JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Haemaphysalis longicornis (Asian longhorned tick) presents a growing threat to cattle health in the United States, causing anemia, weight loss, and even death. Despite the expanding range of this tick and the urgency of preventive action, effective communication strategies tailored to agricultural audiences, especially cattle producers, remain underexplored. Social media offers a scalable tool for risk communication, but its efficacy in this demographic and disease context is unclear.

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different digital communication strategies—specifically social media message framing and source credibility—in influencing U.S. cattle producers’ engagement, risk perceptions, and adoption of tick-borne disease preventive behaviors.

Methods:

A quasi-experimental study using a 2×3 factorial design was conducted with 116 cattle producers in the Southeastern U.S. Participants were randomly assigned to view simulated Facebook posts varying by message source (Extension agent vs. cattle producer) and message framing (prevention-oriented, fear-based, neutral). Participants reported their likelihood of engaging with the post (emoji reaction, commenting, sharing), their perceptions (fear, attitudes), and their intention to adopt preventive behaviors. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Pearson correlations.

Results:

Participants were more likely to engage with posts through emoji reactions than by commenting or sharing. Posts from cattle producers, particularly those using prevention-oriented or fear-based framing, elicited higher engagement than neutral messages. Prevention-oriented messages consistently evoked greater concern about tick risks and more proactive attitudes toward management. While fear-based posts were viewed as exaggerated and less credible, neutral messages from Extension agents were unexpectedly effective in prompting certain preventive behaviors. Social engagement was moderately correlated with attitudes (r = 0.54–0.72) and preventive actions, with attitudes showing stronger associations with behavioral intent than fear.

Conclusions:

Carefully framed, prevention-oriented messages, especially when shared by credible sources, are more effective than fear-based or neutral content in promoting engagement and tick prevention behavior among cattle producers. This study provides empirical support for tailoring digital communication strategies to agricultural populations and contributes to the design of effective social media interventions for vector-borne disease prevention.