Risk perception, knowledge, information sources and emotional states among COVID-19 patients in China

Background: The rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health crisis. Several factors influencing risk perception have been identified, including knowledge of the disease, information sources, and emotional states. Prior stud-ies on COVID-19-related risk perception primarily focused on the general public, with little data available on COVID-19 patients. Purpose: To investigate COVID-19 patients' risk perception, knowledge of the dis-ease, information sources, and emotional states in the epicenter, Wuhan, during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Methods: Data were collected online using self-administered electronic question-naire developed with reference to previous relevant studies and publications by the World Health Organization. Findings: A higher level of perceived risk was found in relation to COVID-19 as compared to other potential health threats. Knowledge gaps existed regarding transmission and prevention of COVID-19. Additionally, risk perception was negatively related to knowledge and positively related to depressive states. Moreover, social media was a primary source for COVID-19 information, whereas the most trusted sources were health professionals. Discussion: Realistic perception of risk should be encouraged considering both physical and mental health while developing relevant strategies. Furthermore, risk communi-cation needs to be specifically tailored for various target groups, such as the elderly and mentally vulnerable individuals, with the adoption of popular media platforms.