JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

As a subset of social media influencers (SMIs), Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs) are healthcare professionals who exert influence and shape opinions online, particularly in health topcis. Unlike traditional Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), who influence through journals and speaking engagements, DOLs operate mainly online, reaching a broader audience. DOLs can promote positive health behaviors, such as promoting preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination. However, the specific role of medically-qualified DOLs in dengue prevention, and how they differ from SMIs lacking medical backgrounds, remains unexplored.

Objective:

This study aimed to examine the role and practice of DOL in dengue prevention and explore their collaborative preferences within the health sector to enhance dengue prevention.

Methods:

This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews, conducted either in-person or online, in the participants' preferred languages. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was then performed on the transcriptions. We conducted interviews with DOLs in eight countries across Latin America and Southeast Asia, two regions with the highest dengue burden. We purposively recruited 37 DOLs who were healthcare providers actively disseminating information about dengue on their individual social media platforms.

Results:

Five themes were identified and grouped into three sections: the increasing influence of DOLs in infectious disease prevention, current practices of DOLs contributing to dengue prevention, and exploring ways of collaboration to strengthen dengue prevention efforts. We found that social media has empowered healthcare providers as influential figures online, establishing a credible platform for disseminating health education on preventing infectious diseases, such as dengue. Recognising existing challenges, the DOLs acknowledged the necessity of and were actively engaged in enhancing awareness about dengue and its prevention. They were aware of their role in debunking misconceptions about dengue vaccines online to combat vaccine hesitancy. Despite limited collaborations specifically targeting dengue prevention, DOLs expressed their readiness to collaborate with other health sector stakeholders to promote health behaviours and raise awareness, provided that such collaborations adhere to ethical standards and are grounded in credible scientific evidence.

Conclusions:

DOLs serve as credible and vital channels for disseminating information regarding dengue prevention, thus playing a crucial role in advocating for dengue vaccines and emerging prevention technologies. Collaborative efforts with DOLs should prioritise ethical health promotion and education grounded in reliable scientific evidence.