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Social and Digital Media: Implications and Opportunities for Health Equity
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Social and Digital Media: Implications and Opportunities for Health Equity

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Digital Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 10791

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advances in digital communication have resulted in extraordinary opportunities to engage with communities, including end-users, designers, health practitioners and, importantly, marginalized populations. Nonetheless, this rapid evolution of digital media as a mechanism for health-related social and personalized healthcare warrants close attention. How have these developments in digital media shaped health communication theory, principles of design and implementation science? How do they perform within the variable dominant and marginalized social, institutional and technical systems, and what value can they bring to novel, swiftly-changing health challenges? What are the hidden costs and agendas that this momentum is serving, alongside improvements to health, and where is the evidence of impact for those who could benefit most? Evidence coming to light indicates that digital tools are not universally accessible given disparities in digital connectivity and literacy, and they are not necessarily designed with goals of equity, scale, sustainability and longevity. As consumers seek to differentiate between credible and noncredible social media and digital health options, evidence and observations on social and digital health interventions are much needed.

This Special Issue invites manuscripts that detail inclusive, open, social-media- and digital-health-focused interventions that contribute to reducing health inequities. We invite papers on the design, adaptation, implementation and evaluation of mobile and digital initiatives that promote social and behavioral change.


Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • social media
  • digital health
  • equity
  • design, implementation
  • theory
  • evaluation
  • marginalized
  • scalability
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1621 KiB  
Article
Impact of Technology-Based Intervention for Improving Self-Management Behaviors in Black Adults with Poor Cardiovascular Health: A Randomized Control Trial
by Tulani Washington-Plaskett, Muhammed Y. Idris, Mohamed Mubasher, Yi-An Ko, Shabatun Jamila Islam, Sandra Dunbar, Herman Taylor, Arshed Ali Quyyumi and Priscilla Pemu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3660; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073660 - 1 Apr 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3178
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of adults in the U.S., with marked ethnic/racial disparities in prevalence, risk factors, associated health behaviors, and death rates. In this study, we recruited and randomized Blacks with poor cardiovascular health in the Atlanta Metro [...] Read more.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of adults in the U.S., with marked ethnic/racial disparities in prevalence, risk factors, associated health behaviors, and death rates. In this study, we recruited and randomized Blacks with poor cardiovascular health in the Atlanta Metro area to receive an intervention comparing two approaches to engagement with a behavioral intervention technology for CVD. Generalized Linear Mixed Models results from a 6-month intervention indicate that 53% of all participants experienced a statistical improvement in Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), 54% in BMI, 61% in blood glucose, and 53% in systolic blood pressure. Females demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in BMI and diastolic blood pressure and a reduction in self-reported physical activity. We found no significant differences in changes in LS7 or their constituent parts but found strong evidence that health coaches can help improve overall LS7 in participants living in at-risk neighborhoods. In terms of clinical significance, our result indicates that improvements in LS7 correspond to a 7% lifetime reduction of incident CVD. Our findings suggest that technology-enabled self-management can be effective for managing selected CVD risk factors among Blacks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Digital Media: Implications and Opportunities for Health Equity)
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15 pages, 5237 KiB  
Article
Examining Public Concerns and Attitudes toward Unfair Events Involving Elderly Travelers during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Weibo Data
by Xinghua Liu, Qian Ye, Ye Li, Jing Fan and Yue Tao
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1756; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041756 - 11 Feb 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3571
Abstract
The Chinese government has launched a digital health code system to detect people potentially exposed to the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease and to curb its spread. Citizens are required to show the health code on their smartphones when using public transport. However, many [...] Read more.
The Chinese government has launched a digital health code system to detect people potentially exposed to the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease and to curb its spread. Citizens are required to show the health code on their smartphones when using public transport. However, many seniors are not allowed to use public transport due to their difficulties in obtaining health codes, leading to widespread debates about these unfair events. Traditionally, public perceptions and attitudes toward such unfair events are investigated using analytical methods based on interviews or questionnaires. This study crawled seven-month messages from Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, and developed a hybrid approach integrating term-frequency–inverse-document-frequency, latent Dirichlet allocation, and sentiment classification. Results indicate that a rumor about the unfair treatment of elderly travelers triggered public concerns. Primary subjects of concern were the status quo of elderly travelers, the provision of transport services, and unfair event descriptions. Following the government’s responses, people still had negative attitudes toward transport services, while they became more positive about the status quo of elderly travelers. These findings will guide government authorities to explore new forms of automated social control and to improve transport policies in terms of equity and fairness in future pandemics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Digital Media: Implications and Opportunities for Health Equity)
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12 pages, 592 KiB  
Article
Recruiting and Engaging American Indian and Alaska Native Teens and Young Adults in a SMS Help-Seeking Intervention: Lessons Learned from the BRAVE Study
by David Stephens, Roger Peterson, Michelle Singer, Jacqueline Johnson, Stephanie Craig Rushing and Allyson Kelley
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(24), 9437; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249437 - 16 Dec 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3472
Abstract
This paper shares lessons learned recruiting and engaging participants in the BRAVE study, a randomized controlled trial carried out by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the mHealth Impact Lab. The team recruited 2330 American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) teens and young [...] Read more.
This paper shares lessons learned recruiting and engaging participants in the BRAVE study, a randomized controlled trial carried out by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the mHealth Impact Lab. The team recruited 2330 American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) teens and young adults nationwide (15–24 years old) via social media channels and text message and enrolled 1030 to participate in the 9 month study. Teens and young adults who enrolled in this study received either: 8 weeks of BRAVE text messages designed to improve mental health, help-seeking skills, and promote cultural pride and resilience; or 8 weeks of Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) text messages, designed to elevate and re-affirm Native voices in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine; and then received the other set of messages. Results indicate that social media channels like Facebook and Instagram can be used to recruit AI/AN teens and young adults. Retention in this study was high, with 87% of participants completing both the BRAVE and STEM intervention arms. Lessons learned from this process may help teen and young adult-serving organizations, prevention programs, policy makers, researchers, and educators as they support the next generation of AI/AN change makers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social and Digital Media: Implications and Opportunities for Health Equity)
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