Exploring Social Media for Health and Wellness

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinjini Mitra ◽  
Rema Padman

The use of social media for health and wellness promotion is a relatively new concept. Nonetheless, several early adopting health plans and provider organizations have begun to design and pilot social and mobile media platforms to empower members to enhance self management of health and wellness goals. In this case study of a large health plan in Pennsylvania, the authors describe the design and execution of a member survey to identify some factors that are significantly associated with interest in adopting such technology platforms for obtaining health-related information and services. Analysis of relevant data from more than 4,000 responses indicates significant differences among important segments of the member population defined with respect to demographic factors, level of computer and social media usage, and frequency of engagement in specific online activities. They anticipate that these insights can assist health plans to develop and deploy targeted services and tools for health and wellness management.

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 12-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinjini Mitra ◽  
Rema Padman

The use of social media for health and wellness promotion is gathering significant momentum. Several early adopting health plans and provider organizations have begun to design and pilot social and mobile media platforms to empower members to enhance self-management of health and wellness goals. However, there is considerable concern among the general population regarding the privacy, security and reliability of health-related information obtained or collected through online and social media channels. In this teaching case of members of a large health plan in Pennsylvania, the authors examine these concerns in the context of several factors such as demographic, clinical conditions including the presence of chronic conditions, level of computer and social media usage, and frequency of engagement in specific online activities. Furthermore, they also examine the role of privacy, security and confidentiality concerns in members’ interest in adopting such technology platforms for health-related information and services, if offered by the health plan. Analysis of relevant data from more than 4,000 survey responses does not indicate significant differences among important segments of the member population. There is remarkable uniformity regarding privacy and security concerns expressed by members. The authors anticipate that these insights can assist health plans to develop and deploy services and tools for health and wellness management keeping in mind the relevant risk considerations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinjini Mitra ◽  
Rema Padman

Patient engagement in self health and wellness management has been identified as an important goal in improving health outcomes. As a result, the use of mobile and social media for health and wellness promotion is gathering considerable momentum. Several early adopting health plans and provider organizations have begun to design and pilot social and mobile media platforms to empower members to enhance self management of health and wellness goals. Based on a member survey of a large health plan in Pennsylvania, the authors identify factors that are significantly associated with member interest in adopting such technology platforms for obtaining health related information and services. Analysis of relevant data from more than 4,000 responses from health plan members indicate significant effects of several factors such as age, gender, general health condition (including presence of chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure), level of computer and social media usage and frequency of engaging in different online activities such as banking, shopping, and emailing. This analysis allows us to identify important consumer segments that are correlated with professed willingness to use applications and programs offered by the health plan. Besides, the authors also develop statistical models to predict people's odds of adopting health-related mobile apps and identify the significant predictors thereof. The authors anticipate that these insights can assist health plans to develop and deploy targeted services and tools through integration of mobile and social media platforms for health and wellness management.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 1661-1674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arcelio Benetoli ◽  
Timothy F Chen ◽  
Parisa Aslani

Consumers are increasingly using social media to interact with other consumers about health conditions and treatment options. This study aimed to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using social media for health-related purposes from the consumers’ perspectives. Five focus groups with 36 Australian adults with a chronic condition and on medication were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. Consumers reported that social media was very convenient, for accessing health-related information and for peer engagement; user-friendly; improved their health knowledge; empowered them; and provided social and emotional support. The disadvantages included information overload, wasting time; negative feelings; doubts about online information credibility; and issues related to online interactions. Despite some disadvantages, health-related use of social media led consumers to feel supported, knowledgeable, and empowered. Consumers’ motivation to keep accessing social media for health-related purposes opens up avenues for the delivery of services via social media.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navya Bhaskaran ◽  
Manish Kumar ◽  
Manthan Dilipkumar Janodia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-64
Author(s):  
Prativa Subedi ◽  
Bibechan Thapa ◽  
Aakriti Pandey

Background: The world is not just fighting a pandemic of COVID-19, but also tackling infodemic due to the rampant spread of misinformation and rumor about COVID-19 across various online and printed media. Social media is an easy, quick, and cost-effective source of information but its contents are not regulated. Users also usually don't verify information on social media on authentic sites. So, misinformation spreads at a exponential rate. Intern doctors as young physician should have scientific knowledge of disease and not be misled by rumors. Also, health-related information shared by health professionals owes greater credibility to the public. This study aims to explore whether or not intern doctors are using social media rationally in regards to COVID-19. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, mixed-method study carried out among medical and dental interns of KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital. Data was collected with the help of a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire after pretesting. Two Focus group discussions were conducted to gain in- depth information. Findings: 65 % percent of the intern doctors most often used social media to gain information about COVID-19 out of which 87.1 % used Facebook more often.  Around 46 % just read the full title of news appearing in social media while only 32.9 % read the full text.  36 % share the news just by seeing the title. Nearly 35 % of intern doctors check the authenticity of information on social media by verifying it via experts or from authentic sources. Conclusion: Rational use of social media is a must to combat the epidemic of COVID 19. Health professionals including young doctors like interns should focus on scientific and evidence-based information and should use social media rationally both for acquisition and dissemination of information on COVID-19.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Allison ◽  
Sa'Nealdra Wiggins ◽  
Wangcheng Yan ◽  
Wenjun Zhou ◽  
Melissa D Olfert ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Johar Arifin ◽  
Ilyas Husti ◽  
Khairunnas Jamal ◽  
Afriadi Putra

This article aims to explain maqâṣid al-Qur’ân according to M. Quraish Shihab and its application in interpreting verses related to the use of social media. The problem that will be answered in this article covers two main issues, namely how the perspective of maqâṣid al-Qur’ân according to M. Quraish Shihab and how it is applied in interpreting the verses of the use of social media. The method used is the thematic method, namely discussing verses based on themes. Fr om this study the authors concluded that according to M. Quraish Shihab there are six elements of a large group of universal goals of the al-Qur’ân, namely strengthening the faith, humans as caliphs, unifying books, law enforcement, callers to the ummah of wasathan, and mastering world civilization. The quality of information lies in the strength of the monotheistic dimension which is the highest peak of the Qur’anic maqâṣid. M. Quraish Shihab offers six diction which can be done by recipients of information in interacting on social media. Thus, it aims to usher in the knowledge and understanding of what is conveyed in carrying out human mission as caliph, enlightenment through oral and written, law enforcement, unifying mankind and the universe to the ummah of wasathan, and mastery of world civilization


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Ghiselli ◽  
Jing Ma

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of social media by restaurants in China and the extent to which consumers are using it to obtain information about dining options. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire for consumers was developed and social media usage data were collected from restaurants; the results were compared to determine whether there is a difference between practices and preferences. Findings – Based on the results of this paper, restaurants may want to consider committing resources and efforts to improve their presence on Dianping, Baidu and Meituan, and to utilize WeChat. Also, they may want to send non-personalized updates, especially coupons, discounts and information about special events, through the above-mentioned channels two to three times a month. Additionally, restaurants may want to improve engagement with frequent users so that they will recommend to others. Finally, restaurants may want to evaluate and invest in online ordering and payment systems if they haven’t done so already. Research limitations/implications – Strategic choices should be based on understanding of consumers. Unless the gaps between practices and preferences are identified and understood, restaurant companies may not be able to use social media effectively and efficiently. Originality/value – China’s social media market – the largest in the world – differs considerably from other countries; it presents unique opportunities and challenges. Social media is always a function of the technology, culture and government of a particular country or context; for this reason, it is very important to study social media in its “context”. While the need is pressing, there are limited studies on restaurant consumer preferences in a computer-mediated environment, not to mention in the Chinese context. This study examined consumer preferences and potential gaps between preferences and practices in the Chinese context; the results will help to direct restaurants in China to make better use of social media.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueyun Zeng ◽  
Xuening Xu ◽  
Yenchun Jim Wu

Application of artificial intelligence is accelerating the digital transformation of enterprises, and digital content optimization is crucial to take the users' attention in social media usage. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate how social media content reaches and impresses more users. Using a sample of 345 articles released by Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on their official WeChat accounts, we employ the self-determination theory to analyze the effects of content optimization strategies on social media visibility. It is found that articles with enterprise-related information optimized for content related to users' psychological needs (heart-based content optimization, mind-based content optimization, and knowledge-based content optimization) achieved higher visibility than that of sheer enterprise-related information, whereas the enterprise-related information embedded with material incentive (benefits-based content optimization) brings lower visibility. The results confirm the positive effect of psychological needs on the diffusion of enterprise-related information, and provide guidance for SMEs to apply artificial intelligence technology to social media practice.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengyan Zhu ◽  
Runxi Zeng ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Richard Evans ◽  
Rongrong He

BACKGROUND Social media has become the most popular communication tool used by Chinese citizens, including expectant mothers. An increasing number of women have adopted various forms of social media channels, such as interactive websites, instant messaging, and mobile apps, to solve problems and obtain answers to queries during pregnancy. Although the use of the internet by pregnant women has been studied extensively worldwide, limited research exists that explores the changing social media usage habits in China, where the 1 child policy ended in 2015. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to (1) present the status quo of pregnancy-related information seeking and sharing via social media among Chinese expectant mothers, (2) reveal the impact of social media usage, and (3) shed light on pregnancy-related health services delivered via social media channels. METHODS A qualitative approach was employed to examine social media usage and its consequences on pregnant women. A total of 20 women who had conceived and were at various stages of pregnancy were interviewed from July 20 to August 10, 2017. Thematic analysis was conducted on the collected data to identify patterns in usage. RESULTS Overall, 80% (16/20) of participants were aged in their 20s (mean 28.5 years [SD 4.3]). All had used social media for pregnancy-related purposes. For the seeking behavior, 18 codes were merged into 4 themes, namely, gravida, fetus, delivery, and the postpartum period; whereas for sharing behaviors, 10 codes were merged into 4 themes, namely, gravida, fetus, delivery, and caretaker. Lurking, small group sharing, bad news avoidance, and cross-checking were identified as the preferred patterns for using social media. Overall, 95% (19/20) of participants reported a positive mental impact from using social media during their pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS It is indisputable that social media has played an increasingly important role in supporting expectant mothers in China. The specific seeking and sharing patterns identified in this study indicate that the general quality of pregnancy-related information on social media, as well as Chinese culture toward pregnancy, is improving. The new themes that merge in pregnancy-related social media use represent a shift toward safe pregnancy and the promotion of a more enjoyable pregnancy. Future prenatal care should provide further information on services related to being comfortable during pregnancy and reducing the inequality of social media–based services caused by the digital divide.


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