A model for implementing impactful health messages during the Covid-19 pandemic was piloted by University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health researchers including Maria Mora Pinzon, MD,MS, Taren James, PhD, and Carey Gleason, PhD, in collaboration with community partners, such as the Latino Health Council of Dane County.
The study, titled “Implementation of a Social Media Strategy for Public Health Promotion in Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic or Latino Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study,” was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The study authors said its the first of its class in using advanced analytics and comments from communities to assess the impact of the model. Researchers focused on creating and disseminating culturally appropriate social media messages for the Oneida Nation, Black, and Latino communities in Wisconsin during the COVID-19 pandemic, and examined effectiveness and engagement of each message.
Key findings include:
- Reach and Engagement: The project created 980 unique social media posts, reaching 88,790 individuals and generating over 6,700 engagements.
- Effectiveness: The average reach per post was similar across the three communities, but how people interacted with them was different for each community. For example, the highest engagement rates were seen in live videos for the Latino community, videos for the Black community, and messages with only text for the Oneida Nation.
- Tailoring Messages: The study highlights the importance of tailoring health messages to specific audiences based on age, gender, race and ethnicity.
“In a world were misinformation is rampant and social media is a key part of our lives, this project presents a unique way to leverage social media for distributing medically accurate health messages. Our results highlight the need for tailoring social media messages and approaches for each audience, and the need for community representation in research,” Dr. Mora Pinzon said about the research findings.
Further studies are needed to explore how this model can combat misinformation and facilitate improving the health of communities, she added.