From Engagement to Concerns: Social Media Use Among a Sample of Australian Public Health Professionals

Abstract

Issue Addressed Social media plays a crucial and diverse role in health promotion and public health. However, professionals often cite various concerns and a lack of knowledge of how to use it effectively. This study aimed to explore the use of social media by Australian health promotion and public health professionals.

Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between July and August 2023 with people aged 18 years or older currently working in a public health or health promotion role in Australia.

Results One hundred and fifty eligible responses were obtained. Participants were predominantly female (85%) and aged between 18 and 39 years (50%). Most participants (40%) rated themselves as having an intermediate social media competency level, and 60% had never undertaken social media training. The majority used social media in their professional role (77%) for dissemination (68%), education (62%) and advocacy (54%) purposes. However, several concerns were highlighted, including the validity of information on social media (43%) and inappropriate online behaviour (40%).

Conclusions Despite high levels of social media use for education and advocacy purposes, participants had concerns about using social media in a professional context and about the reliability and quality of information acquired through social media. Training on effectively navigating social media and verifying the accuracy of available information is worthy of future attention.

So What? These findings will inform the development of a massive open online course that aims to equip health promotion and public health professionals with the skills to use social media for public health education and advocacy.