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Collaborator Spotlight: Arizona Investigators on the #4Corners 4Health Project

Collaborator Spotlight: Arizona Investigators on the #4Corners 4Health Project

Thirteen scientists from universities and NCI Comprehensive Cancer Centers in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah are collaborating with Dr. David Buller, Klein Buendel’s Director of Research, on the #4Corners4Health study (CA268037). This Collaborator Spotlight features the Investigators from the State of Arizona.

The 4Corners study aims to aid rural emerging adults (ages 18-26 years) in making informed decisions that reduce cancer risk factors and prevent cancer later in life and to help emerging adults evaluate and resist misinformation and marketing that promote cancer risk behaviors. This will be accomplished using a social media campaign designed with community advisors for diverse young adults living in rural counties in the Four Corners states (AZ, CO, NM, and UT). Social media may reach emerging adults more than interventions through other community channels (for example, clinics, schools, and workplaces) and for lower cost in the geographically dispersed, underserved rural communities in the Mountain West.

Dr. Judith Gordon, Co-Investigator, University of Arizona

Judith S. Gordon, Ph.D., is a professor and Associate Dean for Research in the University of Arizona College of Nursing. She is also a professor in the University of Arizona Department of Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Gordon’s areas of expertise include public health tobacco cessation and vaping interventions delivered in dental and medical settings, self-help tobacco and vaping cessation programs, educational tobacco and vaping cessation programs for healthcare practitioners, computer-based tobacco and vaping prevention programs, multi-behavioral interventions to address weight, physical activity, and tobacco, the use of mobile apps for lifestyle change and medication adherence, and the use of guided imagery for tobacco cessation, lifestyle change, exercise motivation, and stress reduction. Dr. Gordon has been a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on more than 40 projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She has authored and co-authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and has presented widely at national and international scientific conferences. She has served on several proposal review committees, editorial boards, and professional societies.

Dr. Meghan Skiba, Co-Investigator, University of Arizona

Dr. Meghan Skiba, PhD, MS, MPH, RDN, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing Biobehavioral Health Science Division at the University of Arizona. She received her doctorate in Health Behavior Health Promotion from the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She has additional formal graduate training in epidemiology and nutritional sciences, and completed post-doctoral training at Oregon Health & Science University. Dr. Skiba has extensive training in nutritional sciences, health promotion, behavior measurement, and epidemiology. The focus of her research is to connect cancer survivors and their caregivers to the tools and skills to live their healthiest life. She focuses on healthy aging, women’s health, rural populations, and dyadic health. She takes an integrative approach to research to understand the synergistic effects of nutrition, exercise, energetics, and bioactives and their roles in managing accelerated biological aging in cancer survivorship. She strives to build an innovative research program that incorporates analysis of large datasets, community-based participatory research methods, and sequential interventions to better understand and mitigate and the biological aging cascade in cancer.

Physical Activity, Motivation, and Social Media Content

Physical Activity, Motivation, and Social Media Content

Klein Buendel Scientist, Dr. Kayla Nuss, and her collaborators presented two groundbreaking posters on physical activity and exposure to social media physical activity content at the 45th Annual Sessions and Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, March 13-16, 2024. The research delved into three types of physical activity content: fitspiration, body positivity, and body neutrality.

Poster 1

Title: Associations Between Exposure to Fitspiration, Body Positive, and Body Neutral Social Media Content and Physical Activity Engagement: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Dr. Kayla Nuss

Presenter: Dr. Kayla Nuss

In 2021, nearly 70% of Americans reported using social media, a statistic that has remained fairly constant since 2016. The fitspiration trend, which has become increasingly popular on most social media platforms, encourages users to share fitness inspiration content, including health and fitness tips and motivational posts. However fitspiration exposure has no significant effect on physical activity (PA) intentions or engagement.1

The body positivity movement emerged as a direct response to fitspiration, featuring a range of diverse body sizes and types, including fat and plus-sized influencers engaging in activities. Evidence indicates that exposure to body positive content is associated with greater intentions for physical activity and increased engagement when compared to fitspiration content. A third social media movement, body neutrality, focuses on the functionality and appreciation of the body for not how it looks, but rather what it can do. To our knowledge, no study has explored the association between body neutrality exposure and PA engagement. As such, the purpose of this study is to assess the associations among exposure to fitspiration, body positive, and body neutral social media content and PA behavior.

Two-hundred and thirty-seven (237) participants responded to a survey that included the validated Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) to assess weekly moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) and sedentary time. In addition, the authors assessed participants’ exposure to social media fitspiration, body positive, and body neutral content. During data cleaning, they categorized exposure to the three content types into “no exposure,” “low exposure,” “moderate exposure”, and “high exposure”. The authors also collected demographic and anthropomorphic data. Using a series of analyses of variance tests, they investigated associations among different levels of exposure to fitspiration, body positive, and body neutral content, and PA engagement. 

Biological sex had a significant main effect on weekly minutes of MVPA, and was included it in the models. Exposure to fitspiration had no significant effect, but exposure to both body positive content and body neutrality content did. Post-hoc comparisons revealed that in both contexts, participants who reported high exposure to either body positive or body neutral content had significantly more minutes of weekly MVPA than those who reported no exposure levels and low exposure levels, respectively.

The authors concluded that whereas fitspiration content is intended to inspire physical activity and fitness, there is no association between it and engagement. Interventionists may consider creating programs leveraging body positive or body neutral content to increase PA among social media users.

This research was sponsored by Klein Buendel and led by Dr. Kayla Nuss. Coauthors included Dr. Dani Arrigo from Rowan University and Ms. Julia Berteletti from Klein Buendel.

Poster 2

Title: Interaction Effects of Amotivation for Physical Activity and Fitness Social Media Exposure on Physical Activity Intentions

Presenter: Dr. Kayla Nuss

Nearly half of Americans seek fitness, physical activity (PA), and health advice from social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Further, nearly 20% have changed a component of their wellness regimen based on that advice. There are three main categories of physical and activity content on social media, each with its own content themes:

  • Fitspiration features mostly white, thin, Women, unengaged in PA and has no discernable association with motivation or PA engagement.1
  • Body positive content features diverse bodies, including fat and plus-sized influencers engaged in PA, and has been associated with greater intentions for PA. Associations with motivation and engagement are unknown.
  • Body neutrality is centered on the functionality of the body, rather than appearance.

To date, no study has examined its associations with PA motivation, intention, or engagement. The purpose of this study is to examine cross-sectional associations of exposure to fitness social media content with Self-Determination Theory motivational subtypes, and PA intention and engagement.

A total of 237 participants responded to a survey that included the validated Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) to assess weekly moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). The authors examined intention for PA using the Behavioral Intentions Scale and assessed motivation for PA using the Behavioral Regulations in Exercise Scale. The authors also assessed participants’ exposure to social media fitspiration, body positive, and body neutral content. They categorized exposure to the three content types into “no exposure,” “low exposure,” “moderate exposure”, and “high exposure.” They also collected demographic and anthropomorphic data. Using a series of analyses of variance tests, the authors investigated associations among different levels of exposure to fitspiration, body positive, and body neutral content, and motivation, PA intention, and engagement.  

For the reporting of results, the authors first examined interaction effects between exposure to fitness content and each of the motivational subtypes on PA intention and behavior. They identified a significant interaction of amotivation (having no drive for the behavior) and exposure to both fitspiration and body positive content on PA intentions, but not engagement. Specifically, highly amotivated individuals who also reported high exposure to these social media types reported greater intentions for PA than those who reported moderate, low, or no exposure. There was no significant interaction effect between amotivation and body neutral exposure on PA intentions nor engagement.

The authors concluded that interventionists may consider exposing highly amotivated individuals to fitspiration or body positive social media to potentially increase intentions for PA. However, the intention-behavior gap must also be addressed in this population.

This research was sponsored by Klein Buendel and led by Dr. Kayla Nuss. Coauthors included Dr. Dani Arrigo from Rowan University and Ms. Julia Berteletti from Klein Buendel.

References

  1. Nuss K, Coulter R, Liu S. Content of social media fitspiration and its effect on physical activity-related behavior: A systematic review. Psychology of Popular Media. Published online 2023.
#4Corners4Health: Protocol for a Randomized Stepped-Wedge Trial

#4Corners4Health: Protocol for a Randomized Stepped-Wedge Trial

Dr. David Buller from Klein Buendel and Dr. Andrew Sussman from the University of New Mexico are leading a large multiple state research team on the design, implementation, and evaluation of #4Corners4Health. The research study aims to decrease cancer risk factors among emerging adults (ages 18-26) living in rural counties in the Four Corners states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah using a targeted social media campaign. The team has published a full description of their study procedures in JMIR Research Protocols.

Many emerging adults are prone to making unhealthy choices, which increase their risk of premature cancer morbidity and mortality. In the era of social media, rigorous research on interventions to promote health behaviors for cancer risk reduction among emerging adults delivered over social media is limited. Cancer prevention information and recommendations may reach emerging adults more effectively over social media than in settings such as health care, schools, and workplaces, particularly for emerging adults residing in rural areas.

Specifically, the research team will recruit a sample of 1000 emerging adults aged 18 to 26 years residing in rural counties in the Four Corners states from the Qualtrics’ research panel and enroll them in a randomized stepped-wedge, quasi-experimental design. The inclusion criteria include English proficiency and regular social media engagement. A social media intervention will promote guideline-related goals for increased physical activity, healthy eating, and HPV vaccination and reduced nicotine product use, alcohol intake, and solar UV radiation exposure. Posts will cover digital and media literacy skills, responses to misinformation, communication with family and friends, and referral to community resources. The intervention will be delivered over 12 months in Facebook private groups and will be guided by advisory groups of community stakeholders and emerging adults and focus groups with emerging adults. The emerging adults will complete assessments at baseline and five additional data after randomization. Assessments will measure six cancer risk behaviors, theoretical mediators, and participants’ engagement with the social media campaign.

The trial is being led by a steering committee. Team members are working in three subcommittees to optimize community engagement, the social media intervention, and the measures to be used. The Stakeholder Organization Advisory Board and Emerging Adult Advisory Board were formed and provided initial input on the priority of cancer risk factors to target, social media use by emerging adults, and community resources available. A framework for the social media intervention with topics, format, and theoretical mediators has been created, along with protocols for social media management.

In summary, the researchers believe that social media can be used as a platform to counter misinformation and improve reliable health information to promote health behaviors that reduce cancer risks among emerging adults. Because of the popularity of web-based information sources among emerging adults, an innovative, multiple risk factor intervention using a social media campaign has the potential to reduce their cancer risk behaviors.

This research is supported by a 5-year R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute (CA268037) to Klein Buendel. Dr. David Buller from Klein Buendel and Dr. Andrew Sussman from the University of New Mexico are the project’s Multiple Principal Investigators. The JMIR publication has 24 collaborating authors from multiple institutions.

Social Media IN-SERVICE TRAINING for Responsible Alcohol Serving

Social Media IN-SERVICE TRAINING for Responsible Alcohol Serving

Among prevention strategies for driving while intoxicated (DWI), responsible beverage service (RBS) training has been effective in some cases. A research team from Klein Buendel and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) reported on the results of a pilot project to create an in-service professional development social media component for the online evidence-based RBS training, WayToServe®, at the 46th Annual Research Society on Alcohol Scientific Meeting held in Bellevue, Washington on June 24-28, 2023.

In-service support beyond initial RBS training may counter management disinterest or resistance to RBS. A prototype of the WayToServe Plus in-service professional development social media component was produced by the authors. It contained 51 social media posts on advanced RBS skills training (such as home delivery), experienced servers supporting new servers (such as tips and tricks), professionalism (such as handling disruptive customer), and basic management procedures (such as house policies). Messages were intended to (a) increase confidence and motivation to implement RBS methods, (b) create a professional community of servers supporting RBS actions, and (c) prevent degradation of RBS skills and motivation. Thirty-six (36) posts contained text, graphics, and/or links, 14 had TikTok-style videos, and one presented an interactive learning activity from the WayToServe training.

One hundred eleven (111) alcohol servers who completed WayToServe training in New Mexico or Washington State participated in a 4-week pilot test. Participants were enrolled in either a Facebook private group with the WayToServe Plus feed and online posttest survey (n=60 servers) or in a control group with the posttest survey only (n=51 servers). WayToServe Plus posts were posted once a day, Monday to Friday. All servers in the WayToServe Plus group (100%) followed the feed for all 4 weeks; 83.3% viewed a post; and 46.7% reacted/commented on a post. WayToServe Plus servers expressed increased self-efficacy for RBS practices and response efficacy for RBS reducing DWI compared to control servers. Servers felt WayToServe Plus was appropriate and usable, and 77.9% were likely to use it in the future.

In-service professional development delivered over social media is feasible with alcohol servers and has the potential to maintain and support RBS techniques during intervals between state-approved RBS training.

This research was supported by a grant to Klein Buendel from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA029364; W. Gill Woodall and David Buller, Multiple Principal Investigators). Additional authors on the conference poster include Dr. Robert Saltz from the PIRE Prevention Research Center in Berkley, California, and Ms. Lila Martinez from Klein Buendel.

EUROGIN HPV Panel Presentation

EUROGIN HPV Panel Presentation

Klein Buendel Senior Scientists, Dr. W. Gill Woodall and Dr. David Buller, presented two research projects in a panel discussion at the EUROGIN International Multidisciplinary HPV Congress on Feb 8-11, 2023 in Bilbao, Spain. The “Digital Interventions to Increase HPV Vaccination” panel featured four presentations and was moderated by Dr. Greg Zimet from the University of Indiana. Other Klein Buendel scientists and staff (at the time of abstract submission) contributing as co-authors included Dr. Barbara Walkosz, Ms. Marita Brooks, Ms. Lila Martinez, and Ms. Jeanny Reither. Klein Buendel employees’ names are bolded.

Presentation 1

Title: “Randomized Trials of HPV Vaccine Uptake Improvement: Web Apps for Parents and Young Adolescent Girls and Boys”

Presenter: W. Gill Woodall, PhD, Senior Scientist, Klein Buendel, Inc. Albuquerque, NM, USA

Co-authors: A. Kong, G. Zimet, D. Buller, L. Chilton, J. Reither, L. Martinez, M. Brooks

This presentation discussed the results of two randomized trials of parent-focused web apps to improve HPV vaccine uptake for young adolescents (ages 11-14).  For the first trial, the web app was tailored to parents and young adolescent girls, and in the second trial, the web app was tailored to parents and young adolescent boys. Results of both trials indicated significant web app impact on HPV vaccine uptake for adolescent girls and boys, as well as other vaccine uptake related variables.  The discussion included a consideration of web app content and tailoring to determine HPV vaccine uptake improvement.

Presentation 2

Title: “Successful technology-based rural patient HPV vaccination reminder intervention and social media assessment of strategies to reduce HPV vaccine misinformation”

Presenter: Deanna Kepka, PhD, MPH, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Co-authors: K. Christini, E. McGough, B. Gibson, E. Warner, H. Brandt

This presentation described a multi-level and multi-component intervention that included healthcare team training activities and technology-based HPV vaccination reminders. Missed opportunities for HPV vaccination declined significantly from the pre-intervention to the post-intervention period. Participants who recalled receipt of an electronically delivered vaccination reminder had higher unadjusted odds of scheduling a visit compared with those who did not recall receiving a reminder. Social media-delivered misinformation related to HPV vaccination is pervasive. The presenters also discussed new strategies to evaluate and reduce the impact of HPV vaccine misinformation in rural settings.

Presentation 3

Title: “Promoting HPV vaccination to emerging adults in rural communities in a multi-risk factor cancer prevention social media intervention”

Presenter: David Buller, PhD, Senior Scientist, Klein Buendel, Inc., Denver, CO, USA

Co-authors: A. Sussman, D. Kepka, W. G. Woodall, E. Warner, B. Walkosz

This presentation described an innovative social media campaign targeting six cancer risk factors, including HPV vaccination. It is being developed for the diverse population of adults aged 18-26 in rural counties in the Mountain West region of the U.S. Emerging adults obtain health information online far more than information from health care providers and other media. A framework for social media message development was presented based on social cognitive, self-determination, and diffusion of innovation theory. Misinformation, especially on vaccination, will be combatted by instructing emerging adults in digital and media and by using an epidemiological model of monitoring and quickly responding to correct misinformation. The campaign will be tested with a sample of 1000 emerging adults in a stepped-wedge quasi-experimental design.

Presentation 4

Title: “U.S. National Digital Point of Care Communication to Improve Uptake of HPV and Other Adolescent Vaccines in Clinic Settings”

Presenter: Judy Klein, BA, BS, President, UNITY Consortium, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Co-authors: G. Zimet, V. Agadi, C. Hu, A. Jaramillo

This presentation reported on a study that involved digital targeted adolescent vaccination infographics and videos widely disseminated to clinical practices throughout the U.S. Over 11,000 clinicians whose practices received these digital interventions (exposed condition) were matched to an equal number of non-exposed comparison practices matched on multiple practice characteristics. The outcomes of interest were the number of vaccine doses (Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster or Tdap, HPV, MenACWY, and MenB) administered to patients 11-18 years of age. The exposed clinics showed significant increases in administration of adolescent vaccines, including HPV vaccine, compared to the non-exposed clinics.

Collaborator Spotlight:
Dr. Andrew Sussman

Collaborator Spotlight:
Dr. Andrew Sussman

Dr. Andrew Sussman

Andrew Sussman, Ph.D., MCRP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and the Associate Director of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at the UNM Cancer Center. He received his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico.

Dr. Sussman focuses his research efforts on primary health and cancer care delivery research and patient-provider counseling dynamics among health disparity populations in New Mexico. He also has research interests in clinical decision making, health service delivery, community-based participatory research, and health disparities in community settings. He also has expertise in qualitative and mixed method research, formative assessment, and process evaluation.

Currently, Dr. Sussman is serving as a Multiple Principal Investigator along with Klein Buendel’s Dr. David Buller on the study, #4Corners4Health: A Social Media Cancer Prevention Program for Rural Emerging Adults (CA268037). This study aims to aid rural emerging adults (aged 18-26 years) in making informed decisions that reduce cancer risk factors and prevent cancer later in life and help emerging adults evaluate and resist misinformation and marketing that promote cancer risk behaviors. This will be accomplished using a social media campaign designed with community advisors for diverse young adults living in rural counties in the Four Corners states (AZ, CO, NM, and UT). Social media may reach emerging adults more than interventions through other community channels (for example, clinics, schools, and workplaces) and for lower cost in the geographically-dispersed, underserved rural communities in the Mountain West.

Addressing COVID-19 Misinformation

Addressing COVID-19 Misinformation

Misinformation online can confuse consumers and influence people to dismiss vital public health advice. Health Chat team members from Klein Buendel, the University of Connecticut, and Colorado State University have published analyses of misinformation from a social media study in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The purpose of the study was to examine how an epidemiological procedure for monitoring, diagnosing, and responding quickly to misinformation among members of a Facebook group may have affected debate and dropout among group members.

Facebook group participants were 303 mothers of adolescent daughters. The Facebook group was administered by a community manager. The social media feed varied the source of information in posts on four topics: social distancing, COVID-19 vaccines, digital and media literacy, and family communication about COVID-19. Mothers received one social media post each weekday in three randomly assigned Facebook private groups, covering all four topics plus one additional post on a positive non-pandemic topic to promote broad engagement. Posts in the three groups had the same messages but differed by links to information from government agencies, near-peer parents, or news media sources in the post.

The community manager identified misinformation in mothers’ comments. Misinformation was defined as COVID-19 information in opposition to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and/or World Health Organization. Misinformation took several forms. In some comments, mothers directly presented false information or expressed their own negative opinions or opposition toward COVID-19 prevention. In other comments, mothers presented misinformation indirectly.

Research methods and analyses are detailed in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice paper. Most misinformation comments were in response to posts about vaccination, followed by non-pharmaceutical interventions, digital and media literacy, and family communication. The responsive epidemiological protocol exposed the mothers to credible information and appeared to prevent debate and dropout of Facebook group members.

This research was funded by a grant and supplement from the National Cancer Institute (CA192652). Dr. David Buller from Klein Buendel and Dr. Sherry Pagoto from the University of Connecticut were the project’s Multiple Principal Investigators. Additional authors on this publication include Joseph Divito from the University of Connecticut; Dr. Kim Henry from Colorado State University; and Dr. Barbara Walkosz, Dr. Gill Woodall, Julia Berteletti, and Alishia Kinsey from Klein Buendel.

#4Corners4Health

#4Corners4Health

A collaborative team of highly-experienced cancer prevention and control investigators from the Four Corners Cancer Centers Collaborative (University of Arizona, University of Colorado, University of New Mexico, and University of Utah), Colorado State University, and Klein Buendel is launching a research study that focuses on decreasing cancer risk factors among emerging adults (ages 18-26) living in rural counties in the “Four Corners” states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah) using a social media campaign. Cancer risks related to infrequent physical activity, unhealthy diet, nicotine product use, alcohol intake, ultraviolet radiation exposure and lack of HPV vaccination are prevalent among emerging adults and contribute to cancer later in life.

The project will test a theory-based, multi-risk factor social media approach to cancer prevention through the use of Facebook and its private group function. Social media can improve information dissemination, credibility, and relevance, be used to detect and respond to emerging trends, and engage users with user-generated content that personalizes information. It offers a superior intervention for emerging adults compared to health care, schools, and workplaces which can be challenging to implement in low-resourced rural communities and will not reach many emerging adults who have low preventive health care utilization, school enrollment, and/or employment.

#4Corners4Health Specific Aims

  • Develop a social media intervention for diverse emerging adults in rural communities via a community-engaged process that combines expert advice, user-generated content, and online instruction about behavioral cancer risks, cancer misinformation, counter marketing, digital and media literacy, and family communication.
  • Evaluate the effect of a theory-based social media intervention on moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), health eating patterns, nicotine product use, alcohol intake, sunburn prevalence, and HPV vaccination with the diverse (ethnically/ socioeconomically) population of emerging adults aged 18-26 in rural counties in the Four Corner states recruited from Qualtrics’ survey panel and enrolled in a pragmatic randomized trial using a stepped-wedge design in which individual emerging adults will be randomized to one of four cohorts and receive social media feed for varying durations in separate Facebook private groups.
  • Test if improvements in merging adults cancer risk knowledge and beliefs, digital and media literacy skills, accurate cancer prevention information, and family communication mediate impact of the social media campaign.
  • Explore whether the impact of the social media campaign differs according to a) level of emerging adults engagement with campaign, b) cancer risk factors, and c) biological sex of the participants.

The investigators hypothesize that (1) emerging adults will increase MVPA and healthy eating pattern, reduce nicotine product and alcohol use, and sunburns, and increase HPV vaccine uptake from pre to post when receiving social media campaign, and (2) positive impact of the social media campaign on cancer risk factors among emerging adults will be mediated by improved cancer risk knowledge and beliefs (self-response efficacy; norms; social support; vaccine antecedents), digital and media literacy skills, misinformation, and family communication.

This research will be led by Dr. David Buller from Klein Buendel and Dr. Andrew Sussman from the University of New Mexico (Multiple Principal Investigators). It is being funded by a 5-year R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute (CA268037). Key collaborators include Dr. Kimberly Henry from Colorado State University; Dr. Cindy Blair from the University of New Mexico; Dr. Judith Gordon, Dr. Cynthia Thomson, and Dr. Jennifer Hatcher from the University of Arizona; Dr. Evelinn Borrayo and Dr. Douglas Taren from the University of Colorado; Dr. Deanna Kepka, Dr. Echo Warner, and Dr. David Wetter from the University of Utah; and Dr. Gill Woodall, Dr. Barbara Walkosz, Dr. Kayla Nuss, and Ms. Julia Berteletti from Klein Buendel.

Promoting Social Distancing and COVID-19 Vaccination in a Social Media Feed for Mothers

Promoting Social Distancing and COVID-19 Vaccination in a Social Media Feed for Mothers

The Health Chat team from Klein Buendel, the University of Connecticut, Colorado State University, and East Tennessee State University has published findings from a health communication study in the journal JMIR Infodemiology. The purpose of the study was to examine how the source of health information shared via a Facebook social media feed might impact behavioral intentions related to practicing social distancing or accepting COVID-19 vaccination. The Facebook group participants were mothers of adolescent daughters. The social media feed varied the source of information in posts on four topics: social distancing, COVID-19 vaccines, digital and media literacy, and family communication about COVID-19. The information sources were government agencies, near-peer parents, and news media.

In summary, 303 mothers with adolescent daughters from a previous study testing a social media campaign on indoor tanning were recruited in January 2021 and enrolled in a randomized single-factor design (government agencies vs. near-peer parents vs. news media) evaluating the 9-week Facebook feed with four assessments at baseline and 3-week, 6-week, and 9-week follow-ups. Mothers received one social media post each day (Monday-Friday) in three randomly assigned Facebook private groups, covering all four topics plus one additional post on a positive non-pandemic topic to promote engagement. Posts in the three groups had the same messages but differed by links to information from government agencies, near-peer parents, or news media in the post. Views, reactions, and comments related to each post were counted to measure engagement with the messages. Mothers reported on social distancing and vaccine intentions for themselves and their daughters at the four assessment points.

Research methods and analyses are detailed in the JMIR Infodemiology paper. Nearly all mothers (98%) remained in the Facebook private groups throughout the 9-week trial period, and assessment completion rates were high. Analysis showed that social distancing behavior by mothers and daughters decreased over time but vaccine intentions increased. Decrease in social distancing by daughters was greater in the near-peer source group and lesser in the government agency group. The higher perceived credibility of the assigned information source increased social distancing and vaccine intentions. Mothers’ intentions to vaccinate themselves may have increased when they considered the near-peer source to be not credible. According to the authors, decreasing case counts, relaxation of government restrictions, and vaccine distribution during the study may explain the decreased social distancing and increased vaccine intentions.

This research was funded by a grant and supplement from the National Cancer Institute (CA192652). Dr. David Buller from Klein Buendel and Dr. Sherry Pagoto from the University of Connecticut were the project’s Multiple Principal Investigators. Additional authors on this publication include Joseph Divito from the University of Connecticut; Dr. Kim Henry from Colorado State University; Dr. Katie Baker and Dr. Joel Hillhouse from East Tennessee State University; and Dr. Barbara Walkosz, Dr. Gill Woodall, Julia Berteletti, and Alishia Kinsey from Klein Buendel.

Effects of Engagement with a Social Media Campaign to Reduce Indoor Tanning

Effects of Engagement with a Social Media Campaign to Reduce Indoor Tanning

A paper by Klein Buendel scientists, staff, and collaborators published in the Journal of Health Communication reports on a secondary analysis of engagement effects from a social media campaign. The campaign, called Health Chat, was aimed at reducing mothers’ permissiveness for indoor tanning (IT) by their teenage daughters.

In the study, over 800 mothers with daughters aged 14-17 were recruited in 34 states that did not ban IT by minors under age 18 for a randomized trial. Follow-up assessments were completed at the end of the intervention (12 months) and six months after that (18 months). Daughters’ baseline and follow-up responses were analyzed also. Mothers received a Facebook feed on adolescent health topics that included posts about preventing IT (intervention) or prescription drug misuse (control).

Engagement was measured by extracting reactions (such as like or sad) and comments posted by mothers to the campaign posts. Overall, 76.4% of posts received a reaction and/or comment. Mothers who engaged with IT posts were less permissive of daughters’ IT immediately at the end of the campaign and six months after the intervention than mothers who did not engage with the posts.

Social media is a large part of the media diets of many parents and show some promise for health behavior change interventions. Social media posts need to both reach and engage parents, especially in social media like Facebook whose algorithm prioritizes posts from feeds that receive more views, reactions, and comments. This is to ensure that the posts appear in participants’ news feeds so well-crafted health communication can influence them. The authors conclude, however, that more work is needed on strategies to engage individuals with social media posts in the context of improving public policies that restrict minors’ access to IT facilities.

This research was funded by a grant and supplement from the National Cancer Institute (CA192652; Dr. David Buller and Dr. Sherry Pagoto, Multiple Principal Investigators). Collaborating authors include Dr. Kimberly Henry from Colorado State University; Dr. Katie Baker and Dr. Joel Hillhouse from East Tennessee State University; Jessica Bibeau from the University of Connecticut; and Dr. Barbara Walkosz and Julia Berteletti from Klein Buendel.