MARC

LEADER 00000nab a2200000uu 4500
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022 |a 1438-8871 
024 7 |a 10.2196/69269  |2 doi 
035 |a 3222368855 
045 2 |b d20250101  |b d20251231 
100 1 |a Norah Abdullah Alanazi 
245 1 |a Perceptions of Executive Decision Makers on Using Social Media in Effective Health Communication: Qualitative Study 
260 |b Gunther Eysenbach MD MPH, Associate Professor  |c 2025 
513 |a Journal Article 
520 3 |a Background:The burgeoning rise in social media use has revolutionized information dissemination, rendering social media a vital tool for promoting health campaigns and enhancing 2-way health communication between senders and users. Health planners and policy makers consider social media platforms (SMPs) vital for transferring useful health information to the public. However, there are important concerns about the decision makers’ perceptions of the evolving role of social media in health promotion and education campaigns.Objective:This qualitative study explored how decision makers perceive the role of social media in health promotion and education. We aimed to shed light on strategic efficacy, real-world challenges, and valuable prospects of using social media for health communication.Methods:We adopted a qualitative research method involving in-depth, semistructured, face-to-face interviews. We included 13 participants from government and private health care sectors in the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia, who were key players and decision makers in health care programs and reforms. Data were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes and patterns.Results:Five main themes were identified: (1) use of social media (frequency, type of content, target audience, purpose of communication), (2) perceptions of decision makers (how social media influences public health behavior), (3) benefits, (4) challenges, and (5) implications for future use. Participants recognized the positive role of SMPs in spreading health information, particularly in health promotion and awareness campaigns. Communication emerged as a key concept, and WhatsApp, X (Twitter), and Facebook were recognized as major platforms for digital health literacy. The participants used these applications extensively for communication with colleagues, patients, and the public, intending discussion, information exchange, and health promotion campaigns. Content inaccuracy and reliability were identified as major challenges. Furthermore, misinformation and social inequalities were identified as barriers to effective communication. Participants suggested that social media influencers play a more effective role in information dissemination than the health care staff. Far-reaching audiences, visually appealing and engaging content using videos and graphics, and assessing campaign effectiveness using metrics, such as views, shares, likes, and comments, were recognized as major benefits of social media. Participants stressed the promising role of social media in the future as technological advancements in eHealth could revolutionize health care.Conclusions:SMPs play a vital role in sharing information about health-related initiatives. This research highlights the complexities and potential challenges of using social media for health promotion in Saudi Arabia. It emphasizes the need to develop strategies to combat misinformation, address privacy and confidentiality concerns, and ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards. Encouraging communication among key stakeholders, including health promotion experts, government organizations, social media companies, and the general public, can help establish effective guidelines and protocols to overcome the challenges. 
610 4 |a WhatsApp Inc 
651 4 |a Saudi Arabia 
653 |a Public health 
653 |a Campaigns 
653 |a Social networks 
653 |a Mass media 
653 |a Government 
653 |a Codes of conduct 
653 |a Policy making 
653 |a Efficacy 
653 |a Information sharing 
653 |a Information dissemination 
653 |a Health initiatives 
653 |a Health services 
653 |a Audiences 
653 |a Qualitative research 
653 |a Challenges 
653 |a Perceptions 
653 |a Clinical decision making 
653 |a Decision makers 
653 |a Decision making 
653 |a Confidentiality 
653 |a Dissemination 
653 |a Health behavior 
653 |a Research methodology 
653 |a Health education 
653 |a Communication 
653 |a Reliability 
653 |a Privacy 
653 |a Ethics 
653 |a Mass media effects 
653 |a Social inequality 
653 |a Organizational effectiveness 
653 |a Computer mediated communication 
653 |a Social media 
653 |a General public 
653 |a Patients 
653 |a Telecommunications 
653 |a Literacy 
653 |a Education 
653 |a Medical decision making 
653 |a Decisions 
653 |a Information technology 
653 |a Compliance 
653 |a Medical personnel 
700 1 |a Alia Mohammed Almoajel 
700 1 |a Tharkar, Shabana 
700 1 |a Almutairi, Khalid 
700 1 |a Farha Nazir Ahmad Mohamad 
700 1 |a Bader Saud Talak Almatairi 
773 0 |t Journal of Medical Internet Research  |g vol. 27 (2025), p. e69269 
786 0 |d ProQuest  |t Library Science Database 
856 4 1 |3 Citation/Abstract  |u https://www.proquest.com/docview/3222368855/abstract/embedded/H09TXR3UUZB2ISDL?source=fedsrch 
856 4 0 |3 Full Text + Graphics  |u https://www.proquest.com/docview/3222368855/fulltextwithgraphics/embedded/H09TXR3UUZB2ISDL?source=fedsrch 
856 4 0 |3 Full Text - PDF  |u https://www.proquest.com/docview/3222368855/fulltextPDF/embedded/H09TXR3UUZB2ISDL?source=fedsrch