Social Media Platforms and Health Education: The empirical evidence with the mediating effect of Health Awareness in Pakistan (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Current health education methods in Pakistan utilize traditional media (e.g., TV, radio), community health workers, and printed materials, which often fall short in reach and engagement among most of the population. The health sector in Pakistan has not yet utilized social media effectively to raise awareness and provide education about diseases. Research on the impact social media can have on health education in Pakistan may expand current efforts, engage a wider audience, and reduce the disease burden on healthcare facilities. OBJECTIVE This study evaluates the perceptions of health professionals and paramedic staff regarding using social media to raise awareness and educate people about diseases as a potential means of reducing the disease burden in Pakistan. METHODS The study employed two-stage structural equation modeling (SEM). Data analysis used AMOS 26.0 software, adopting scales from previous literature. Four-item scales for social media usefulness and health awareness constructs and eight-item scales for health education constructs were adopted based on their higher loading in alignment with psychometric literature. A seven-point Likert scale was used to measure the items in the questionnaire. Data collection utilized convenience sampling, with questionnaires distributed to over 450 health professionals and paramedic staff from two private hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. There were 389 responses received. However, 340 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. RESULTS The study found that all squared multiple correlation (SMC) values were greater than 0.30. Furthermore, Convergent validity was measured using (1) standardized factor loading (found greater than 0.5), (2) average variance explained (found greater than 0.5), and (3) composite reliability (found greater than 0.7). The Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the measurement model indicated the fitness of the constructs (CMIN = 357.62; CMIN/DF = 1.80; GFI = 0.90; AGFI = 0.89; NFI = 0:915; CFI = 0:93; RMR = 0:075; RMSEA = 0:055). Moreover, the structural model fitness was also confirmed (CMIN = 488.6; CMIN/DF = 1.85; GFI = 0.861; AGFI = 0.893; NFI = 0.987; CFI = 0.945; RMR = 0:079; RMSEA = 0.053). Hence, the results indicated that social media usefulness has a positive and significant effect on health awareness (H1: β = 0.669, p CONCLUSIONS This study concludes that health professionals and paramedic staff support using social media to raise awareness and provide education about diseases. They believe that social media can be an effective tool for reducing the disease burden in Pakistan. The study results also revealed that young healthcare professionals are more inclined towards social media usage. They expressed the need for legislation to support its usage and establish a monitoring process to avoid misinformation.