scholarly journals Methods for Preventing Depression on Digital Platforms and in Social Media

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-124
Author(s):  
M.M. Danina ◽  
N.V. Kiselnikova ◽  
E.A. Kuminskaya ◽  
P. Greskova
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
World Health ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Depression Risk ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Online Methods ◽  
Digital Footprints

The prevalence of depression among the population estimated at 8-12%. The World Health Organization admits that the existing help system is not sufficiently successful in dealing with depression, and gives priority to online methods – accessible and anonymous. So it can be used by a large number of people and can help to overcome the problem of stigmatization of people with depression. In the article current trends in using online diagnostics tools (mobile applications and gadgets) are discussed and detection of groups with depression risk in social media digital footprints are analyzed. The prospect of research consists in studying the mechanisms and identifying specific components of programs related to the preventive effect, as well as the possibilities of using online methods to work with other mental disorders.

Social Media and Health Communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 16-32
Author(s):  
Esra Fener
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Health Information ◽  
World Health ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Technology Age ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Media Channels

In today's technology age, our communication style has changed and social media channels that provide remote and mutual interaction on digital platforms have become an important communication tool. In this digital communication age, when the need for remote communication has increased and is needed more with the pandemic period, it is seen that health information is shared more and more on social media platforms. In this process, it is seen that the health ministries of all countries, especially the World Health Organization (WHO), actively use social media channels as well as media channels for sharing health information. In this chapter, basic information about social media, social media channels, health communication, health communication in social media, and the effect of this communication on health literacy will be explained. For this purpose, the relevant social media platforms and studies have been examined and conveyed.

The evolution of rumors on a closed platform during COVID-19 (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Wen-Yi Wang ◽  
Jo-Yu Lan ◽  
Ming-Hung Wang ◽  
Chihhao Yu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health ◽  
Health Organization

BACKGROUND In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic put the world in crisis on both physical and psychological health. Simultaneously, a myriad of unverified information flowed on social media and online outlets. The situation was so severe that the World Health Organization identified it an infodemic on February 2020. OBJECTIVE We want to study the propagation patterns and textual transformation of COVID-19 related rumors on a closed-platform. METHODS We obtained a dataset of 114 thousand suspicious text messages collected on Taiwan’s most popular instant messaging platform, LINE. We also proposed an algorithm that efficiently cluster text messages into groups, where each group contains text messages within limited difference in content. Each group then represents a rumor and elements in each group is a message about the rumor. RESULTS 114 thousand messages were separated into 937 groups with at least 10 elements. Of the 936 rumors, 44.5% (417) were related to COVID-19. By studying 3 popular false COVID-19 rumors, we identified that key authoritative figures, mostly medical personnel, were often quoted in the messages. Also, rumors resurfaced multiple times after being fact-checked, and the resurfacing pattern were influenced by major societal events and successful content alterations, such as changing whom to quote in a message. CONCLUSIONS To fight infodemic, it is crucial that we first understand why and how a rumor becomes popular. While social media gives rise to unprecedented number of unverified rumors, it also provides a unique opportunity for us to study rumor propagations and the interactions with society. Therefore, we must put more effort in the areas.

(Mis)Information on Digital Platforms: Lessons from Twitter and Sina Weibo in the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Kreps
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sina Weibo ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Relative Prevalence

BACKGROUND Misinformation about COVID-19 has presented challenges to public health authorities during pandemics. Understanding the prevalence and type of misinformation across contexts offers a way to understand the discourse around COVID-19 while informing potential countermeasures. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to study COVID-19 content on two prominent microblogging platform, Twitter, based in the United States, and Sina Weibo, based in China, and compare the content and relative prevalence of misinformation to better understand public discourse of public health issues across social media and cultural contexts. METHODS A total of 3,579,575 posts were scraped from both Weibo and Twitter, focusing on content from January 30th, 2020, when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” and February 6th, 2020. A 1% random sample of tweets that contained both the English keywords “coronavirus” and “covid-19” and the equivalent Chinese characters was extracted and analyzed based on changes in the frequencies of keywords and hashtags. Misinformation on each platform was compared by manually coding and comparing posts using the World Health Organization fact-check page to adjudicate accuracy of content. RESULTS Both platforms posted about the outbreak and transmission but posts on Sina Weibo were less likely to reference controversial topics such as the World Health Organization and death and more likely to cite themes of resisting, fighting, and cheering against the coronavirus. Misinformation constituted 1.1% of Twitter content and 0.3% of Weibo content. CONCLUSIONS Quantitative and qualitative analysis of content on both platforms points to cross-platform differences in public discourse surrounding the pandemic and informs potential countermeasures for online misinformation.

scholarly journals Practices suggested in social media for birth plans

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victória Prates Pasqualotto ◽  
Mariene Jaeger Riffel ◽  
Virgínia Leismann Moretto
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Production Of Knowledge ◽  
The World ◽  
Means Of Transmission ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
E Mail

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe and analyze the practices suggested in social media for the elaboration of Birth Plans, available on Blogs/Sites and not included in the WHO recommendations. Method: Qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study with thematic analysis. A total of 41 e-mail addresses were selected for analysis among the 200 web addresses previously identified between March and July 2016. Three web addresses were in Portugal and the others in Brazil. Results: 48 practices not included in the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) were identified. Conclusion: Blogs/Websites, as means of transmission, circulation and production of knowledge, enable the horizontal expression of values, encourage women to plan the events considered important for their deliveries and put childbirth decisions on the hands of women, which has caused controversy in the discourse of humanization of childbirth.

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception of COVID-19 Pandemic in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria- The Initial Experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 27-37
Author(s):  
E. K. Mgbe ◽  
C. G. Mgbe ◽  
S. N. Ezeofor ◽  
J. F. Etiki
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
World Health ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The World ◽  
Enugu State ◽  
Health Organization

Background: The world is experiencing a global corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. As of 9th June 2020, over 7 million confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and more than 400,000 deaths had been reported in more than 30 countries of the world according to World Health Organization. Aim: We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and vulnerability perception of Enugu state residents during the coronavirus outbreak in order to facilitate better health care outcomes. Methodology: A prospective Web-based cross-sectional survey was designed for this study which was conducted in March 2020 among Enugu state residents. The obtained data were coded, validated, and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SPSS software, version 24. Descriptive analysis was applied to calculate the frequencies and proportions and Chi-Square Test was also used. A preliminary phase was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of the questionnaire before its use.  Results: The study showed that significant number (99.6%) of the respondents had heard about Covid-19 and the most stated source of knowledge was social media (57.6%), followed by Newspaper and television shows (50.2%) while the least was from General Practitioner (GP) (8.9%). There was over 75% agreement with, and practice, of all known covid precautionary measures and less than 35% responses for wrong claims and practices about covid -19. Conclusion: The overall knowledge, attitude, and perception are high in Enugu state population although few still has background combined superstitious believes. Social media and internet are the highest used facility for acquisition of knowledge and information in Enugu, Nigeria.

scholarly journals Misinformation, chiropractic, and the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iben Axén ◽  
Cecilia Bergström ◽  
Marc Bronson ◽  
Pierre Côté ◽  
Casper Glissmann Nim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
World Health ◽  
Chiropractic Treatment ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background In March 2020, the World Health Organization elevated the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic to a pandemic and called for urgent and aggressive action worldwide. Public health experts have communicated clear and emphatic strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Hygiene rules and social distancing practices have been implemented by entire populations, including ‘stay-at-home’ orders in many countries. The long-term health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are not yet known. Main text During this time of crisis, some chiropractors made claims on social media that chiropractic treatment can prevent or impact COVID-19. The rationale for these claims is that spinal manipulation can impact the nervous system and thus improve immunity. These beliefs often stem from nineteenth-century chiropractic concepts. We are aware of no clinically relevant scientific evidence to support such statements. We explored the internet and social media to collect examples of misinformation from Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand regarding the impact of chiropractic treatment on immune function. We discuss the potential harm resulting from these claims and explore the role of chiropractors, teaching institutions, accrediting agencies, and legislative bodies. Conclusions Members of the chiropractic profession share a collective responsibility to act in the best interests of patients and public health. We hope that all chiropractic stakeholders will view the COVID-19 pandemic as a call to action to eliminate the unethical and potentially dangerous claims made by chiropractors who practise outside the boundaries of scientific evidence.

scholarly journals The “Obiettivo Antibiotico” Campaign on Prudent Use of Antibiotics in Sicily, Italy: The Pilot Phase

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Barchitta ◽  
Annalisa Quattrocchi ◽  
Andrea Maugeri ◽  
Maria Clara La Rosa ◽  
Claudia La Mastra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
General Public ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
World Health ◽  
Pilot Phase ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a focus of the World Health Organization, which proposes educational interventions targeting the public and healthcare professionals. Here, we present the first attempt at a regionwide multicomponent campaign in Sicily (Italy), called “Obiettivo Antibiotico”, which aims to raise the awareness of prudent use of antibiotics in the public and in healthcare professionals. The campaign was designed by an interdisciplinary academic team, and an interactive website was populated with different materials, including key messages, letters, slogans, posters, factsheets, leaflets, and videos. The campaign was launched in November 2018 and, as of 21 December 2018, the website had a total of 1159 unique visitors, of which 190 became champions by pledging to take simple actions to support the fight against AMR. Data from social media showed that the audience was between 18 and 54 years of age, with a high proportion of female participants (64%). Interestingly, the LinkedIn page received more than 1200 followers, and Facebook 685 followers. The number of actions taken (pledges) by the audience was 458, evenly divided between experts (53%) and the general public (47%). Additional efforts are needed to reach more people, thus future efforts should focus on further promotion within the Sicilian region to sustain the engagement with the campaign.

Prevalence of depression in Tunisian general population

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S523-S523
Author(s):  
H. Belhadj ◽  
R. Jomli
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Gender Education ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Severity Of Depression ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Detection Of Depression

IntroductionDepression is a major burden for the health-care system worldwide.ObjectiveTo identify prevalence and severity of depression in Tunisian general population and define socoiodemographic characteristics of screened positive to depression participants.MethodWe undertook a cross-sectional and descriptive study. A total of 134 participants, representative of the Tunisian general population, were enrolled. Age, gender, and educational level were the major criteria for representativeness. Depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).ResultsThe cut-off score was 10. The prevalence of depression was 13.4%. There were no statistical difference in gender, education and age for the prevalence of depression.ConclusionThe World Health Organization ranks depression as the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide. Thus, the detection of depression and the dissemination of treatment in the general population are very important to reduce the burden of the disease.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Automatic Construction of a Depression-Domain Lexicon Based on Microblogs: Text Mining Study

10.2196/17650 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. e17650
Author(s):  
Genghao Li ◽  
Bing Li ◽  
Langlin Huang ◽  
Sibing Hou
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Label Propagation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Depression Detection ◽  
Text Information ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Future Work

Background According to a World Health Organization report in 2017, there was almost one patient with depression among every 20 people in China. However, the diagnosis of depression is usually difficult in terms of clinical detection owing to slow observation, high cost, and patient resistance. Meanwhile, with the rapid emergence of social networking sites, people tend to share their daily life and disclose inner feelings online frequently, making it possible to effectively identify mental conditions using the rich text information. There are many achievements regarding an English web-based corpus, but for research in China so far, the extraction of language features from web-related depression signals is still in a relatively primary stage. Objective The purpose of this study was to propose an effective approach for constructing a depression-domain lexicon. This lexicon will contain language features that could help identify social media users who potentially have depression. Our study also compared the performance of detection with and without our lexicon. Methods We autoconstructed a depression-domain lexicon using Word2Vec, a semantic relationship graph, and the label propagation algorithm. These two methods combined performed well in a specific corpus during construction. The lexicon was obtained based on 111,052 Weibo microblogs from 1868 users who were depressed or nondepressed. During depression detection, we considered six features, and we used five classification methods to test the detection performance. Results The experiment results showed that in terms of the F1 value, our autoconstruction method performed 1% to 6% better than baseline approaches and was more effective and steadier. When applied to detection models like logistic regression and support vector machine, our lexicon helped the models outperform by 2% to 9% and was able to improve the final accuracy of potential depression detection. Conclusions Our depression-domain lexicon was proven to be a meaningful input for classification algorithms, providing linguistic insights on the depressive status of test subjects. We believe that this lexicon will enhance early depression detection in people on social media. Future work will need to be carried out on a larger corpus and with more complex methods.

scholarly journals Anxiety disorder and consumption of social media in Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 316-326
Author(s):  
Tarcisio Torres Silva
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
World Health ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The City

Brazilian population spends a lot of time on social media. The average access from any device is 3 hours and 39 minutes (The Global, 2018). On the other hand, the country leads the numbers of anxiety disorder among the population. According to the World Health Organization, the incidence in the country is 9.3%, while the world average is 3.5%. This number is even higher in big cities, reaching 19.9% in the city of São Paulo (Horta, 2019). Possible causes are economic instability, social changes and violence (Horta, 2019). Add to that the political polarization in recent years and the intensive use of gadgets, private chat applications, such as Whatsapp, and social networks. In this work, we focus on the influence of social networks in the development of Brazilian anxiety. Our hypothesis is that the intensity of use reinforces the existence of other factors of anxiety increase (economy, violence, political division, etc.) through the sharing of news, besides adding others, such as self-display, performativity and the need of always being in evidence in social networks. As a method, we will work with content analysis (news and images) from the main social networking platforms used in Brazil.

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