Strategies to Increase Latino Immigrant Youth Engagement in Health Promotion Using Social Media: Mixed-Methods Study

BACKGROUND Generating participant engagement in social media applications for health promotion and disease prevention efforts is vital for their effectiveness and increases the likelihood of effecting sustainable behavior change. However, there is limited evidence regarding effective strategies for engaging Latino immigrant youth using social media. As part of the Avance Center for the Advancement of Immigrant/Refugee Health in Washington, DC, USA, we implemented Adelante, a branded primary prevention program, to address risk factors for co-occurring substance use, sexual risk, and interpersonal violence among Latino immigrant adolescents aged 12 to 19 years in a Washington, DC suburb. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize Adelante participant Facebook reach and engagement and (2) identify post content and features that resulted in greater user engagement. METHODS We established the Adelante Facebook fan page in October of 2013, and the Adelante social marketing campaign used this platform for campaign activities from September 2015 to September 2016. We used Facebook Insights metrics to examine reach and post engagement of Adelante Facebook page fans (n=743). Data consisted of Facebook fan page posts between October 1, 2013 and September 30, 2016 (n=871). We developed a 2-phased mixed-methods analytical plan and coding scheme, and explored the association between post content categories and features and a composite measure of post engagement using 1-way analysis of variance tests. P<.05 determined statistical significance. RESULTS Posts on the Adelante Facebook page had a total of 34,318 clicks, 473 comments, 9080 likes or reactions, and 617 shares. Post content categories that were statistically significantly associated with post engagement were Adelante program updates (P<.001); youth achievement showcases (P=.001); news links (P<.001); social marketing campaign posts (P<.001); and prevention topics, including substance abuse (P<.001), safe sex (P=.02), sexually transmitted disease prevention (P<.001), and violence or fighting (P=.047). Post features that were significantly associated with post engagement comprised the inclusion of photos (P<.001); Spanish (P<.001) or bilingual (P=.001) posts; and portrayal of youth of both sexes (P<.001) portrayed in groups (P<.001) that were facilitated by adults (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Social media outreach is a promising strategy that youth programs can use to complement in-person programming for augmented engagement. The Latino immigrant youth audience in this study had a tendency toward more passive social media consumption, having implications for outreach strategies and engagement measurement in future studies. While study findings confirmed the utility of social marketing campaigns for increasing user engagement, findings also highlighted a high level of engagement among youth with posts that covered casual, day-to-day program activity participation. This finding identifies an underexplored area that should be considered for health messaging, and also supports interventions that use peer-to-peer and user-generated health promotion approaches.

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Evaluating a Technology-Mediated HPV Vaccination Awareness Intervention: A controlled, Quasi-Experimental Mixed Methods Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-30179/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Heather M Brandt ◽

Beth Sundstrom ◽

Courtney M. Monroe ◽

Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy ◽

Chelsea Larsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Social Media ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Hpv Vaccination ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Healthy Weight ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Catch Up

Abstract Background College-aged women and men are at increased risk of acquiring human papillomavirus (HPV) and are considered an important catch-up population for HPV vaccination. Technology provides an attractive platform for HPV vaccination interventions. Limited research has explored technology-mediated HPV vaccination awareness interventions aimed at college students. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a novel, technology-mediated, social media-based intervention to promote HPV vaccination among college students.Methods A controlled, quasi-experimental, mixed methods study examined the feasibility of a technology-based intervention among two undergraduate classes (n = 58) at a public university in the southeastern United States of America. Classes were randomized by coin flip to receive one of two cancer prevention programs (i.e., HPV vaccination [intervention] or healthy weight [control]). Both programs contained eight technology-mediated health promotion sessions, including weekly emails and private Facebook group posts. Participants completed a pre- and post-test web-based survey and submitted weekly qualitative reflections. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic review for qualitative data.Results Knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccination improved among participants in the HPV vaccination intervention relative to those in the control condition. Participants (97%) interacted on Facebook by “liking” a post or comment or posting a comment. Participants reported that Facebook was easy to use and encouraged interaction, which contributed to the success of the intervention.Conclusion Participants demonstrated robust engagement and high treatment satisfaction. Objective measures and qualitative open-ended assessment of the intervention showed high levels of engagement with the electronic newsletters and Facebook group. This pilot study suggests that social media is an effective platform to reach college students with health promotion interventions and increase HPV vaccination awareness in this important catch-up population.

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Adelante Ambassadors: Using Digital Media to Facilitate Community Engagement and Risk-Prevention for Latino Youth

Journal of Youth Development ◽

10.5195/jyd.2017.513 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 81-106 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nicole Barrett ◽

Ricardo Villalba ◽

Elizabeth Andrade ◽

Allison Beltran ◽

W. Douglas Evans

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Digital Media ◽

Youth Development ◽

Interpersonal Violence ◽

Age Groups ◽

Immigrant Youth ◽

Latino Youth ◽

Risk Prevention ◽

Latino Immigrant Youth ◽

Latino Immigrant

Digital and social media are now widely used to promote engagement in health programs and improve health behaviors across a variety of age groups and domains. However, limited research exists on applying culturally relevant, new media interventions specific to Latino immigrant youth. This paper describes the pilot Adelante Youth Ambassador program for Latino immigrant youth, which used digital media and community-based participatory research to build positive youth development (PYD) assets as a prevention mechanism to reduce co-occurring health risks of substance use, sexual risk, and interpersonal violence. We worked collaboratively with adolescents to create video content as a conduit for Adelante-branded messages to be disseminated on the program’s social media platforms. Using an active audience engagement methodology, youth participants informed the development of prevention messages, scripts for the videos, and acted in videos. Participants disseminated content to their social media networks and engaged peers in dialogue about topics addressed in the videos. Using pre and post tests, we evaluated changes in PYD assets (Civic Action Competence, Confidence, Connection to Community, and Connection to Peers) and skills related to digital media use, communication, and advocacy. The program used innovative branding and social media strategies to engage Latino youth in health risk prevention.

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