PA 11-2-2375 Using social media to disseminate injury prevention content: is a picture worth a thousand words?

Background Use of social media is one way that messages can reach more audiences and have a greater impact. However, relatively little is known about the influence of social media for injury prevention—as the accuracy of content, depictions of behaviors, and information shared through popular platforms have not been investigated. There is a critical need to understand what channels are being used, and by whom, what information is being provided, and how social media posts impact or change parental safety behaviors. Of particular interest is the effect on behaviors when there is discordance with the image presented and the recommended safety practices. Objective The objectives were to 1) describe the social media and injury prevention landscape for parents of young children in the U.S. and how information seeking varies by eHealth literacy; and 2) document and summarize the content and nature of injury prevention posts from four types of key disseminators: children’s hospitals, government agencies, pediatric health nonprofits, and child injury non-profits. Methods Participants were recruited from a survey panel representative of the U.S. adult population. Adults were screened on social media usage, eligible individuals signed online consent forms and completed a brief online survey and received a credit for their participation. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to analyze text and images in injury prevention posts from key disseminators on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Findings Results from the online survey and content analysis will be presented. Identified gaps and opportunities for using social media to disseminate safety recommendations will be highlighted. Conclusion We expect to be able to identify gaps and opportunities for using social media platforms to disseminate evidence-based safety recommendations and provide recommendations about social media content that is likely to reach broad audiences and increase uptake of safety behaviors.