JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the growing importance of social media have prompted healthcare professionals (HCPs) to use social media to deliver health information aimed at reducing lifestyle risk factors. Previous studies have acknowledged that the identification of elements that influence user engagement metrics could help HCPs in creating engaging posts towards effective health promotion on social media. Nevertheless, there have been little work that attempt to comprehensively identify a list of elements in social media posts that could influence user engagement metrics.

Objective:

This systematic review aimed to identify elements influencing user engagement metrics in social media posts by healthcare professionals aimed to reduce lifestyle risk factors.

Methods:

Relevant articles in English, published between January 2006 and June 2023 were identified from MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases. The titles, abstracts and full articles were screened and reviewed for eligibility. Following data extraction, narrative synthesis was performed. All investigated elements in included studies were categorized. The elements in social media posts that influenced user engagement metrics were identified.

Results:

Nineteen studies were included in this review. Investigated elements were grouped into nine categories, with 35 elements found to influence user engagement. The three predominant categories of elements influencing user engagement were communication utilizing supportive or emotive elements, communication aimed towards behavioural changes and the appearance of post. In contrast, source of post content, social media platform and timing of post had less than three studies with elements influencing user engagement.

Conclusions:

Findings demonstrated that supportive or emotive communication towards behavioural changes and post appearance could increase post-level interactions, indicating a favourable response from users towards posts made by HCPs. As social media continues to evolve, these elements should be constantly evaluated through further research.