Leave it to a Hollywood movie star to essentially change the course of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

A new study, published in the journal Health Communication, has discovered that U.S. public opinion surrounding the coronavirus shifted after actor Tom Hanks was diagnosed with the disease in March 2020—which affected how some individuals understood the virus and their behavior toward its prevention.

In settling on the findings, the study’s authors surveyed nearly seven hundred people about their overall attitudes and behaviors toward the virus a day after Hanks’s diagnosis became public on social media.

What the researchers eventually found was that just under 90 percent of those surveyed had heard about Hanks contracting the disease and approximately half of that group acknowledged that it changed their attitudes and behaviors.

“There is a growing body of research about how celebrity behavior and social media posts can affect public health,” the study’s co-author Jessica Myrick, an associate professor at Penn State University, said in a statement.

“This research was different in that we were able to launch our study really fast and collect survey data within a day of Hanks posting about his diagnosis.” 

The study further revealed that the individuals who had heard the news reported that Hanks’s diagnosis “highlighted the reality of COVID-19” and expanded their understanding of not only the severity of the public-health situation but also their susceptibility to the potentially lethal disease.

Nearly half of the individuals also reported a wide range of emotional responses, which included “surprise, fear, anger, sadness, and hope.” Those who reported making behavioral changes admitted that Hanks’ disclosure inspired them to seek more information about the virus and stringent precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones.

“Celebrities can have a huge reach, often more so than typical scientists or doctors or the health department,” Myrick said.

“If they are encouraging positive health behavior change, then it can serve as a de facto public health intervention.”

The researchers were able to tap into statistical analysis to better gauge if and what characteristics could predict whether people’s attitudes and behaviors changed after learning about Hanks’s coronavirus diagnosis.

The results suggested that those who identified with Hanks or said they knew him were more likely to change their thoughts or behaviors related to the virus.

“People who said they typically trust celebrities, friends, family, or Donald Trump for health information were more likely to say that Hanks’s announcement led to positive behavior change,” Myrick said.

“This suggests that public health officials and advocates may want to use these types of celebrity announcements to help reach people who may be harder to reach. They don’t rely as much on news or on scientists for health information.” 

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.  

Image: Reuters