Social Media for Behaviour Change: How to Maximize the Impact of Public Health Messages

Public health messages can be effectively disseminated via social media platforms.

Social media offers a wealth of opportunities for health promotion, as it allows organizations to reach targeted audiences with specific messages, interact with the public in real time, target hard-to-reach groups, and create dynamic campaigns.

Studies show that information shared via social media can enhance knowledge and understanding compared to written materials. Moreover, social media allows for the sharing of information with a wide and diverse audience, which can help overcome barriers to accessing information.

Gough et al. [1] conducted a study to examine the feasibility of using social media to design, implement, and evaluate an intervention for skin cancer prevention.

This study used a quasi-experimental design to examine the feasibility of using social media, specifically Twitter, to disseminate messages related to skin cancer prevention. The study was conducted in two phases: Phase 1 used the Twitter platform of a cancer charity in Northern Ireland, while Phase 2 used a bespoke Twitter platform and also included a Thunderclap (note: this tool is no longer in use), in which users allowed their accounts to automatically post a specific message related to the campaign.

The messages in the campaign were categorized into five broad categories: humor, shock or disgust, informative, personal stories, and opportunistic. The study also recruited “influencers,” or users with a large following, to help promote the campaign by retweeting its content. A pre- and post-intervention web-based survey was used to assess the impact of the campaign on knowledge and attitudes related to skin cancer prevention in Northern Ireland.

Study Results

This social media campaign was successful in reaching a large audience, with a total of 417,678 tweet impressions, 11,213 engagements, and 1211 retweets.

The campaign messages that generated the most impressions were those in the shock or disgust category, followed by informative and humorous messages. However, humorous messages generated the most engagement, followed by shock or disgust, personal story, and informative messages. Informative messages resulted in the greatest number of shares. Additionally, tweets that included an influencer in the message generated greater numbers of impressions.

Information Diffusion

The purpose of including influential users in a social media campaign is to increase the reach and impact of the messages being shared. This can be accomplished by having the influential users share the campaign’s messages with their own followers, which can help to amplify the messages and reach a larger audience. This is commonly referred to as information diffusion.

Information diffusion refers to the process by which a message spreads through a network, such as a social media network. There are various ways to measure the diffusion of a message in a network, including by quantifying the volume of users influenced by the message. This can be done by looking at metrics such as the number of likes, retweets, comments, and shares that a message receives, as well as the number of users who are exposed to the message through their interactions with other users who have shared the message. By analyzing these metrics, researchers and organizations can gain insights into the reach and impact of their messages and identify strategies for improving the effectiveness of their campaigns.

Paid Promotion

Interestingly, in this particular study, paid-for, promoted tweets (posts that are paid for and appear at the top of users’ feeds) did not perform as well as “organic” posts (posts that are not paid for and appear in users’ feeds based on their activity and engagement with the content). The promoted posts had fewer impressions and retweets compared to organic posts and those that included an influencer.

However, it is worth noting that promoted posts have the potential advantage of allowing organizations to target specific groups of users based on characteristics such as location, age, gender, and interests. This can be useful for reaching specific audiences that may be more relevant to the goals of the campaign.

Increased Knowledge

The study also found that the campaign had a positive impact on knowledge and attitudes related to skin cancer prevention. There was an increase in the percentage of respondents who correctly identified that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, and an increase in the percentage who correctly identified that melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. There was also a reduction in the percentage of respondents who agreed that they “like to tan,” indicating that the campaign may have had a positive impact on attitudes towards ultraviolet (UV) exposure and skin cancer prevention. These results suggest that the social media campaign was successful in increasing knowledge and improving attitudes related to skin cancer prevention.

5 Tips for Using Social Media to Promote Public Health Messages

To effectively use social media for public health messaging, it’s important to consider the following:

1. Use clear and concise language: Social media users tend to scan content quickly, so it’s important to use language that is easy to understand and to the point.
2. Use visuals: Visuals such as images, infographics, and videos can be more engaging and easier to understand than text alone.
3. Use hashtags: Hashtags can help to increase the visibility of your content and make it easier for people to find and share your messages.
4. Engage with your audience: Take advantage of social media’s interactive nature. Rather than merely broadcasting information, public health organizations should use social media to engage with their audiences and foster meaningful communication. This means actively listening to and responding to the needs and concerns of their audience, as well as inviting feedback and dialogue. By doing so, public health organizations can build trust and establish themselves as credible sources of information, which can ultimately lead to more positive outcomes in terms of public health.
5. Monitor and evaluate your efforts: Use social media analytics tools to track the reach and engagement of your messages, and make adjustments as needed to improve their effectiveness.

While social media can be a powerful tool for promoting public health, public health agencies have not yet fully harnessed its potential. Some of the challenges that public health agencies may face when using social media include:

1. Limited resources: Public health agencies may have limited resources, including staff time and budget, to devote to social media efforts.
2. Lack of expertise: Some public health agencies may lack the necessary expertise or training to effectively use social media for health promotion.
3. Misinformation: Social media can be a source of misinformation, which can be challenging for public health agencies to address.
4. Privacy concerns: Social media platforms may raise privacy concerns for individuals who share their personal health information online.
5. Limited reach: While social media can reach a wide audience, it may not be accessible to everyone, particularly those who do not have access to the internet or who are not familiar with social media platforms.

Despite these challenges, it is important for public health agencies to continue exploring the use of social media as a tool for promoting health. By understanding the potential risks and benefits and taking steps to address these challenges, public health agencies can effectively use social media to reach and engage with the public.

References

[1] Gough, Aisling et al. “Tweet for Behavior Change: Using Social Media for the Dissemination of Public Health Messages.” JMIR Public Health and Surveillance 3.1 (2017): e14. Web.