Social media are potentially powerful channels for communicating relevant health information in culturally sensitive and influential ways to key audiences. Moreover, these channels hold promise for promoting awareness and knowledge of health risks, prevention, and treatment by utilizing opinion leaders for message dissemination. Despite limited empirical evidence to-date, early promising results suggest that blogs are a form of social media that should be examined as worthy channels for health communication. This formative study explored mommy bloggers' perceptions about sharing health-related information on their blogs with their readers. It also sought to analyze which topics would be of most interest to mommy bloggers, what motivates them to write about health issues, and how they perceive interest in these topics among their readers. This study employed survey methodology, including the use of open-ended questions, the responses to which were coded for analysis. Specifically, a 14-item survey was fielded with mommy bloggers between October 1 and October 28, 2016. Bloggers were recruited through The Motherhood network. A total of 461 mommy bloggers responded to the survey; 163 were removed for low quality responses and incomplete data. As a result, 298 eligible participants completed the survey. For open-ended questions in the survey, a sample of responses were coded and analyzed. The majority of the respondents (87.2%, 260/298) reported that they have written about health issues in the past; 97.3% (290/298) of the respondents reported that they would consider writing about health issues sometime in the future, and 96.3% (287/298) of the respondents reported that their readers like to read about health issues on their blogs. In terms of content priorities for this sample of bloggers, Nutrition and Physical Activity dominate the current conversation and similarly, Physical Activity and Nutrition remain top content priorities for these bloggers for the future. Moreover, 21.3% of the respondents reported that their readers would be interested in these topics. Finally, having a personal connection with a health issue was found to be positively associated with likeliness to write about health issues on their blog (P<.001). This study illustrates that there are potentially rich opportunities for working with mommy bloggers to communicate with key health decision makers (moms) on important health issues. There is a great support among mommy bloggers for health information dissemination as well as interest for accessing relevant health information from their readers. This presents an opportunity for public health research and communication campaigns to more broadly promote their messages, thereby contributing to their behavior change objectives. Limitations included overrepresentation of white, higher-educated, and younger women. It suggests a need for more targeted engagement of a diverse sample for future work.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: Although women seek information online about how to reduce breast cancer risk, they may not be obtaining scientifically-based information. Social media platforms, like blogs, offer a way to disseminate health information, educate the public, and promote healthy behavior. Blogs written by mothers are increasingly recognized as a channel that women utilize to make personal and family health-related decisions. Objective: We developed and evaluated a blog intervention to disseminate breast cancer and environmental risk information to mothers. We teamed with “mommy bloggers” to disseminate a message that we developed and tailored for mothers and daughters based on scientific evidence from the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP). We posited that the social media intervention would influence women’s exposure to, acceptance of, and beliefs about environmental risks while promoting their intention to adopt risk-reducing behaviors. We also explored women’s social media preferences for this type of information. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, we recruited 75 mommy bloggers to disseminate the breast cancer risk/prevention message on their respective blogs and examined the impact of the intervention on 1) readers exposed to the intervention (n = 445) and 2) readers not exposed to the intervention (comparison group; n = 353). Results: Following the intervention, blog reader scores indicating exposure to the breast cancer risk/prevention information (M = 3.92, SD = .85) were greater than scores of blog readers who were not exposed (or did not recall seeing the message) (M = 3.45, SD = .92). Readers who recalled the intervention messages also had higher breast cancer risk/prevention information satisfaction scores (M = 3.97, SD = .75) compared to readers who didn’t see (or recall) the messages (M = 3.57, SD = .94). Blog readers who recalled seeing the intervention messages were significantly more likely to share the breast cancer risk/prevention information they read, and with daughters specifically, than readers who did not recall seeing them, χ2 (1) = 8.071, P = .004. Those who recalled seeing the intervention messages reported significantly higher breast cancer risk/prevention information influence scores (M = 11.22, SD = 2.93), indicative of behavioral intentions, than participants who did not recall seeing them (M = 10.14, SD = 3.24). Most women ranked Facebook as their first choice for receiving breast cancer risk/prevention information. Conclusions: Results indicated that blog readers who were exposed to (and specifically recalled) the BCERP-adapted intervention messages from mommy bloggers had higher breast cancer risk/prevention information exposure scores and higher breast cancer risk/prevention information satisfaction and influence scores than those who did not see (or recall) them. Mommy bloggers may be important opinion leaders for some women and key to enhancing the messaging, delivery, and impact of environmental breast cancer risk/prevention information on mothers. Clinical Trial: NA

By Sid Schneider, Gail Thomas & 1 more. Facebook as a tool for respondent tracing

Introduction: Social media is increasingly being used in research, including recruitment.Methods: For the Bayley Short Form Formative Study, which was conducted under the the National Children’s Study, traditional methods of recruitment proved to be ineffective. Therefore, digital media were identified as potential channels for recruitment.Results: Results included successful recruitment of over 1800 infant and toddler participants to the Study.Conclusions: This paper outlines the methods, results, and future research opportunities.

Objectives: How Right Now (HRN) is an evidence-based, culturally responsive communication campaign developed to facilitate coping and resilience among US groups disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To inform the development of this campaign, we examined patterns in emotional health, stress, and coping strategies among HRN’s audiences, focusing on differences among racial and ethnic groups. Methods: We used a national probability panel, AmeriSpeak, to collect survey data from HRN’s priority audience members in English and Spanish at 2 time points (May 2020 and May 2021). We conducted statistical testing to examine differences between time points for each subgroup (Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White) and differences among subgroups at each time point. Results: We found disparities in COVID-19–related mental health challenges and differences in coping strategies. Non-Hispanic Black respondents were more likely than non-Hispanic White respondents to report challenges related to the social determinants of health, such as affording food and housing (26.4% vs 9.4% in May 2020) and experiencing personal financial loss (46.6% vs 29.2% in May 2020). In May 2021, 30.6% of Hispanic respondents reported being unable to meet basic food or housing needs versus 8.2% of non-Hispanic White respondents, and 51.6% reported personal financial loss versus 26.5% of non-Hispanic White respondents. Conclusions: Our study further illuminates what is needed to build emotional well-being pathways for people who historically have been economically and socially marginalized. Our findings underscore the need for public health interventions to provide culturally responsive mental health support to populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19 during the pandemic and into the future, with a focus on racial and ethnic disparities.