A feasibility study examining the impact of an Instagram intervention to improve awareness of antimicrobial resistance among undergraduate students
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Background
Social media offers opportunities to deliver and disseminate health interventions. Social media campaigns have been found to be effective in raising public awareness of health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic but little social media is used to raise awareness on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Objective
To study the potential of Instagram as a tool for promoting awareness and understanding of AMR among undergraduate students.
Methods and Analysis
A 3-month Instagram-based educational intervention with messages about AMR was implemented from January to April 2024 guided by the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). The planning phase involved two co-design sessions and two key-informant interviews which informed the AMR messages. To evaluate the impact of the intervention, pre- and post-intervention surveys were conducted to measure knowledge levels of students. A focus group was also conducted six months post-intervention to assess impacts of the social media intervention. Engagement was calculated by the follower count and reach of the post.
Results
402 students answered the pre-intervention survey and 78 answered the post-intervention survey. 128 students signed up for the intervention by following the Instagram account. A total of 36 messages were posted during the intervention with an overall engagement of 2% by reach. The average likes per post was 14. The co-design sessions and key-informant interviews highlighted visual appeal and content clarity as most important with a preference for simple and concise health information, formal language and user interaction through quizzes. Our findings demonstrate that awareness-raising alone is insufficient and the initial development of understanding and motivation through the early-stage processes of change must be supported by mechanisms which enhance commitment, habit formation and environmental reinforcement.
Conclusion
A multi-channel planned intervention targeting the different stages of change is needed to ensure long-term knowledge retention.
