Social Media Engagement and Public Health Communication: Implications for Public Health Organizations Being Truly “Social”

Heldman, Amy Burnett; Schindelar, Jessica; Weaver, James B.

doi:10.1007/bf03391698

Cited by 234 publications

(207 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Recent statistics suggest that over 75 % of Internet users use at least one form of social networking site, such as Facebook or Twitter [6], while close to 80 % watch or download online videos [15]. Public health professionals, eager to capitalize on these high levels of use, have often discussed the potential of using social media sites (e.g., [9]). However, researchers have still uncovered little about the differential effects of various forms of social media in health campaigns and their usefulness for encouraging healthy behaviors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Differential Effects of Social Media Sites for Promoting Cancer Risk Reduction

Lauckner

Whitten

2015

J Canc Educ

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Social media are potentially valuable tools for disseminating cancer education messages, but the differential effects of various sites on persuasive outcomes are unknown. In an effort to inform future health promotion, this research tested the effects of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogs for delivering a cancer risk reduction message. Using an experimental design, participants were randomly placed in several conditions that delivered the same message but with different forms of social media. Effects on comprehension and attitudes were examined, as they are important variables in the behavior change process. YouTube led to higher comprehension and stronger attitudes toward cancer risk reduction than Twitter, but there were no differences between other sites. Additionally, YouTube led to stronger attitudes toward cancer risk reduction as compared to Facebook, but not any other sites. These results demonstrate that, even if the message is kept constant, the form of social media used to deliver content can have an effect on persuasive outcomes. More research is needed to determine the mechanisms behind the differences found, however. Altogether, this line of research is valuable for any individuals seeking to use social media for health promotion purposes and could have direct implications for the development of cancer risk reduction campaigns.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Differential Effects of Social Media Sites for Promoting Cancer Risk Reduction

Lauckner

Whitten

2015

J Canc Educ

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“…Our findings demonstrate the potential of social media to create and maintain relationships, as well as to reach, and engage diverse audiences and engender collaboration. As previously noted, 13,15 trust was an important factor in knowledge sharing and relationship building. As social media use proliferates, public health will need to consider how knowledge translation strategies are affected by the nuances of personal and professional social media practices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…1,9,10 Social media are being integrated into a range of public health interventions 11,12 and have the capability to facilitate meaningful engagement and support community building and advocacy with target audiences. 13 Public health organizations have, however, a limited reach, as evidenced by relatively low number of followers, page likes, and subscribers. They are using social media in a unidirectional manner instead of realizing fully social media's interactive potential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social media, knowledge translation, and action on the social determinants of health and health equity: A survey of public health practices

Ndumbe-Eyoh¹,

Mazzucco²

2016

J Public Health Pol

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The growth of social media presents opportunities for public health to increase its influence and impact on the social determinants of health and health equity. The National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health at St. Francis Xavier University conducted a survey during the first half of 2016 to assess how public health used social media for knowledge translation, relationship building, and specific public health roles to advance health equity. Respondents reported that social media had an important role in public health. Uptake of social media, while relatively high for personal use, was less present in professional settings and varied for different platforms. Over 20 per cent of those surveyed used Twitter or Facebook at least weekly for knowledge exchange. A lesser number used social media for specific health equity action. Opportunities to enhance the use of social media in public health persist. Capacity building and organizational policies that support social media use may help achieve this.

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“…A recent example can be found in Sweden where the 'low-carb diet' fad gained traction through social media, despite the lack of evidence on the effectiveness of the diet [19]. Despite these challenges, many public health organizations continue to, and are beginning to, engage in social networking [20,21]. For this reason, pedagogy should focus not simply on learning how to use current social media sites, but instead on the skills of navigating social media.…”

Section: Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Social Media as a Pedagogical Tool in Graduate Public Health Education and Training

Patel¹,

Sl²

2016

Journal of Healthcare Communications

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Public health is a complex field where current information and evidence available to inform best practices are constantly changing. With the rise of social media influencing public health actions, it is becoming more important for those working in the sector to have a proficient understanding of this form of communication. Social media use amongst public health organizations is also on the rise. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have been used to disseminate timely information as well as for public health education. We argue that formally integrating social media as a pedagogical tool in public health graduate programs would benefit both, educators and students as well as the public health field in which students will work. Communication skills have been included in core competencies for public health professionals as an essential skill. Critical in that skill is the ability to work with new methods of communication, such as social media. We bring forward the idea that social media should both be used in teaching and taught as an essential skill. Using social media as an educational tool is an opportunity to ensure that graduate public health programs train students with the competencies to work in public health.

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Social Media Engagement and Public Health Communication: Implications for Public Health Organizations Being Truly “Social”

Cited by 234 publications

References 30 publications

The Differential Effects of Social Media Sites for Promoting Cancer Risk Reduction

The Differential Effects of Social Media Sites for Promoting Cancer Risk Reduction

Social media, knowledge translation, and action on the social determinants of health and health equity: A survey of public health practices

Using Social Media as a Pedagogical Tool in Graduate Public Health Education and Training

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