JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Despite the growing body of literature examining social media in health contexts, including public health communication, promotion and surveillance, (e.g. Velasco et al., 2014; Giustini et al., 2018), limited insight is provided into how the utility of social media might vary depending on the particular public health objectives governing an intervention. For example, the question is to what extent would social media platforms contribute to enhance the public health awareness and prevention during epidemic disease transmissions? Korda & Itani (2013) reported that “evidence about social media’s impact on health knowledge, behavior and outcomes shows that these tools can be effective in meeting individual and population health needs. Most research addresses specific interventions and approaches, which vary widely in focus, target population, theoretical foundations, mode of delivery, functionality, and usability. This wide variation makes it difficult to find out what works and how, and complicates efforts to compare approaches”. Furthermore, the authors of this research noted a lack of research focused on the role of social media campaigns on public health awareness of pandemic diseases, such as Coronavirus (COVID-19), particularly in Jordan. Therefore, this study attempts to answer the following questions: - Do the uses of social media platforms raise the public health awareness of Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic disease? - Do the uses of social media platforms increase the public behavioral change toward Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic disease? - Do the uses of social media platforms increase the public protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic disease? - Do public health awareness and behavioral change play important roles in enhancing the relation between the uses of social media platforms (interventions) and public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic disease?

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of social media platforms upon public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic via public health awareness and public health behavioral change as mediating factors in Jordan

Methods:

Based on a literature review as well as on belief health change theory, an integrated conceptual framework has been developed in order to guide the study. A quantitative approach and several social media platforms were used to collect data via web questionnaires completed by a convenience sample of 2555 followers in Jordan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze and verify the study variables.

Results:

The main findings revealed that the use of social media platforms had a significant positive influence on public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) as a pandemic. Public health awareness and public health behavioral change significantly acted as partial mediators in this relationship. Therefore, better understanding of the effect of the use of social media interventions upon public health protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic into account via public health awareness and behavioral change as mediators should be taken together in developing any health promotion strategy plan

Conclusions:

In conclusion, findings suggest that the use of social media platforms can positively influence awareness of public health behavioural change and public protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19). Public health authorities may use social media platforms effective tool to raise public health awareness through dissemination of brief messages to targeted populations. More research is needed, however, to validate how social media channels can be used to improve health knowledge and adoption of healthy behaviours in cross cultural context