan during the survey period in the target region. The Vietnamese community was larger, and the number of Vietnamese people started to increase earlier than that of the Nepalese community. A community with more members and a longer history may have a wider information network, and more information can be shared among its members. COVID-19 infection status and medical conditions in the respondents\u0026rsquo; home countries were also considered influential factors for knowledge. At the time of this study, the number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam had increased rapidly, whereas that in Nepal had decreased [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition to the characteristics of each community, the infection situation in their home countries may have contributed to the need to gather information on COVID-19.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e4.1 Limitations of the study\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst, owing to the small sample size, the statistical power of our findings was low. We systematically approached all the language schools in the target area that met the inclusion criteria and obtained consent to participate from 18 of the 23 schools. Despite our efforts, participation was low, probably because of the pandemic itself. Second, the results could not be generalized because we only included cooperating schools, leading to a sampling bias. Third, we could not consider causality because of the cross-sectional design. In addition, a COVID-19 knowledge score was devised for this study, but the reliability and validity of the scale have not yet been assessed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eMany participants reported that Facebook was the social media platform they used most to gather information about COVID-19. Contrary to our expectations, this study found that most participants were aware of official posters. Both Vietnamese and Nepalese students knew more than two-thirds of the COVID-19 information items. Our findings also showed that knowledge of COVID-19 was associated with using Facebook to obtain information about COVID-19, seeing multilingual official posters, and students\u0026rsquo; countries of origin.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study can serve as a useful reference when considering methods for providing information to improve the health knowledge of foreign students. As many Japanese language school students are newcomers to Japan, they are likely to have difficulty accessing multilingual healthcare information. Although there are known risks and disadvantages, using SNS is likely to help people obtain knowledge about COVID-19. Providing multilingual medical information from reliable sources through popular channels, such as Facebook, will be useful for increasing access to information. Posters and leaflets provided via official websites must be tailored to the characteristics of particular communities and their members. Reliable sources and accessible channels make it easier for foreign residents to gather information. In the current post-COVID-19 era, the findings of this study are applicable to other infectious diseases that cause health issues among foreign residents, such as tuberculosis, one of the most frequently cited public health concerns affecting foreign residents.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e5.1 Future studies\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eConsidering the limitations of this study, it is necessary to expand the target area and conduct large-scale surveys. In the future, qualitative techniques, such as interviews, would be useful for gaining a more detailed understanding of foreign residents\u0026rsquo; backgrounds, the processes used to gather information, and the effectiveness of information provision methods.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e Informed consent was anonymously obtained from all participants at the beginning of the questionnaire. This survey was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Graduate School of Nursing of Nagoya City University (ID number: 21024-5) on 3rd December 2021.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Number 19K10563.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMT and MH conceptualized and designed the study. MT acquired, analyzed, and interpreted data for the work under the supervision of MH. MT drafted the work, and MH reviewed it critically for important intellectual content. MT and MH approved the final version for publication and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors thank all the Vietnamese/Nepalese participants in the survey as well as the staff members of the Japanese language schools who cooperated with the survey. We are also grateful to Mr. Nguen Ngoc Chi and Ms. Kabita Thapa for translating the questionnaires and to Dr. Julia Mortimer for editing the manuscript. This study was based on the MT\u0026rsquo;s master\u0026rsquo;s thesis submitted to Nagoya City University School of Nursing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eData is provided within the manuscript or supplementary information files.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eImmigration Services Agency of Japan. The number of immigrants in Japan. 2022. https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001381744.pdf (In Japanese)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWHO. Refugee and migrant health. Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.who.int/health-topics/refugee-and-migrant-health#tab=tab_1\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYamaguchi T. Factors affecting the access and use of medical and health Information by foreign residents in Japan: A review (In Japanese) of the relevant literature. Japanese Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences. 2023;21:29-40. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBhandari A, Takahashi O. Knowledge, attitude, practice and perceived barriers of natural disaster preparedness among Nepalese immigrants residing in Japan. Article. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1)492. https://doi:10.1186/s12889-022-12844-3\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTakahashi A, Yamazaki C, Onbe H, Hamazaki K. Actual Conditions and Perceptions of Foreign Residents\u0026rsquo; Access to Information: A Qualitative Analysis of the Interview on Information about the COVID-19 Vaccine. KMJ THE KITAKANTO MEDICAL JOURNAL. 2023;73:69-79. (In Japanese)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGoto T. Usefulness of Social Media in the Evacuation Behavior of International Students as the Disaster Information Vulnerable. Vol. 12. 2019. 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International Journal of Biological Sciences. 2020;16(15):2895-2905. https://doi:10.7150/ijbs.47075\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKiyohara H, Teshima Y, Hoshino HA, et al. Three myths of disseminating COVID-19 information to vulnerable migrants in Japan: lessons learned during the pandemic. Trop Med Health. Feb 1 2022;50(1):13. https://doi:10.1186/s41182-022-00404-9\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJapanese-Language Proficiency Test. N1-N5: Summery of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level. Accessed 27 Dec 2022, https://www.jlpt.jp/e/about/levelsummary.html (In Japanese)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSingh-Manoux A, Martikainen P, Ferrie J, Zins M, Marmot M, Goldberg M. What does self rated health measure? Results from the British Whitehall II and French Gazel cohort studies. J Epidemiol Community Health. Apr 2006;60(4):364-72. https://doi:10.1136/jech.2005.039883\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrganization for Economic Cooperation and Development. unmet need for health care. 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Accessed 7 Jan 2022, https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMinistry of Health LaW. COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA vaccine): misinformation that needs attention. Accessed 7 Jan 2022, https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10900000/000829138.pdf (In Japanese)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKanda Y. Investigation of the freely available easy-to-use software \u0026apos;EZR\u0026apos; for medical statistics. Bone Marrow Transplant. Mar 2013;48(3):452-8. https://doi:10.1038/bmt.2012.244\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWang Y, Zhu J, Xu Z, Dai X, Chen K, Wang Y. Social support, oral health knowledge, attitudes, practice, self-efficacy and oral health-related quality of life in Chinese college students. Sci Rep. Jul 29 2023;13(1):12320. https://doi:10.1038/s41598-023-39658-6\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBhandari D, Kotera Y, Ozaki A, Abeysinghe S, Kosaka M, Tanimoto T. COVID-19: challenges faced by Nepalese migrants living in Japan. Article. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1)752. https://doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10796-8\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGoldsmith LP, Rowland-Pomp M, Hanson K, et al. Use of social media platforms by migrant and ethnic minority populations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. BMJ Open. Nov 17 2022;12(11):e061896. https://doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061896\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMimura A, Sudo N, Kato N. [Educational effects of a single distribution of a leaflet on alcohol and pregnancy among female university students]. Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi. Jun 2010;57(6):431-8. (In Japanese)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWHO. Nepal (Overview of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by date). Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.who.int/countries/npl/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWHO. Vietnam (Overview of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by date). Accessed 20 July 2025, https://www.who.int/countries/vnm/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-social-science-and-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"diss","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Social Science and Health](https://www.springer.com/journal/44155)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Social Science and Health","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"COVID-19, Japan, Knowledge, Social media, Transients and migrants","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7569187/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7569187/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAim\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study aimed to assess the knowledge level of coronavirus disease 2019 and identify related factors, including information channels, among Vietnamese/Nepalese students in Japanese language schools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA self-administered online questionnaire survey was administered between January 31 and February 28, 2022. One hundred forty-one Vietnamese and 33 Nepalese students participated in this survey.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFacebook was the most commonly used social media platform for obtaining coronavirus disease 2019 information. Approximately 75% of the participants were aware of one of the multilingual posters issued by the government. The mean score for coronavirus disease 2019 knowledge was 17.6 out of 23. Knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 was associated with using Facebook to obtain coronavirus disease 2019 information (β=1.01; 95% confidence interval, 0.09–1.93; p=0.03), seeing an official multilingual poster (β=0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.09–1.68; p=0.03), and country of origin (β=2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–3.13; p\u0026lt;0.001).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProviding multilingual information from reliable sources, such as official posters, through popular channels, such as Facebook, is useful for increasing access to information. Such information must be tailored to the characteristics of the community and its members. In this study, we conducted a survey among international students at Japanese language schools who were among the information-vulnerable groups while living with coronavirus disease 2019. 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