A Mixed Methods Exploration of Social Media Use for Health Information

Social media (SM) use and the burden on healthcare systems have concurrently increased, resulting in longer wait times and higher cost. As a result, more people seem to use social media to access health information (HI). This study explores how SM is used for accessing HI within an under-resourced community. In this mixed methods study, respondents (N=256) completed online English and Spanish Qualtrics surveys assessing their use of healthcare services, social media, and its use for health information. We also explored respondents’ experience in understanding and using the HI they found on SM. Qualitative inquiries (N=7) expanded on the survey results. Results indicated that most participants used SM for HI. Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok were associated with looking up HI before and after receiving care and for health decision making and for considering treatments or medication after seeing information about this on social media. To create effective messaging that is accepted, relatable and easy to access for the audiences they seek to reach, healthcare organizations must understand how SM is used as a source of HI. Exploring the associations between SM algorithms, health literacy, access to healthcare and SM use can help improve health communication strategies to be used on SM platforms.