The effects of social media (Snapchat) interventions on the knowledge of oral health during pregnancy among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background There is growing interest in using social media to improve pregnant women’s well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of social media (Snapchat) dissemination of health-promoting interventions on knowledge of oral health during pregnancy among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods Using a single-blinded parallel group randomized controlled trial design, 68 volunteers were assigned to either a study group (SG) or a control group (CG). The SG received information about oral health during pregnancy via Snapchat, while the CG received the same information using WhatsApp. The participants were assessed three times: T1 prior to the intervention, T2 immediately following the intervention, and T3 as a follow-up 1 month later. Results A total of 63 participants completed the study in the SG or CG. According to paired t-test, total knowledge scores in the SG and CG increased significantly from T1 to T2 (p < 0.001) and from T1 to T3 (p < 0.001), but there was no significant change from T2 to T3 in either the SG or CG (p = 0.699 and p = 0.111, respectively). Using t-test, no significant differences were found between the SG and CG at T2 (p = 0.263) or T3 (p = 0.622). Also using t-test, no significant differences were found in the scores of the SG and CG from T2 to T1 (p = 0.720), T3 to T2 (p = 0.339), or T3 to T1 (p = 0.969). Conclusions Using social media (e.g., Snapchat and WhatsApp) as a health-promoting intervention is a promising method for improving women’s knowledge about oral health during pregnancy for short term. However, further studies are needed to compare social media with conventional standard lecturing methods. also, to assess the longevity of the impact (short or long term).

Social media as a tool for oral health promotion: A systematic review

“…Two studies employed Instagram [ 14 , 15 ], and one used YouTube [ 18 ]. Two study used a WhatsApp group [ 17 , 20 ] and one study used Snapchat [ 20 ]. The sample sizes ranged from 40 to 791 participants per study, and the age range of the participants varied from newborns to 71 years old.…”

“…two study examined the impact of social media on oral health knowledge and beliefs among pregnant women. Both of the studies demonstrated that social media effectively expanded the oral health knowledge of pregnant women [ 20 , 23 ].…”

“…Behavioral changes, including dental cleaning behavior [ 16 , 19 , 21 , 22 ], perceived self-efficacy, perceived benefits/barriers, motivational beliefs [ 19 ], and psychosocial variables [ 16 ], were assessed in different studies. Dental anxiety [ 14 ], knowledge [ 14 , 20 , 22 ] and attitude about oral health [ 22 ] were other measured outcomes.…”

The Factors Influencing Pregnant Women’s Selection of Media Sources to Obtain Information on COVID-19 in Japan in 2021

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Oral Cancer and Twitter: An Analysis of Oral Cancer Awareness Month Tweets

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