Media For Health Communication Research Articles

Evaluating the effectiveness of social media in health communication: assessing the impact and outcomes of health communication campaigns conducted on x (Twitter)

Twitter, a leading health communication channel, has effectively promoted health awareness and continues to do so. It provides health information quickly and easily, serving as a vital source of health information. Health practitioners often use Twitter to disseminate health information, a trend that has become more prevalent than engaging audiences in multi-way conversations and interactions. This reassures us of the platform's effectiveness in reaching a broad audience. Twitter has emerged as a powerful tool for reaching a broader audience, offering platforms like Twitter Space for discussion and engagement with health professionals. This technology has brought a new dimension to healthcare, enlightening the public and promoting health behaviors, benefits, challenges, and preventive measures. This research delved into the effectiveness of Twitter in health communication. The study employed a quantitative approach, using a survey to assess the impact of health-related content on Twitter and evaluate the effectiveness of shared health communication. The anticipated outcomes of this research include a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of Twitter on health communication, insights into the effectiveness of health content Twitter users access, and recommendations for improving health outcomes through targeted audience campaigns by providing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of Twitter on health communication and a positive and crucial role play in promoting health awareness. Twitter has been used as a tool for health communication campaigns, and many Twitter users benefit from the health information gained there

The Role of the Media and Self-Compassion in Enhancing Mental Health and Preventing Suicide among Nigerian Youth: A Literature Review

In this review, we examine the impact of media and self-compassion on the mental well-being of Nigerian youth, particularly in suicide prevention and promoting positive mental health outcomes. Nigeria faces socioeconomic challenges contributing to poor mental health and high suicide rates among young people. Despite this, the influence of media and self-compassion interventions on mental health remains largely unexplored. The research questions centred on how media exposure enhances mental health awareness and resilience building, as well as the role of self-compassion in preventing suicide. Seven studies employing various methodologies such as interviews, surveys, and experimental designs were identified from the Scopus and Google Scholar databases and were analysed. The results indicated the significant role of media in health communication and education, while self-compassion interventions show promise in enhancing mental health resilience. Recommendations include utilising media for mental health education and support services, particularly targeting youth. This synthesis offers insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and educational institutions to integrate media-based mental health interventions into their strategies.

Print Media Role and Its Impact on Public Health: A Narrative Review.

Print media plays a pivotal role in communicating public health information, acting as a vital channel for spreading awareness and encouraging healthy behaviors. This narrative review delves into the historical significance of print media in health communication while evaluating its relevance in today's digital media environment. Despite encountering significant hurdles like digital competition and financial limitations, print media remains indispensable for addressing crucial health issues and disseminating information during public health emergencies. Effectively utilizing print media for health promotion necessitates careful planning, thorough evaluation, and targeted distribution to ensure widespread impact and audience engagement. Employing a comprehensive search strategy, relevant literature was identified through electronic databases and manual searches of reference lists. The gathered literature underwent rigorous screening to align with the review's objectives, with key insights synthesized through iterative analysis. Print media remains a cornerstone of health communication, offering tangible avenues for information dissemination and audience interaction. However, its efficacy is subject to various factors, including technological advancements, evolving media landscapes, and challenges in content dissemination. Overcoming these obstacles requires innovative approaches and collaborative endeavors to harness the full potential of print media in advancing public health objectives.

Mass Media and Health Communication Messages: Implications for Rural Development in the 21st Century Nigeria

This paper explores the role of mass media in health communication campaigns for rural development in the 21st century Nigeria. Mass media have been found to be critical components of Nigeria’s rural development because of their role in disseminating health communication messages with the aim of empowering and improving the health knowledge and skills as well as changing health behaviours of rural dwellers to improve their living conditions. The paper meticulously pinpoints the contributions of mass media in health communication; identified some select health communication programmes that succeeded in Nigeria courtesy of mass media amplification role as well as explored the challenges of mass media channels in rural health communication efforts. The paper is anchored on the agenda setting theory. The paper concluded that mass media are catalysts to rural development in Nigeria. The study recommended that communication should be the priority of government and development programme designers because of the pivotal role it plays in combating ignorance and misinformation in public health issues in Nigeria.

Health Communication About Hospice Care in Chinese Media: Digital Topic Modeling Study.

BackgroundHospice care, a type of end-of-life care provided for dying patients and their families, has been rooted in China since the 1980s. It can improve receivers’ quality of life as well as ease their economic burden. The Chinese mass media have continued to actively dispel misconceptions surrounding hospice care and deliver the latest information to citizens.ObjectiveThis study aims to retrieve and analyze news reports on hospice care in order to gain insight into whether any differences existed in heath information delivered over time and to evaluate the role of mass media in health communication in recent years.MethodsWe searched the Huike (WiseSearch) news database for relevant news reports from Chinese mass media released between 2014 and 2019. We defined two time periods for this study: (1) January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016, and (2) January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019. The data cleaning process was completed using Python. We determined appropriate topic numbers for these two periods based on the coherence score and applied latent Dirichlet allocation topic modeling. Keywords for each topic and corresponding topics’ names were then generated. The topics were plotted into different circles, and their distances on the 2D plane was represented by multidimensional scaling.ResultsAfter removing duplicated and irrelevant news articles, we obtained a total of 2227 articles. We chose 8 as the suitable topic number for both study periods and generated topic names and associated keywords. The top 3 most reported topics in the first period were patient treatment, hospice care stories, and development of health care services and health insurance, accounting for 18.68% (178/953), 16.58% (158/953), and 14.17% (135/953) of the collected reports, respectively. The top 3 most reported topics in the second period were hospice care stories, patient treatment, and development of health care services, accounting for 15.62% (199/953), 15.38% (15.38/953), and 14.27% (182/953), respectively.ConclusionsTopic modeling of news reports gives us a better understanding of the patterns of health communication about hospice care by mass media. Chinese mass media frequently reported on hospice care in April of every year on account of a traditional Chinese festival. Moreover, an increase in coverage was observed in the second period. The two periods shared 6 similar topics, of which patient treatment outstrips hospice care stories was the most reported topic in the second period, implying the humanistic spirit behind the reports. Based on the findings of this study, we suggest stakeholders cooperate with the mass media when planning to update policies.

Social media in health communication: A literature review of information quality.

Social media is used in health communication by individuals, health professionals, disease centres and other health regulatory bodies. However, varying degrees of information quality are churned out daily on social media. This review is concerned with the quality of Social Media Health Information (SMHI). The review sought to understand how SMHI quality issues have been framed and addressed in the literature. Health topics, users and social media platforms that have raised health information quality concerns are reviewed. The review also looked at the suitability of existing criteria and instruments used in evaluating SMHI and identified gaps for future research. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and the forward chaining strategy were used in the document search. Data were sourced according to inclusion criteria from five academic databases, namely Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed and MEDLINE. A total of 93 articles published between 2000 and 2019 were used in the review. The review revealed a worrying trend of health content and communication on social media, especially of cancer, dental care and diabetes information on YouTube. The review further discovered that the Journal of the American Medical Association, the DISCERN and the Health on the Net Foundation, which were designed before the advent of social media, continue to be used as quality evaluation instruments for SMHI, even though technical and user characteristics of social media differ from traditional portals such as websites. The study synthesises varied opinions on SMHI quality in the literature and recommends that future research proposes quality evaluation criteria and instruments specifically for SMHI.

Exploring Influence Factors of WeChat Users’ Health Information Sharing Behavior: Based on an Integrated Model of TPB, UGT and SCT

ABSTRACT In this digital era, social media plays a significant role in information distribution. Health information sharing behavior is an essential component of information exchange, which has become one of the key research fields in health communication. Yet, knowledge about the influence factors of health information sharing behavior in social media remains limited. Hence, drawing from the theory of planned behavior (TPB), uses and gratifications (U&G), and social cognitive theory (SCT), this study explored the impact factors of health information sharing intention and behavior. To examine the research model, an online survey was drawn up and administered to 412 WeChat users. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that the research model fits the data well. Our finding indicated that these factors impact users’ health information sharing behavior on WeChat via their attitude, subjective norm, perceived self-efficacy, and behavioral intention in various patterns. It was found that three factors positively influence both attitude toward behavior and subjective norm: status seeking, social interaction, and norm of reciprocity. We also found that social support has positive effects on the subjective norm within the context of health information sharing, but the critical mass has no effect on the subjective norm. Moreover, we found that entertainment is not the impact factor for users’ attitude toward behavior, but information needs. Overall, this study not only enriched the existing literature on health information sharing behavior and presents a new integrated conceptual model to explain multiple variables that affect WeChat users’ sharing behavior regards to health information, but also provides important theoretical and practical implications regarding motivating public participation through information sharing on social media in health communication.

Web-based analysis on the role of Digital Media in Health Communication: the experience of VaccinarSinSardegna Website.

Background and aim:In 2013, in a bid to tackle vaccine hesitancy, the Italian Society of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine (SItI) created the national VaccinarSì project, a vaccination communication website. Following the success of the national portal, several Italian Regions began to develop regional versions of the website (VaccinarSì Network). One of the regional websites (VaccinarSinSardegna.org) was set up in the Region of Sardinia, in doth Italian and English, with the aim of communicating and educating the general public on the importance of vaccines and their health and social value. This article aims to present the structure of the Vaccinarsinsardegna.org website, to demonstrate the actions carried out to provide accurate information for users and to analyse the website’s activity from its launch until the current pandemic period in terms of dissemination and visibility.Methods:Various metrics such as the number of visits to the site (sessions, number of users and average session duration), user behaviour (pages viewed, bounce rate and organic search) and the session acquisition path (direct traffic, referrals and social traffic) were recorded, extrapolated and processed with Google Analytics. Qualitative and normally distributed quantitative variables were summarised with absolute (relative) frequencies and means. The statistical differences between the two periods (before and during the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign) were evaluated applying the Wilkoxon runk-sum test. A two-tailed p-value less than 0.01 was considered to be statistically significant.Results:The metrics recorded using Google Analytics show that from its publication to date, the VaccinarSinSardegna.org portal has significantly increased its visibility: in fact, the number of users who have accessed the site, the number of sessions and individual web pages visited have grown exponentially. These findings are confirmed by the increasing number of visits to both versions of the regional website (Italian- and English-language) during the COVID-19 emergency and COVID-19 vaccination campaign. When the total values recorded over the period were compared, an overall increase in metrics was observed—the number of individual users, visits and individual pageviews rose in a statistically significant way.Conclusions:Based on the success on VaccinarSinSardegna and given its potential for expansion to include further collaborations with national and international scientific bodies, the authors affirm that similar initiatives should be implemented in the fight against vaccine hesistancy. (www.actabiomedica.it)

The kiss of death – Unearthing conversations surrounding Chagas disease on YouTube

This study employed Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT), Health Belief Model (HBM) and a mix of techniques to highlight the important role of social media in health communication. A total of 602 comments posted by YouTube users as they interacted with news items reporting on Chagas disease were thus analysed. A web-based software called Netlytic was used to capture and conduct text analytics. The sentiment of user comments on each of the five videos selected for this analysis was measured using SentiStrength. This study, therefore, achieved four objectives. First, it determined the most engaging comments amongst YouTube users as they interacted with Chagas disease news information. Second, it identified the most common issues or concerns discussed by YouTube users. Third, it analyzed the extent to which YouTube users commenting about Chagas disease conveyed information related to (a) prevention benefits, (b) barriers, (c) susceptibility to Chagas disease, (d) severity of Chagas and (e) self-efficacy as part of the Health Belief Model. And finally, it measured the levels of positive and negative sentiment in the comments made by YouTube users. Study findings, limitations, and implications for future research have been discussed as well.

PERAN PEMERINTAH MELALUI DINAS KESEHATAN KABUPATEN SUMBAWA BARAT DALAM MENYOSIALISASIKAN BAHAYA MERKURI BAGI KESEHATAN DI KECAMATAN BRANG REA

Banyaknya penambang emas rakyat tanpa izin (ilegal) terjadi di Kabupaten Sumbawa Barat khususnya di Kecamatan Brang Rea. Hal ini mengakibatkan air sungai tercemar zat merkuri oleh limbah pertambangan tersebut. Pencemaran ini tentunya mengancam kesehatan masyarakat di sana. Rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah peran pemerintah melalui Dinas Kesehatan Kabupaten Sumbawa Barat dalam menyosialisasikan bahaya merkuri bagi kesehatan masyarakat di Kecamatan Brang Rea. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kualitatif. Sedangkan jenis penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif. Komunikasi kesehatan memerlukan metode dan media agar pesan dapat tersampaikan dengan baik. Metode komunikasi tatap muka yang dilakukan tenaga kesehatan berupa penyuluhan kesehatan yang pesannya berisi bahaya merkuri bagi kesehatan. Selain metode komunikasi tatap muka, dibutuhkan juga media komunikasi kesehatan berupa poster. Poster dipilih oleh Puskesmas Brang Rea dalam kegiatan komunikasi kesehatannya dengan alasan bahwa poster cocok digunakan sebagai tindak lanjut dari suatu pesan yang sudah disampaikan beberapa waktu yang lalu. Dengan demikian poster bertujuan untuk mengingatkan kembali dan mengarahkan pembaca ke arah tindakan tertentu sesuai dengan apa yang diinginkan oleh komunikator.

Hastane-Hasta İlişkisi Bağlamında Hasta Sadakati: Sosyal Medyanın Aracı Rolü

This study aimed to investigate role of social media on patient loyalty. Based on related literature review, for assessing patient loyalty, a measurement scale, testing satisfaction shared by patient through social media, patient trust, strength of hospital-patient communication on social media, and perceived image of hospital on social media was developed. The data was collected from 625 patients by selfadministered online questionnaires. Hypotheses about the role of social media were suggested based on existing body of knowledge so that we aimed to examine underlying mechanism between the predictors and patient loyalty by means of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) framework. Findings demonstrated that satisfaction, shared by patients through social media, mediated the association between patient trust, strength of hospital-patient communication on social media, perceived image of hospital on social media, and patient loyalty. The findings provide an original empirical model with respect to gaining loyal patients whom are customers of hospitals and highlight the important role of social media in health communication.

Use of Social Media in Health Communication: Findings From the Health Information National Trends Survey 2013, 2014, and 2017.

The number of social media users has increased substantially in the past decade, creating an opportunity for health-care professionals and patients to leverage social media for health communication. This study examines the recent use and predictors of social media for health communication in a nationally representative sample of US adults over time. We used 2013, 2014, and 2017 National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey to identify respondents’ use of social media for sharing health information or exchanging medical information with a health-care professional. We conducted bivariate analysis using the Pearson χ2 test to assess the association of respondents’ basic demographic characteristics as well as health status and the use of social media for health communication. We performed multivariable logistic regression models to examine factors associated with the use of social media for health communication. We identified 4242 respondents (weighted sample size: 343 465 241 [2-year pooled sample]) who used social media for sharing health information and 4834 respondents (weighted sample size: 354 419 489 [2-year pooled sample]) who used social media for exchanging medical information. Multivariable analyses indicated the proportion of respondents who used social media for sharing health information has decreased (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-0.85, P = .002), while the use of social media for exchanging medical information with a health-care professional has increased (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.09-3.26, P = .025). The younger population had significantly higher odds of using social media for health communication. The study found no racial/ethnic disparities in the use of social media for health communication. Use of social media for sharing health information has declined, while exchanging medical information with health-care professionals has increased. Future research is needed to determine how to engage the population in social media–based health interventions, particularly for older adults.

KORELASI TERPAAN MEDIA KIE (KOMUNIKASI, INFORMASI DAN EDUKASI) PENANGGULANGAN HIV DAN AIDS DENGAN TINGKAT PENGETAHUAN PEKERJA SEKS PEREMPUAN (Studi Kasus Pekerja Seks Perempuan Kabupaten Malang)

This study discusses the relationship of media exposure to HIV and AIDS IEC (leafflet and stickers) to the level of knowledge of female sex workers in Malang Regency Suko localization. Media IEC is media Information, Education, Communication and leaflet and stickers that are health communication media has been running from 2006 to the present. Media leaflet and stickers is a health communications media that shape and change the knowledge of female sex workers.IEC media exposure and stickers leaflet measured from the frequency and duration of female sex workers in using the media. To measure knowledge of causes, symptoms or signs, treatments, modes of transmission and prevention of HIV and AIDS. The indicators in terms of content and the physical media IEC leaflet and stickers. This study classified as quantitative studies that measure the correlation of the independent variable exposure to media IEC (leaflet and stickers) with the independent variable is the level of knowledge. To determine the relationship between them, this study used the instrument in the form of a questionnaire distributed to 90 female sex workers in the localization Suko. It also uses techniques of data analysis techniques Spearman Rank correlation because not distributed normally. This study proves the existence of a significant correlation between media exposure to HIV and AIDS IEC (leaflet and stickers) with the level of knowledge of female sex workers in Malang Regency Suko localization. Correlations that occur in this study is a positive correlation in which the low correlation coefficient value (p) of +0.362. The coefficient of determination (contribution) in this study is 13.7%. Key words: IEC Media Exposure, The level of Knowledge, and Female Sex Workers DOI : https://doi.org/10.26905/nomosleca.v3i1.1484

The Role of Mass Media in Health Communication in China

Recently public health issues have aroused great social concern in China, and mass media has started to play an increasingly important ro/e in public hea/th communication. This paper depicts the current situation of hea/th communication in China. By illustrating the major functions of the Chinese mass media in hea/th communication, the paper puts forward some suggestions for the improvement of public health communication via mass media in China.

The Role of Mass Media in Health Communication in China

Recently public health issues have aroused great social concern in China, and mass media has started to play an increasingly important ro/e in public hea/th communication. This paper depicts the current situation of hea/th communication in China. By illustrating the major functions of the Chinese mass media in hea/th communication, the paper puts forward some suggestions for the improvement of public health communication via mass media in China.

Health communication: a media and cultural studies approach

This book is about communicating for health and social change. With a clear focus on public health and health promotion practice, it provides a unique introduction to media and cultural studies perspectives on health communication. Health Communication explores the dynamic world of contemporary mass media and diverse forms of alternative, mobile and social media: How are communities using media to communicate about health and advocate for social change? What are the challenges and opportunities involved with using the media for health communication? How can health promotion practitioners utilise media to create opportunities for more participatory and empowering approaches to health communication? This indispensable guide to health communication provides readers with detailed and practical insights to the role of media and culture in contemporary health issues. Accessible theory is blended with case studies from around the world giving students, academics, and practitioners an invaluable framework for practice and a rich source of material for discussion--Provided by publisher. This indispensable guide to health communication provides readers with detailed and practical insights into the role of media and culture in contemporary health issues. Accessible theory is blended with case studies from around the world giving students, academics, and practitioners an invaluable framework for practice and a rich source of material for discussion.

Engaging Social Media for Health Communication in Africa:Approaches, Results and Lessons

Advancements in digital media and communications technology have generated considerable optimism on the role of social media in achieving developmental and public health outcomes globally. The unprecedented availability of digital devices and platforms has also prompted different development institutions to design and implement a range of social media interventions for social and behaviour change. This paper examines how social media are transforming health communication in Africa. Our study demonstrates the existence of an avalanche of interventions using different mobile devices and mobilization approaches in addressing multiple health issues. The interventions target different population groups and are not limited to young people who are considered as the major users and consumers of social media content. However, the study cautions against “new media utopianism” or “social media-centricism” because technology is a tool of development not an end in itself. It recommends strategies for effective deployment of social media in health communication including applying a theory of change model, creative integration of multimedia platforms and meaningful participation of all actors to generate a new development narrative. Implications for health communication’s theory, practice, policy, research and training are also addressed.

Understanding the adoption of Social media in the Australian Healthcare Sector: A Meta Analytical Approach

The use and application of social media in the healthcare industry is attracting the attention of the researchers worldwide. The usage and application of social media in health communication has presented a new dimension in healthcare for potentially improving health outcomes. However, there has been widespread critique of its application due to the lack of sufficient information, and grounded with a common myth that social media is limited to social interaction and has not found a beneficial usage of its application in the industry. This paper focuses on identifying the real time benefits and limitations which include the social, ideological, and technological usage of social media in the healthcare industry unlike other industries where-in a widespread application has changed the dynamics. The diverse range of social platform which entails collaborative projects, content communities, social networking sites, virtual games and social worlds have been in use already in the healthcare industry but lacks the wider acknowledgement as deserving. Information Technology acceptance has been widely researched in the extant literature. However, studies focusing on the acceptance and usage of social media from the perspectives of healthcare professionals are sparsely represented. To add to the growing work in this arena, we propose a conceptual model appropriate for determining the drivers and barriers of social media usage in the healthcare industry. The study applies unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model by identifying the existing gaps in the prevalent literature. Some modifications to the extant model were required to fit the purpose of the study. The study shall entail the examination of the drivers and barriers of social media usage of healthcare professionals with some key recommendations for future research. The results of this research will contribute immensely to the limited research available in literature and will have significant implications for practitioners and healthcare professionals in Australia and comparable parts of the world.

Social Media Health Communication: A Cross-Cultural Investigation on the Motivations and Challenges of Using Participatory Technology to Communicate with Patients

The purpose of this study is to better understand how physicians utilize social media technologies to facilitate patient communication and the motivations and barriers towards doing so. Additionally, it explores how power distances influences physician’s willingness to utilize social media as a resource in health communication by conducting in-depth interviews with physicians in the United States and in the Phillippines, based on divergent power distance scores from Hofstede’s (2010) research. Qualitative analysis of transcripts revealed two major themes : 1) hesitancy in utilizing social media in doctorpatient communication for diagnosis and treatment; and 2) the role of social media for marketing, education, and communicating with hard-to-reach patients. These findings suggest that although physicians understand the many possible benefits of utilizing social media for health communication, there are many other factors to consider. Cultural issues should be taken into account as future social media health communication programs are developed.

An Investigation of the Application of New Media and Its Impact on Taiwan Health Communication

Along with the rise of social networks and mobile media, health communication models also change with each passing day. Compared to traditional media, are the new media more effective to achieve the dissemination of health knowledge, or help people and patients to implement lifestyle adjustments? With the shift in modern lifestyles, social media have revolutionized health communication. The means and channels for health communication are now very diversified. In order to assess the influence of social media in health communication, this study analyzed the “1922 Prevention Expert”, a campaign launched by Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control. In this study, the researchers collected data through interviews and a survey to investigate the use and outcomes of social media in health communication and explores how to use social media well in health communication.