Communication About Hereditary Cancers on Social Media: A Content Analysis of Tweets About Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer and Lynch Syndrome

Allen, Caitlin G.; Roberts, Megan C.; Andersen, Brittany; Khoury, Muin J.

doi:10.1007/s13187-018-1451-4

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…A much smaller proportion of pins were published by public health and government organizations. This finding is unlike prior research conducted on communication about hereditary cancers on Twitter [13], but consistent with prior research focused on breast cancer on Pinterest [17]. Healthcare organization providers, especially those focused on women's health issues, should take action to prevent continued missed opportunities to engage with Pinterest's predominantly female user base.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…Consistent with prior research on Twitter and Pinterest, pins from individuals often included first-person narratives [10,13] about the experience of having the BRCA mutation and provided informative content [13,17,20]. However, very few pins contained specific information on the genetic testing process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Other Twitter-based studies focused on breast cancer screening have found that the content of messages often relate personal experiences, contain emotion words, and may express either low approval, or alternatively, advocacy for mammography [10][11][12]. Few infoveillance studies have examined either hereditary breast cancer or genetic testing related to breast cancer (for exceptions, see [13,14]). In summary, the topic of breast cancer is germane on popular social media.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pinning Pink: Messages About Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk on Pinterest

et al. 2020

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Social media messages and conversations provide an opportunity to study what users post about cancer risk and preventive behaviors. Personal stories of early detection, treatment, and survivorship are often shared. The purpose of this study was to examine the hereditary breast cancer-focused posts on the understudied visual social media platform Pinterest. Using systematic random sampling, n = 500 Pinterest posts (referred to as "pins") were collected using the keywords "breast cancer" and "genetic testing" in the late 2017. Using a quantitative content analysis, pins were coded for a variety of categories including poster identity, pin characteristics and content, the presence of Health Belief Model constructs, and engagement variables (i.e., repins/ saves and comments). The primary findings of this study reveal that most pins were published by individuals and relatively few messages contained specific information about genetic testing. Study results also describe how Pinterest users interact with the content, including higher engagement with information-rich visuals and traditional breast cancer awareness symbols. The information gained from this study may serve as the foundation for better understanding how social media can be used to communicate with women about heritable breast health-related cancers, risks, and protective behaviors. Study results prompt practical recommendations for public health organizations interested in reaching women seeking information about heritable breast cancer on Pinterest.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pinning Pink: Messages About Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk on Pinterest

et al. 2020

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“…An analysis of public dialogues on cervical and breast cancer screening on Twitter, a microblogging and social networking service with 290 million active users worldwide (Statista, 2021b), shows that comments about mammogram are more positive than others, especially when they mention support for friends or report noncancerous screening results (Lyles et al, 2013). Social media is a space used to garner support and raise awareness about certain conditions, counter stigma, and reduce discrimination (Allen et al, 2020;Betton et al, 2015;Naslund et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social support and positivity: Analyzing user-generated comments on the Instagram pages of two Brazilian cancer hospitals

Biancovilli¹,

Eloy²,

Thomer³

et al. 2022

J. Media Commun. Stud.

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Online social media platforms are an important tool for individuals who wish to exchange ideas, stories, feelings, information. Hospitals and public health organizations can use social media platforms, including Instagram, to engage, interact or communicate with patients, family members and anyone interested in health information or new discoveries. The purpose of this study is to understand the main characteristics of user-generated digital narratives on the Instagram pages of two Brazilian cancer hospitals. The study fills a gap in the literature on cancer communication by studying a language other than English in a Latin American context, and examining user-generated comments over a period of more than 6 years. The findings of the authors' content analysis show a preponderance of positive and social support messages, even though cancer is a disease laden with negative stigma. Religiosity, which can strengthen supportive social ties and create a stronger sense of empowerment and control, was also a hallmark of these narratives. In the content analysis of Brazilian cancer hospitals' Instagram accounts, the predominant characteristic of user comments was that of positivity, even though cancer is a disease laden with negative stigma.

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“…However, social media and online communities also have potential to be disadvantageous for patients. Online sites may inadvertently disseminate incorrect or unbalanced information ( Loeb et al, 2019 , Chen et al, 2018 , Allen et al, 2020 Feb ), allow for exploitation by drug and supplement companies, lead to false hopes or unnecessary expense ( Gentile et al, 2018 , Solomon et al, 2016 ), and contribute to feelings of information overload ( Gentile et al, 2018 , Jensen et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%