tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Med Internet Res
. 2020 Jul 23.
doi: 10.2196/19996. Online ahead of print.
The Influence of Social Media Platforms on Public Health Protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Disease via the Mediating Effects of Public Health Awareness and Behavioral Change: An Integrated Model
Hani Al-Dmour[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Prof Ra'ed Masa'deh[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Prof Amer Salman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Dr Mohammad Abuhashesh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dr Rand Al-Dmour[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Despite the growing body of literature examining social media in health contexts, including public health communication, promotion and surveillance, limited insight is provided into how the utility of social media might vary depending on the particular public health objectives governing an intervention. For example, the question is to what extent would social media platforms contribute to enhance public health awareness and prevention during epidemic disease transmissions?. Doubtlessly, COVID-19 represents a great challenge at the global level, hitting aggressively big cities, and public gatherings, thereby causing the collapse of many healthcare systems all over the world as a result of its enormous spreading speed. Each country has its capacity and reacts according to its perception of threat, economy, healthcare policy, and the healthcare system structure. Furthermore, the authors of this research noted a lack of research focused on the role of social media campaigns on public health awareness and public protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic in Jordan as a developing country.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of social media platforms upon public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic via public health awareness and public health behavioral change as mediating factors in Jordan.
Methods: A quantitative approach and several social media platforms were used to collect data via web questionnaires in Jordan and a total of 2555 social media users were sampled. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze and verify the study variables.
Results: The main findings revealed that the use of social media platforms had a significant positive influence on public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. Public health awareness and public health behavioral change significantly acted as partial mediators in this relationship. Therefore, a better understanding of the effect of the use of social media interventions upon public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic into account via public health awareness and behavioral change as mediators should be taken together in developing any health promotion strategy plan.
Conclusions: In conclusion, findings suggest that the use of social media platforms can positively influence awareness of public health behavioural change and public protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19). Public health authorities may use social media platforms effective tool to raise public health awareness through dissemination of brief messages to targeted populations. More research is needed, however, to validate how social media channels can be used to improve health knowledge and adoption of healthy behaviours in a cross-cultural context.
. 2020 Jul 23.
doi: 10.2196/19996. Online ahead of print.
The Influence of Social Media Platforms on Public Health Protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Disease via the Mediating Effects of Public Health Awareness and Behavioral Change: An Integrated Model
Hani Al-Dmour[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Prof Ra'ed Masa'deh[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Prof Amer Salman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Dr Mohammad Abuhashesh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dr Rand Al-Dmour[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32750004
- DOI: 10.2196/19996
Abstract
Background: Despite the growing body of literature examining social media in health contexts, including public health communication, promotion and surveillance, limited insight is provided into how the utility of social media might vary depending on the particular public health objectives governing an intervention. For example, the question is to what extent would social media platforms contribute to enhance public health awareness and prevention during epidemic disease transmissions?. Doubtlessly, COVID-19 represents a great challenge at the global level, hitting aggressively big cities, and public gatherings, thereby causing the collapse of many healthcare systems all over the world as a result of its enormous spreading speed. Each country has its capacity and reacts according to its perception of threat, economy, healthcare policy, and the healthcare system structure. Furthermore, the authors of this research noted a lack of research focused on the role of social media campaigns on public health awareness and public protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic in Jordan as a developing country.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of social media platforms upon public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic via public health awareness and public health behavioral change as mediating factors in Jordan.
Methods: A quantitative approach and several social media platforms were used to collect data via web questionnaires in Jordan and a total of 2555 social media users were sampled. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze and verify the study variables.
Results: The main findings revealed that the use of social media platforms had a significant positive influence on public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. Public health awareness and public health behavioral change significantly acted as partial mediators in this relationship. Therefore, a better understanding of the effect of the use of social media interventions upon public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic into account via public health awareness and behavioral change as mediators should be taken together in developing any health promotion strategy plan.
Conclusions: In conclusion, findings suggest that the use of social media platforms can positively influence awareness of public health behavioural change and public protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19). Public health authorities may use social media platforms effective tool to raise public health awareness through dissemination of brief messages to targeted populations. More research is needed, however, to validate how social media channels can be used to improve health knowledge and adoption of healthy behaviours in a cross-cultural context.