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2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Communication and Informatics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 53274

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wasim Ahmed

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marketing, Operations and Systems, Newcastle University Business School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Interests: social media and public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Josep Vidal-Alaball

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Health Promotion in Rural Areas Research Group, Gerència Territorial de la Catalunya Central, Catalan Health Institute, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain
Interests: primary health care; public health; social media; medical education; telemedicine; eHealth
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are organising a Special Issue on the use of social media within public health in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. This journal is scientific and peer reviewed and publishes articles and communications in the interdisciplinary area of environmental health sciences and public health. For detailed information on the journal, we refer you to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph.

We are living in the information age, with more user-generated data being generated today than ever before thanks to the widespread popularity of social media. Social media platforms provide the ability to extract intelligence for public health purposes. This can range from using social media to track the spread of diseases to the opinion mining of public views and opinions.

Social media have the potential to provide rapid insights into unfolding public health emergencies such as infectious disease outbreaks, as demonstrated with the COVID-19 pandemic. They can also be drawn upon for rapid, survey-based insights into various health topics. Social media have also begun to be utilised by medical professionals for the purposes of sharing scholarly works, international collaboration, and engaging in policy debates.

A benefit of social media platforms for gaining insight into health is that they have the ability to capture unfiltered public opinion in large volumes, avoiding potential biases introduced by surveys or interviews. Social media platforms can also be utilised to pilot surveys, for instance, though the use of Twitter polls.

Social media data have also been drawn upon in medical emergencies and crisis situations as a public health surveillance tool. A number of software and online tools also exist that have been developed specifically to aid public health research utilising social media data. In recent years, ethical issues of retrieving and analysing data have also arisen.

Hence, we invite researchers who are working in the broad areas of social media and health to submit their research on these issues for publication in this Special Issue.

This Special Issue is open to any submission related to social media and public health, and the keywords provide some examples of the various possibilities.

Dr. Wasim Ahmed
Dr. Josep Vidal-Alaball
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • social media
  • public health
  • disease surveillance
  • health promotion
  • e-health
  • telehealth
  • ethics
  • health informatics
  • infodemiology
  • COVID-19

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (19 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 339 KiB  
Article
Perceptions and Experiences of Undergraduate Students Regarding Social Media as a Tool for Government COVID-19-Related Messages: A Qualitative Study in Nottingham, UK
by Sanvir Sandhu, Emma Wilson and Kaushik Chattopadhyay
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(20), 6903; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20206903 - 10 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1643
Abstract
The rise of social media has given way to its use as a form of public health communication. Previous research has shown social media-based interventions to be effective, particularly for university students. Social media was used as a tool for public health messaging [...] Read more.
The rise of social media has given way to its use as a form of public health communication. Previous research has shown social media-based interventions to be effective, particularly for university students. Social media was used as a tool for public health messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, there is a lack of information regarding the experiences and perceptions of such messaging and its effectiveness among UK university students. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the perceptions and experiences of public health messaging on social media during the pandemic, as well as the effects of such messaging. Fourteen semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students at the University of Nottingham, UK, were conducted. Five main themes were identified: effects of COVID-19 on university students, use of social media by university students, COVID-19 messaging on social media, effects of public health messaging on social media in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, and improving public health messaging for the future. This study provides a novel insight into the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate students at a UK university regarding public health messaging on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
22 pages, 3128 KiB  
Article
Public Engagement with Romanian Government Social Media Accounts during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Vasile Gherheș, Mariana Cernicova-Buca and Marcela Alina Fărcașiu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2372; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032372 - 29 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2293
Abstract
Following international best practice examples, the Romanian government resorted to its social media accounts to disseminate information and unfold an awareness and persuasion campaign to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The article focuses on the use of the government’s YouTube and Facebook accounts to [...] Read more.
Following international best practice examples, the Romanian government resorted to its social media accounts to disseminate information and unfold an awareness and persuasion campaign to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The article focuses on the use of the government’s YouTube and Facebook accounts to persuade the population to get vaccinated in 2021 via video messages tailored for this purpose. The research quantified the volume of public engagement with the two waves of the persuasive campaign, finding that, while click-based reactions tended to show a positive attitude toward the campaign, the comments mainly denoted frustration, anger, and anxiety on the part of the public. Moreover, the citizens’ engagement with the campaign messages was by far lower than the number of subscribers and followers of the analyzed social media accounts. The goal of the COVID-19 public health persuasion campaign was to build support for the governmental policy and minimize the risks of the pandemic while vaccination was being rolled out. The public reaction to the governmental campaign showed that a finer and more adapted approach was necessary. This study offers a qualitative basis for informing health communication strategies of the challenges posed by social media platforms used in crisis times. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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27 pages, 7447 KiB  
Article
COVID-19 and Public Health: Analysis of Opinions in Social Media
by Aleksey N. Raskhodchikov and Maria Pilgun
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 971; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20020971 - 05 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1348
Abstract
The article presents the results of research of public opinion during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia. The study touches on the attitude of citizens to public health, as well as the reaction of social media users to government measures [...] Read more.
The article presents the results of research of public opinion during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia. The study touches on the attitude of citizens to public health, as well as the reaction of social media users to government measures in a crisis situation during a pandemic. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon of infodemic and methods of detecting cases of the spread of false and unverified information about diseases. The article demonstrates the application of an interdisciplinary approach using network analysis of texts and sociological research. A model for detecting social stress in the textual communication of social network users using a specially trained neural network and linguistic analysis methods is presented. The validity and validity of the results of the analysis of social network data were verified using a sociological survey. This approach allows us to identify points of tension in matters of public health promotion, during crisis situations to improve interaction between the government and society, and to timely adjust government plans and actions to ensure resilience in emergency situations for public health purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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21 pages, 2528 KiB  
Article
Disinformation: A Bibliometric Review
by Shixiong Wang, Fangfang Su, Lu Ye and Yuan Jing
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16849; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416849 - 15 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2908
Abstract
Objectives: This paper aimed to provide a systematic review of relevant articles from the perspectives of literature distribution, research hotspots, and existing results to obtain the frontier directions in the field of disinformation. Methods: We analyzed disinformation publications published between 2002 and 2021 [...] Read more.
Objectives: This paper aimed to provide a systematic review of relevant articles from the perspectives of literature distribution, research hotspots, and existing results to obtain the frontier directions in the field of disinformation. Methods: We analyzed disinformation publications published between 2002 and 2021 using bibliometric methods based on the Web of Science. There were 5666 papers analyzed using Derwent Data Analyzer (DDA). Results: The result shows that the USA was the most influential country in this area, while Ecker and Lewandowsky from the University of Western Australia published the largest volumes of papers. Keywords such as “social media”, “COVID-19”, and “vaccination” have gained immense popularity recently. Conclusions: We summarized four themes that are of the biggest concern to scholars: group heterogeneity of misinformation in memory, disinformation mechanism in social media, public health related to COVID-19, and application of big data technology in the infodemic. The future agenda of disinformation is summarized from three aspects: the mechanism of disinformation, social media users, and the application of algorithms. This work can be a meaningful resource for researchers’ study in the area of disinformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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17 pages, 1126 KiB  
Article
Early Detection and Control of the Next Epidemic Wave Using Health Communications: Development of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Tool and Its Validation on COVID-19 Data from the US
by Teddy Lazebnik, Svetlana Bunimovich-Mendrazitsky, Shai Ashkenazi, Eugene Levner and Arriel Benis
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16023; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316023 - 30 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1929
Abstract
Social media networks highly influence on a broad range of global social life, especially in the context of a pandemic. We developed a mathematical model with a computational tool, called EMIT (Epidemic and Media Impact Tool), to detect and control pandemic waves, using [...] Read more.
Social media networks highly influence on a broad range of global social life, especially in the context of a pandemic. We developed a mathematical model with a computational tool, called EMIT (Epidemic and Media Impact Tool), to detect and control pandemic waves, using mainly topics of relevance on social media networks and pandemic spread. Using EMIT, we analyzed health-related communications on social media networks for early prediction, detection, and control of an outbreak. EMIT is an artificial intelligence-based tool supporting health communication and policy makers decisions. Thus, EMIT, based on historical data, social media trends and disease spread, offers an predictive estimation of the influence of public health interventions such as social media-based communication campaigns. We have validated the EMIT mathematical model on real world data combining COVID-19 pandemic data in the US and social media data from Twitter. EMIT demonstrated a high level of performance in predicting the next epidemiological wave (AUC = 0.909, F1 = 0.899). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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15 pages, 2802 KiB  
Article
Ecosystem Services: A Social and Semantic Network Analysis of Public Opinion on Twitter
by Stefano Bruzzese, Wasim Ahmed, Simone Blanc and Filippo Brun
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 15012; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215012 - 15 Nov 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1969
Abstract
Social media data reveal patterns of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of users on a range of topics. This study analysed 4398 tweets gathered between 17 January 2022 and 3 February 2022 related to ecosystem services, using the keyword and hashtag “ecosystem services”. The [...] Read more.
Social media data reveal patterns of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours of users on a range of topics. This study analysed 4398 tweets gathered between 17 January 2022 and 3 February 2022 related to ecosystem services, using the keyword and hashtag “ecosystem services”. The Microsoft Excel plugin, NodeXL was used for social and semantic network analysis. The results reveal a loosely dense network in which information is conveyed slowly, with homogeneous, medium-sized subgroups typical of the community cluster structure. Citizens, NGOs, and governmental administrations emerged as the main gatekeepers of information in the network. Various semantic themes emerged such as the protection of natural capital for the sustainable production of ecosystem services; nature-based solutions to protect human structures and wellbeing against natural hazards; socio-ecological systems as the interaction between human beings and the environment; focus on specific services such as the storage of atmospheric CO2 and the provision of food. In conclusion, the perception of social users of the role of ecosystem services can help policymakers and forest managers to outline and implement efficient forest management strategies and plans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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15 pages, 2229 KiB  
Article
Application of McGuire’s Model to Weight Management Messages: Measuring Persuasion of Facebook Posts in the Healthy Body, Healthy U Trial for Young Adults Attending University in the United States
by Jeanie Arnold, Caitlin P. Bailey, W. Douglas Evans and Melissa A. Napolitano
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14275; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114275 - 01 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1675
Abstract
Digital communication is a common intervention channel for weight loss, yet little is known about the types of messages that are most effective. Using McGuire’s Model of Communication and Persuasion as a framework, this study investigates the persuasiveness of Facebook messages posted as [...] Read more.
Digital communication is a common intervention channel for weight loss, yet little is known about the types of messages that are most effective. Using McGuire’s Model of Communication and Persuasion as a framework, this study investigates the persuasiveness of Facebook messages posted as part of the weight loss intervention in the Healthy Body Healthy U (HBHU) study to determine what message characteristics prompt higher engagement on Facebook, and whether certain messages are more appealing to certain demographics. The first four weeks of HBHU Facebook posts (n = 32) were coded according to McGuire’s Input Communication Factors. Facebook engagement scores [(Total Engaged Users/Total Reach) × 100] were calculated for each post to determine effectiveness. The most effective posts were diet-related discussions or interactive polls. Participants who engaged with the highest and lowest effect posts were in their mid-twenties and tended to be female. Those engaged with the highest effect posts had an average BMI of 32.34 kg/m2, while those engaged with the lowest effect posts had an average BMI of 31.31 kg/m2. The least effective posts were didactic lessons (i.e., diet- or reminder-based), or video-based informational posts (edutainment). Future interventions should balance didactic content and interactive engagement to achieve persuasive messaging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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10 pages, 351 KiB  
Article
Impact of Fitness Influencers on the Level of Physical Activity Performed by Instagram Users in the United States of America: Analytical Cross-Sectional Study
by Héctor José Tricás-Vidal, María Concepción Vidal-Peracho, María Orosia Lucha-López, César Hidalgo-García, Sofía Monti-Ballano, Sergio Márquez-Gonzalvo and José Miguel Tricás-Moreno
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14258; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114258 - 01 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4545
Abstract
Background: Physical activity positively influences the general population’s health. Social media networks may promote changes in physical activity habits. This study aimed to analyze the relation between being encouraged to perform physical activity by fitness influencers on Instagram and the level of physical [...] Read more.
Background: Physical activity positively influences the general population’s health. Social media networks may promote changes in physical activity habits. This study aimed to analyze the relation between being encouraged to perform physical activity by fitness influencers on Instagram and the level of physical activity performed. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was performed in 890 United States residents with an Instagram account. The sample was made up of 79.2% females and of 75.4% millennials (born between 1981–1996). Physical activity was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Sociodemographic characteristics were registered. Results: The percentage of females (p = 0.001), millennials (p < 0.001), students (p < 0.001), participants with normal BMI (p = 0.001), and participants performing more than 150 min per week of moderate physical activity (p = 0.014) was significantly higher in the group that felt encouraged to perform physical activity by the information posted by fitness influencers. This group spent a median of 2 h per week on Instagram checking for nutrition or exercise (p < 0.001). Conclusions: United States residents who felt encouraged to perform physical activity by fitness influencers on Instagram achieved more the World Health Organization recommendations for substantial health benefit for moderate physical activity. They were predominantly females and millennials with normal weight and spent more time on Instagram checking for nutrition or exercise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
11 pages, 346 KiB  
Article
Hierarchical Linear Model of Internet Addiction and Associated Risk Factors in Chinese Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study
by Guangming Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14008; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114008 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1734
Abstract
The risk effects of internet addiction have been documented in the literature; however, few longitudinal studies have considered the heterogeneity of the subjects. A hierarchical linear model was used here to explore the relationship between adolescents’ internet addiction and associated risk factors (depression, [...] Read more.
The risk effects of internet addiction have been documented in the literature; however, few longitudinal studies have considered the heterogeneity of the subjects. A hierarchical linear model was used here to explore the relationship between adolescents’ internet addiction and associated risk factors (depression, anxiety, gender, and obesity) from the perspective of longitudinal analysis. A total of 1033 adolescents were investigated and followed up with every three months with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Internet Addiction Test (IAT). The hierarchical linear model of internet addiction had only two levels. The first level of the model was the time variable (three time points) and the second level of the model was the individual adolescent (1033 adolescents). The results showed that (1) depression and anxiety, as associated risk factors, were significant positive predictors of adolescents’ internet addiction considering the developmental trajectory courses of adolescent internet addiction, as well as the individual differences over time; (2) there were gender differences in the adolescents’ internet addictions—specifically, the initial level of internet addiction among boys was significantly higher than that of girls, but the rate of decline was significantly faster than that of girls; and (3) there was no significant difference in obesity. The results demonstrated the importance of considering depression, anxiety, and gender in any intervention efforts to reduce adolescents’ internet addictions, and we should pay attention to the cultivation of positive coping strategies for Chinese adolescents. The limitations of the study were also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
15 pages, 10322 KiB  
Article
COVID-19 Vaccines on TikTok: A Big-Data Analysis of Entangled Discourses
by Shaojing Sun, Zhiyuan Liu, Yujia Zhai and Fan Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13287; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013287 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2941
Abstract
Focusing on social media affordances and China’s social/political context, the present study analyzed the digital communication practices about COVID-19 vaccines on a popular social media platform—TikTok—which is called DouYin in China. Overall, this study identified five major forces partaking in constructing the discourses, [...] Read more.
Focusing on social media affordances and China’s social/political context, the present study analyzed the digital communication practices about COVID-19 vaccines on a popular social media platform—TikTok—which is called DouYin in China. Overall, this study identified five major forces partaking in constructing the discourses, with government agencies and state media being the dominant contributors. Furthermore, video posters demonstrated different patterns of utilizing social media affordances (e.g., hashtags) in disseminating their messages. The top hashtags adopted by state media were more representative of international relations and Taiwan; those by government agencies were of updates on pandemic outbreaks; those by individual accounts were of mainstream values and health education; those by commercial media were of celebrities and health education; those by enterprise accounts were of TikTok built-in marketing hashtags. The posted videos elicited both cognitive and affective feedback from online viewers. Implications of the findings were discussed in the context of health communication and global recovery against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and Chinese culture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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11 pages, 490 KiB  
Article
How Internet Websites Portray Herbal Vitality Products Containing Eurycoma longifolia Jack: An Evaluation of the Quality and Risks of Online Information
by Mohd Shahezwan Abd Wahab, Nurfarah Nadiah Abd Hamid, Ali Omar Yassen, Mohd Javed Naim, Javed Ahamad, Nur Wahida Zulkifli, Farhana Fakhira Ismail, Muhammad Harith Zulkifli, Khang Wen Goh and Long Chiau Ming
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 11853; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911853 - 20 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2037
Abstract
Background: Tongkat Ali (TA) or Eurycoma longifolia is a herbal medicine (HM) plant traditionally used to treat sexual dysfunction and enhance libido in men. Websites containing information about HM are abundant. However, studies have shown that in general the quality of websites containing [...] Read more.
Background: Tongkat Ali (TA) or Eurycoma longifolia is a herbal medicine (HM) plant traditionally used to treat sexual dysfunction and enhance libido in men. Websites containing information about HM are abundant. However, studies have shown that in general the quality of websites containing information on HM is low. The present study aims to assess the quality and risks of websites containing information about TA supplements and to identify the health claims for TA. Methodology: A cross-sectional study to evaluate the quality and risks of websites discussing TA supplements was conducted. Online marketing websites, research articles, news articles, personal opinions, and those restricted by password were excluded. The quality and risks of websites were assessed using a modified DISCERN tool and a set of risk assessment criteria, respectively. The health claims for TA were identified and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Overall, 321 websites met the inclusion criteria and were further evaluated. The overall rating of the quality of the websites was low, with a mean score ± standard deviation of 1.07 ± 0.51. Most websites lacked information that there may be more than one possible treatment choice and did not discuss areas of uncertainty. However, 67.9% (218/321) of the websites received a risk score of zero. A minority of websites (5/321, 1.6%) discouraged the use of conventional medicines. The most common health claims for TA included in the websites related to the enhancement of testosterone level (121/321, 37.7%), treatment of malaria (112/321, 34.9%), and improvement in libido (108/321, 33.6%). Conclusions: Websites containing information about TA supplements generally have a low-quality rating based on a modified DISCERN tool despite having a low-risk score. Government agencies and healthcare professionals (HCPs) must be more proactive in the critique and dissemination of information relating to HM, and in ensuring the safe use of HM among the public and patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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9 pages, 1520 KiB  
Article
Understanding Melanoma Talk on Twitter: The Lessons Learned and Missed Opportunities
by Basma T. Gomaa, Eric R. Walsh-Buhi and Russell J. Funk
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11284; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811284 - 08 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2126
Abstract
Background: Melanoma is the third most common cause of cancer and the deadliest form of skin cancer among 17–39 year-olds in the United States. Melanoma is a critical public health issue with a substantial economic burden. Cases and associated burdens, however, could be [...] Read more.
Background: Melanoma is the third most common cause of cancer and the deadliest form of skin cancer among 17–39 year-olds in the United States. Melanoma is a critical public health issue with a substantial economic burden. Cases and associated burdens, however, could be prevented with a greater awareness of, and interventions related to, skin cancer and melanoma-related preventive behaviors. In fact, as social media use is close to ubiquitous, it represents a potential communication modality. However, more research is needed to understand the current state of melanoma-related information exchanged between Twitter users. This study aimed to understand the different types of users controlling the melanoma-related information diffusion and conversation themes on Twitter. Methods: Tweets (n = 692) were imported from Twitter between 1 and 31 May 2021 using the Twitter public API; and uploaded to NodeXL to conduct a social network analysis. Results: Health professionals and organizations with medical backgrounds were the main content producers, disseminators, and top influencers. However, information diffusion is slow and uneven among users. Additionally, conversations lacked a focus on preventive behaviors. Conclusion: Twitter is a potential platform for the targeted outreach of individuals in melanoma awareness campaigns. This study provides insights maximizing the effectiveness of Twitter as a communication modality. Our findings can help guide the development of customized content and interventions during melanoma awareness campaigns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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12 pages, 2016 KiB  
Article
Social Media Engagement in Two Governmental Schemes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Macao
by Patrick Cheong-Iao Pang, Wenjing Jiang, Guanwen Pu, Kin-Sun Chan and Ying Lau
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 8976; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19158976 - 23 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2074
Abstract
Social media engagement is a vehicle for effective communication and engagement between governments and individuals, especially in crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it can be used to communicate resilience measures and receive feedback. This research aims to investigate public social media [...] Read more.
Social media engagement is a vehicle for effective communication and engagement between governments and individuals, especially in crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it can be used to communicate resilience measures and receive feedback. This research aims to investigate public social media engagement with resilience measures related to COVID-19 in Macao. We examined 1107 posts and 791 comments about the government’s face mask supply and consumption voucher schemes on Facebook. Using the Crisis Lifecycle model, we partitioned the data and analyzed the content and engagement of related posts, as well as the word semantics in user comments. Our findings show that social media engagement in these resilience measures is high and positive in the early stages of the pandemic, suggesting social media’s potential in mobilizing society, preserving social resilience, and serving as a two-way communication tool in public health emergencies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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17 pages, 1444 KiB  
Article
Football Fandom as a Platform for Digital Health Promotion and Behaviour Change: A Mobile App Case Study
by Alex Fenton, Anna Mary Cooper-Ryan, Mariann (Maz) Hardey and Wasim Ahmed
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8417; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148417 - 09 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3672
Abstract
Background: The last decade has seen a dramatic shift toward the study of fitness surveillance, thanks in part to the emergence of mobile health (mHealth) apps that allow users to track their health through a variety of data-driven insights. This study examines the [...] Read more.
Background: The last decade has seen a dramatic shift toward the study of fitness surveillance, thanks in part to the emergence of mobile health (mHealth) apps that allow users to track their health through a variety of data-driven insights. This study examines the adoption trends and community mediation of the mobile fitness application ‘FanFit’, a platform aimed at promoting physical activity among sports fans by creating a fitness app branded to their favourite team for health promotion. Objective: Our study looked at the impact of a specially designed mobile app (FanFit) as a digital health intervention for initiating and maintaining physical activity as part of football club membership. Our analysis indicates that app users will adopt healthier behaviours as a result of the app’s sense of fan community and behaviour change. Methods: The findings reported here are based on an implementation of the FanFit app and, in particular, on those who participated in a more in-depth study (n = 30). These participants were Rangers FC supporters with a mix of genders (n = 19 males and n = 11 females). Focus groups and interviews were conducted with participants to ascertain users’ perspectives on the most effective methods for nudging users toward adopting and maintaining a pattern of fitness behaviours. Results: The findings show that the user community was interested in fitness and wanted to live a ‘healthy lifestyle,’ which was augmented and fuelled by the app’s competitive architecture design. Furthermore, the data reveal a new fan-health discourse about a person’s developing wants, talents, and identities as embodied beings. Conclusions: We have developed and presented valid links between the use of sports club apps and health programmes. The app could be useful for sports programmes and club providers looking for mHealth applications that provide community support through fan discourse with opportunities for both male and female fans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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13 pages, 914 KiB  
Article
Conservative Media Use and COVID-19 Related Behavior: The Moderating Role of Media Literacy Variables
by Porismita Borah, Kyle Lorenzano, Anastasia Vishnevskaya and Erica Austin
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7572; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137572 - 21 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2226
Abstract
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no vaccine to cure or slow its impact due to the novelty of the virus, nor were there were any other standardized measures to handle its spread. Yet, despite the detrimental consequences of the [...] Read more.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no vaccine to cure or slow its impact due to the novelty of the virus, nor were there were any other standardized measures to handle its spread. Yet, despite the detrimental consequences of the pandemic and its impact on people’s lives, the behavior of individuals to combat the pandemic was not necessarily consistent with official guidelines. To make things worse, the pandemic was highly politicized in countries such as the U.S. With a help of a national survey from the U.S., we examine the associations between media literacy variables and willingness to perform recommended COVID-19 related health behavior. Moreover, we also examine the moderating role of conservative media use in this relationship. Our findings show that conservative media use was negatively associated with these protective behaviors, and that both media literacy variables were positively related with willingness to perform recommended COVID-19 related health behavior. Our results show that media literacy can mitigate some of the impact of conservative media use on individuals. Our findings help understand the complexity of protective behavior against the virus during a highly politicized pandemic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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12 pages, 361 KiB  
Article
Canadian COVID-19 Crisis Communication on Twitter: Mixed Methods Research Examining Tweets from Government, Politicians, and Public Health for Crisis Communication Guiding Principles and Tweet Engagement
by Melissa MacKay, Andrea Cimino, Samira Yousefinaghani, Jennifer E. McWhirter, Rozita Dara and Andrew Papadopoulos
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6954; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116954 - 06 Jun 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3457
Abstract
To foster trust on social media during a crisis, messages should implement key guiding principles, including call to action, clarity, conversational tone, compassion and empathy, correction of misinformation, and transparency. This study describes how crisis actors used guiding principles in COVID-19 tweets, and [...] Read more.
To foster trust on social media during a crisis, messages should implement key guiding principles, including call to action, clarity, conversational tone, compassion and empathy, correction of misinformation, and transparency. This study describes how crisis actors used guiding principles in COVID-19 tweets, and how the use of these guiding principles relates to tweet engagement. Original, English language tweets from 10 federal level government, politician, and public health Twitter accounts were collected between 11 March 2020 and 25 January 2021 (n = 6053). A 60% random sample was taken (n = 3633), and the tweets were analyzed for guiding principles. A tweet engagement score was calculated for each tweet and logistic regression analyses were conducted to model the relationship between guiding principles and tweet engagement. Overall, the use of guiding principles was low and inconsistent. Tweets that were written with compassion and empathy, or conversational tone were associated with greater odds of having higher tweet engagement. Across all guiding principles, tweets from politicians and public health were associated with greater odds of having higher tweet engagement. Using a combination of guiding principles was associated with greater odds of having higher tweet engagement. Crisis actors should consistently use relevant guiding principles in crisis communication messages to improve message engagement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
8 pages, 1277 KiB  
Article
A Social Network Analysis of Twitter Data Related to Blood Clots and Vaccines
by Wasim Ahmed, Josep Vidal-Alaball and Josep M. Vilaseca
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(8), 4584; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084584 - 11 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3368
Abstract
After the first weeks of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, several cases of acute thrombosis were reported. These news reports began to be shared frequently across social media platforms. The aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of Twitter data related to the [...] Read more.
After the first weeks of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, several cases of acute thrombosis were reported. These news reports began to be shared frequently across social media platforms. The aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of Twitter data related to the overall discussion. The data were retrieved from 14 March to 14 April 2021 using the keyword ‘blood clots’. A dataset with n = 266,677 tweets was retrieved, and a systematic random sample of 5% of tweets (n = 13,334) was entered into NodeXL for further analysis. Social network analysis was used to analyse the data by drawing upon the Clauset–Newman–Moore algorithm. Influential users were identified by drawing upon the betweenness centrality measure. Text analysis was applied to identify the key hashtags and websites used at this time. More than half of the network comprised retweets, and the largest groups within the network were broadcast clusters in which a number of key users were retweeted. The most popular narratives involved highlighting the low risk of obtaining a blood clot from a vaccine and highlighting that a number of commonly consumed medicine have higher blood clot risks. A wide variety of users drove the discussion on Twitter, including writers, physicians, the general public, academics, celebrities, and journalists. Twitter was used to highlight the low potential of developing a blood clot from vaccines, and users on Twitter encouraged vaccinations among the public. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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21 pages, 1578 KiB  
Article
Breaching Learners’ Social Distancing through Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Muhammad Zaheer Asghar, Ayesha Iqbal, Pirita Seitamaa-Hakkarainen and Elena Barbera
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11012; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111012 - 20 Oct 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5860
Abstract
Higher education has been shifted toward blended learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. An increase in social media usage intensity and reduced face-to-face interaction due to the COVID-19 pandemic urged instructional communication researchers to revisit the dynamics of learners’ group development in terms of [...] Read more.
Higher education has been shifted toward blended learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. An increase in social media usage intensity and reduced face-to-face interaction due to the COVID-19 pandemic urged instructional communication researchers to revisit the dynamics of learners’ group development in terms of their socialization and academic performance during the COVID-19 crisis. This research aimed to determine the mediating role of social media sociability between face-to-face socialization and academic performance of higher education students in blended learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also the aim of the study to determine the moderating effect of social media usage intensity on social media sociability. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with the students (n = 340) enrolled in science teacher education departments of universities in Pakistan. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for multivariate analysis. Results revealed that face-to-face socialization gave an essential start to develop a learning group. However, when face-to-face socialization was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was mediated by social media usage in blended learning environments to increase their socialization and academic performance during the crisis. The findings of the study are useful for higher education institutions to adopt social media strategies for students’ socialization during the crisis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 828 KiB  
Review
“You Shall Not Pass” without a Jab: An Institutional Theory Perspective to COVID-19 Vaccine Passport Policies
by Emmanuel Ogiemwonyi Arakpogun, Padmali Rodrigo and Femi Olan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14105; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114105 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2328
Abstract
The recent health crises (e.g., COVID-19, Ebola and Monkeypox) have pointed out huge disparities in vaccine accessibility across the world. Nonetheless, certain governments have instituted vaccine passport policies (VPPs) to manage public health, raising mixed concerns from the public. Focusing on COVID-19 outbreak [...] Read more.
The recent health crises (e.g., COVID-19, Ebola and Monkeypox) have pointed out huge disparities in vaccine accessibility across the world. Nonetheless, certain governments have instituted vaccine passport policies (VPPs) to manage public health, raising mixed concerns from the public. Focusing on COVID-19 outbreak as an example, this review and commentary article utilises an institutional theory perspective to uncover the factors contributing to the global vaccine divide. We also explore the wider impact of VPPs to determine whether such tools promote freedom or social exclusion. Our insights shed light on a controversial and increasingly divisive policy with an international dimension and institutional implications. For instance, while some argue that VPPs may be relatively better than the blunt instrument of lockdowns, VPPs also implicate access and discrimination concerns. Given the various reasons for global vaccine disparities, a hybrid policy that combines vaccine passports with other public health practices (e.g., rapid lateral flow/affordable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and good hygiene) may be more viable. Furthermore, while VPPs may not be desirable and acceptable domestically, they may be inevitable for international travel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition of Social Media and Public Health: Opportunities and Challenges)
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