Social influences are a primary factor in the adoption of health behaviors. Compliance with diet and nutrition programs, adherence to preventive screening recommendations, and maintenance of exercise routines all can depend on having contact with friends and family who also engage in these behaviors. Although there is a widespread theoretical and practical interest in understanding how social influences affect health-related behaviors. Extant studies have been able to show conclusively that health-related traits such as smoking and weight gain correlate with social ties in a network, yet the data do not provide a clear assessment of the degree to which social network ties directly influence behaviors verses to reveal shared exposure to common influences. On the other hand, in light of the global epidemic, we notice that there is a great use of these methods and at various levels, and we notice an increase in cases of depression, and if we take into account that depression will be the second most common illness in the world and a major cause of disability-adjusted life year (DALY) - one DALY can be thought of as one-year loss of the healthy life according to WHO. So, does social media have an impact on the health and health behavior of an individual?
Article Social Media and the Science of Health Behavior
https://openpublichealthjournal.com/VOLUME/12/PAGE/387/FULLTEXT/
Can social media be used to change health behavior or reduce the obstacles to the treatment of diseases in people with mental illnesses?
All comments and contributions are welcome.
Dear Dr. Salman Ajlan Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Kanaan!
I take COVID-19 as the case - study context and went after scientific publications:
1) Gallotti, R., Valle, F., Castaldo, N. et al. Assessing the risks of ‘infodemics’ in response to COVID-19 epidemics. Nature Human Behavior (2020). Open Access:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-00994-6
2) Orla McBride et al. (2020). Monitoring the psychological, social, and economic impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the population: Context, design and conduct of the longitudinal COVID‐19 psychological research consortium (C19PRC) study, International Journal of Methods of Psychiatric Research, 9 Nov.2020, Open Access:
Article Monitoring the psychological, social, and economic impact of...
3) A case - study: Bu Zhong et al. (2021). Mental health toll from the coronavirus: Social media usage reveals Wuhan residents’ depression and secondary trauma in the COVID-19 outbreak, Computers in Human Behavior Volume 114, January 2021, Open Access:
Article Mental health toll from the coronavirus: Social media usage ...
Yours sincerely, Bulcsu Szekely
Yes, social media has considerable amount of impact on health behavior. In fact, we are guided by the mass media and as well as social media.
Manal Hadi Kanaan
Dear Professor,
Thank you for this interesting topic of discussion.
Social media is very powerful these days. This is because there are no barriers to entry, no limit to the time spent there and not much hurdles in exiting. Moreover, its very easy and cheap to get into the social media. That is why, these days there are so many social media members in developing nations also. In India, I have to purchase a smart phone with a SIM card to get an access to social media and for that I can spent only Rs. 3,000. This is a small amount in most urban areas of India. So it influences all types of behavioral pattern of humans. Health behavior is a part of the total human behavior. And, it is not an exception. So social media has an impact on health behavior.
The answer to the second part of the topic of this discussion is "to some extent".
There is no question mark on whether social media can be used to change health behavior or reduce obstacles of treatment of diseases. But we cannot neglect a financial side of it. In developing countries, the number of people who can access the social media in rural areas is very limited. In today's age, all sectors of the economy are related to each other. If tomorrow some telecom giant launches a plan where people in rural areas also can access the internet at an affordable cost, then the answer to this part of the topic of discussion may just change to "yes, surely, why not."
Thank you.
Best regards,
Anamitra oy.
Dear Dr. Bulcsu Szekely Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you that social media can be developed as effective tools to reduce depression and stress resulting from the epidemic or to reduce the barriers to treatment for patients. My since gratitude Doctor.
Dear Dr. Md Habibur Rahman Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you that we are guided by mass media and as well as social media. My sincere gratitude.
Dear Dr. Anamitra Roy Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I completely agree with you in your interpretation, Doctor, that these tools have greatly affected all life facilities, and therefore it is natural that they affect the health pattern through continuous awareness programs that have made it easier for many to understand things. On the other hand, I greatly agree that there are many people these tools do not reach, or at least they reach, but in a small percentage due to the economic, living, and social conditions, not only in India but also in our developing countries in general, so indeed if the situation develops, it will have a great impact on the facilities of life and on reducing the obstacles resulting from treatments even in these areas. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Despite the growing body of literature examining social media in health contexts, including public health communication, promotion, and surveillance, limited insight has been provided into how the utility of social media may vary depending on the particular public health objectives governing an intervention, especially in developing countries. For example, the extent to which social media platforms contribute to enhancing public health awareness and prevention during epidemic disease transmission is currently unknown. Doubtlessly, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents a great challenge at the global level, aggressively affecting large cities and public gatherings and thereby having substantial impacts on many health care systems worldwide as a result of its rapid spread. A study conducted in Jordan suggested that the use of social media platforms can positively influence awareness of public health behavioral changes and public protection against COVID-19. Public health authorities may use social media platforms as an effective tool to increase public health awareness through the dissemination of brief messages to targeted populations.
Article The Influence of Social Media Platforms on Public Health Pro...
Dear Manal Hadi Kanaan Social networks influence health behaviors—from smoking and diet adherence to preventative screening and exercise habits. Through the web, individuals can find support, and share and receive information via online networks.
https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2013/05/social-media-and-the-science-of-health-behavior.html#:~:text=Social%20networks%20influence%20health%20behaviors,receive%20information%20via%20online%20networks.
You may also have a look on the below mentioned link:
Article The influence of social networking sites on health behavior ...
Regards!
Dear Dr. Arbind K. Choudhary Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, I am so grateful for this valuable information and links. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Indeed! Social media can play a major role and has a significant impact on health behavior. Social media is so powerful and reaches millions of individuals.
Social media has a profound effect on various aspects of life elsewhere in the world, and health behaviour is not an exception.
Dear Dr. Hassan Izzeddin Sarsak Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Salman Ajlan Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Amina Othmani Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Yes, it is possible for social media to affect the health behavior of an individual through educational and informational programs about nutrition, the harms of smoking, regular exercise, etc. On the other hand, and in light of the global epidemic, these sites play a major role in disseminating health guidelines and recommendations that must be followed to avoid infection as much as possible, as it plays an important role in all life facilities during the epidemic period and at all levels.
Chronic diseases are nowadays the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, being largely promoted by unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Indeed, sedentariness, poor diet, smoking, and alcohol abuse are common risk factors for cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions, accounting for a great number of healthcare costs. Behavioral informatics interventions have the potential to assist individuals (both patients and healthy consumers) in modifying behaviors to improve physical, mental, or behavioral health. In particular, social media interventions have several advantages, including wide accessibility across geographical barriers, ubiquity, and cost-efficiency. Nowadays, the growth in social networking sites brings new opportunities to disseminate public health interventions and promote large improvements in the field of health behavior change.
Please see the following RG link:
Chapter Social Media and Health Behavior Change
Dear Dr. Sura Saad Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
In my opinion, social media can play a significant role to disseminate the information on public health and other related issues to billions of people, and therefore, it can have a major impact on health behavior.
Dear Dr. Mahendra Pal Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you that it can have a major impact on health behavior. , My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Riad Salim Awad Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support.
Social media has a positive impact on health when you follow up on pages specialized in providing tips for maintaining health
I agree with you. Social media is just like a mirror. If you show / seen health oriented tips & highly recommended. Social media created positive impact on basic health tips & treatment.
Dear Dr. Manal Hadi Kanaan ,
I personally believe that the use of social media can be beneficial in many ways. In the same way, I believe that abuse and "total" dependence is not a necessary bad ... because instead of bringing human beings closer to each other, one risks having the opposite effect.
My best regards, Pierluigi Traverso.
Dear Dr. Esra Abdelzahra Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Mustafa Hamid Hassan Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Paramasivam Sivaraj Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you that it is just like a mirror that created a positive impact on basic health tips and treatment if we follow health-oriented tips. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Manal Hadi Kanaan
I agree with Pierluigi Traverso I think that social media have a big impact on health behavior.
Best regards
Dear Dr. Pierluigi Traverso Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I agree with you that the excessive use of these tools does not necessarily lead to bad results, especially in our current situation. We note that these tools were and still are effective tools for bringing people closer together and transferring everything new and useful. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Omar Hazem Omar Hazem MOHAMMED Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I also agree with what Dr. Pierluigi Traverso proposed, and I also agree with you that these tools have a great impact on the health behavior of the individual and society. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Lilian Mboya Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you that they can be very instrumental tools in health if they utilized appropriately. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
I think social media has a great impact on health behavior in general ( population) or individual level. More Information can be seen in the following article
Article The influence of social networking sites on health behavior ...
Yes, i think, there is noticeable contribution of media in this aspect.
Dear Dr. Lamia Al-Naama Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you that, thanks a lot for the useful link. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Abdul Kuddus Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
عزيزتي لها تاثير كبير قد يعد مبالغة ان قلت صارت تعتمد عليها صحيا في الاستشارة الطبية وفي العلاج وهناك مئات الصفحات المنوعة التي تدعم الاجابة عن السؤال تحياتي لك
Dear Dr. Amani Harith Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Colleagues ... I am very grateful for all the valuable opinions and effective participation that have influenced the topic a lot, but I am wondering so far all the opinions, including the opinions that I have raised, were about the positive effect of these methods on healthy behavior. Do these methods have a negative effect as well on health behavior? Does the issue have two sides: the first is positive, and it is mostly what has been discussed, and the other side is negative? And how could that be? With my sincere gratitude to everyone
I think, there is much impact of social media on health behavior. Social media have potential to change our health behavior and remove hurdles in treatment of different disease as well as change pattern of diet and nutrition among all ages.
Dear Dr. Aijaz Panhwar Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Yes social play a crucial role in aiding health behavior. People's use social media in both ways right and wrong. The former was used to maintain good health by watching good videos regarding to balanced diet, exercise used to maintain better health and to read articles about recepies of healthy diet.
Dear Dr. Amjad Ali Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Research has shown that social influences can affect collective health outcomes ranging from epidemic obesity to smoking behaviors, which have important consequences both for theoretical models of social epidemiology and for the practical design of interventions and treatment strategies. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circulationaha.112.101816
Circumstantial life events, influences, and surroundings can further change our behavior. Social media already highly influences our shopping, relationships, and education. ... Social media already highly influences our shopping, relationships, and education. https://searchengineland.com/how-social-media-is-influencing-your-behavior-40615
Dear Dr. Chinaza Godswill Awuchi Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, these tools really affect all aspects of our life. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Social influences are a primary factor in the adoption of health behaviors. Compliance with diet and nutrition programs, adherence to preventive screening recommendations, and maintenance of exercise routines all can depend on having contact with friends and family who also engage in these behaviors. In addition to a great deal of literature on peer effects, recent studies of large network data sets have made important advances in our understanding of how social networks influence the collective dynamics of health behavior. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circulationaha.112.101816
Thank you so much Dr. Chinaza Godswill Awuchi, really thanks for the very valuable information and links. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Article The Influence of Social Media Platforms on Public Health Pro...
Dear Dr. Anwar A. Abdulla Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Social networks influence health behaviors—from smoking and diet adherence to preventative screening and exercise habits. Through the web, individuals can find support, and share and receive information via online networks.
When used cautiously, social media can provide the obvious advantages such as professional networking, clinical education, and patients' health promotion. However, when used unwisely, social media has its disadvantages such as violation of patients' confidentiality and privacy and can lead to formidable consequences.
Studies have shown that this use of social media can greatly enhance the image and visibility of a medical center or hospital. In one study, 57% of consumers said that a hospital's social media presence would strongly influence their choice regarding where to go for services.
Dear Dr. Riad Salim Awad Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Faraed Salman Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Isam Alkhalifawi Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Basma Ali Jasim Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Social media has become a prominent fixture in the lives of many individuals facing the challenges of mental illness.
Dear Dr. Sandip Kumar Gupta Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Yes social media is highlighting unnecessary things and making fear among peoples by imposing fake and inauthentic news
Dear Dr. Aqeel yousif Alshukri Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. M.K. Tripathi Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
In today's world social media is integral part of our life. It is a big source of information and has a big role in day to day routine activities. The same is true for health related information and awareness also.
Dear Dr. Shatha Falah Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Nafees Mohammad Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. I fully agree with you about that, My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Antethar Jabar Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Social media is currently an important part of youthful existence providing possible benefits and threats to mental health. Nonetheless, there has been a significant amount of emphasis on demonstrating the negative impact of social media that creates fear and challenges the mental wellbeing of youth. The constant use of online social media can lead to many negative or even dangerous outcomes for adolescents. Analysts argue the risks of social media can cause stress, depression, low empathy, and suicidal thoughts. There is an important element in a young person’s life and that is seeking acceptance by others. Negative experiences with online activities can be destructive to relationships and lead to serious depression. Exposure to social media can cause abusive behaviors such as acts of bullying that negatively impacts youth mental health.
https://nursinganswers.net/essays/social-media-harmful-effects-on-youth-mental-health.php
Several studies identified that the health impact of social media on children and young people was greatest on mental health and specifically in the areas of self‐esteem and well‐being, with related issues around cyberbullying and ‘Facebook Depression’, with an association between the use of social media and self‐esteem and body image. However, it is difficult to determine the cause and effect, which is likely to be related to the nature of the young person.
Article Impact of social media on the health of children and young people
In my opinion, social media is a double edged sword, and what determines that is the individuals consciousness. So I think us not a goid idea to give the children the permission to opened accessibility without any constraints
Dear Dr. Aseel Hatif Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. Fully agree with your perspective. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr Manal Hadi Kanaan, good question. On one side, we (researchers and every one) started spending more time as social media has become an important source of information, relationship ( emotions are exchanged) and for marketing ( products, services, talents including articles/ research outputs).
When we spend more time on social media, the hazards associated with this also increase. Though proportion may vary, everyone is affected by digital world. (Doctor, I think little philosophically, ...every positive comes with at least a little negative and vice versa).
Dear Dr. Yoganandan G. Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. Fully agree with your perspective. Every positive comes with at least a little negative and vice versa. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
I feel social media has done a lot of good by spreading information in the time of this pandemic , like social distancing , hand washing etc which would have been otherwise difficult to reach each and every person (presuming there was no social media )
I believe it has spread information faster and to everyone so benefits outweigh the downside of spreading of false information
Dear Dr. Manisha Naithani Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. Fully agree with your perspective. They have spread information faster and to everyone. My sincere gratitude, Doctor.
It has really helped in spreading the right message across to the society. During these tiring times, right education to the general public at the right time has been made easy only because of media and efficient broadcasting. It would have been really difficult to pass the message across without the use of media.
Dear Dr. Aroop Mohanty Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. Fully agree with your perspective. It is very difficult to communicate information and messages without using these tools. With my sincere gratitude, Doctor.
yes, Social media is an integral part of our life. It is a big source of information
Dear Dr. Sandip Kumar Gupta Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. Fully agree with your perspective. With my sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Dear Dr. Amjad Ali Thanks a lot for your comment and contribution. Really thanks. Thanks for your kindness and support. Fully agree with your perspective. With my sincere gratitude, Doctor.
Social media can be good and bad. It depends on how you use it. It can be very detrimental to one's mental health but it can also be good for it.
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