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Abstract Introduction: Social media platforms have emerged as powerful tools for disseminating public health messages and influencing health-related behaviors. This study aimed to explore the role of social media in public health communication and behavior change interventions. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative analysis of social media data, online surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. The social media data analysis included sentiment, network, and content analysis. The study analyzed 543 social media posts and 1190 comments, and surveyed 687 respondents. Results: Official accounts had higher reach (50,000 impressions per–post) compared to user-generated content (25,000 impressions) and influencer posts (30,000 impressions). However, user-generated and influencer content exhibited higher engagement (1500 likes, comments, shares per–post vs. 800 for official accounts). Sentiment analysis revealed polarized responses, with 40% of user-generated content expressing negative sentiments, particularly toward COVID-19 vaccination and mask mandates. Among 687 survey respondents, 65% reported that exposure to public health messaging influenced their health-related behaviors. Qualitative analysis identified effective strategies such as tailoring messages, collaborating with influencers, and employing interactive content formats, while also highlighting challenges including misinformation (reported by 62% of respondents), resource constraints, and public mistrust. Conclusion: The study highlights both the potential and challenges of leveraging social media for public health communication. Considering social media’s impact on promoting positive health-related behaviors, a comprehensive framework was proposed emphasizing robust monitoring systems, cross-sector collaborations, capacity building, data-driven approaches, and ethical guidelines.
Saleem et al. (Tue,) studied this question.