Use social media to spread accurate health care information
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BALTIMORE — Diabetes care and education specialists can use social media to leverage their expertise in the field, connect with other professionals and improve the lives of people with diabetes, according to a presenter.
“[Health information dissemination] is no longer the top to bottom approach where your doctors tell you something or your neighbors tell you something, and that's the only information you get,” Marina Chaparro, RD, CDE, registered dietitian, certified diabetes care and education specialist and founder of Nutrichicos, a family-based nutrition practice in Miami, said during a presentation at the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists annual meeting. “On the contrary, we’re constantly receiving health information and health messages. I believe every diabetes care and education specialist should embrace social media.”
Benefits of using social media in health care
Social media has become a major platform for disseminating health information. According to data collected by Pew Research Center in 2016, 80% of people use social media to find health information, 54% of millennials want to be friends with or follow their doctor on social media, and 60% say health information they found online affected their decision on how to treat an illness or condition.
Chaparro acknowledged some common fears about using social media, such as uncertainty about how to start and how to use the medium appropriately. New users may be out of their comfort zone.
Despite these fears, Chaparro said, every diabetes care and education specialist should join social media to extend the reach of their expertise. When professionals ignore social media, people who lack credentials fill the gaps with poor quality information.
“If you’re not wiling to share your knowledge and the skill that you have with 5, 10-plus years of expertise, somebody without the same expertise, without the same skill, will,” Chaparro said.
Diabetes care and education specialists can use social media to dispel misinformation and provide evidence-based recommendations. Chaparro said multiple studies have shown that accurate information provided through social media can improve HbA1c, medication use, knowledge, empowerment and health-related quality of life for people with diabetes.
How to get started
Social media can benefit diabetes care and education specialists in several ways, such as increasing visibility, providing monetary opportunities, connecting with patients and professionals and building skills. Professionals can leverage skills, such as writing, cooking or speaking, to become their own diabetes entrepreneur and create a presence on one or multiple platforms.
“You don’t need to be on Instagram or TikTok or all of these, but you need to make sure people can find you,” Chaparro said. “You need to make sure you have a digital presence, because not all of these experts are going to be on TikTok. When you Google them, they will have some type of presence. Think about what will be your presence on social media, whether it’s the web, blogging, writing, speaking, etc.”
While social media use is growing altogether, YouTube and Facebook are the two platforms used by more than half of Americans, according to 2021 data from the Pew Research Center. However, Chaparro noted that a study conducted in Saudi Arabia found the most popular platform for sharing healthy diet information was Instagram, followed by YouTube and Snapchat.
Chaparro said diabetes care and education specialists should gravitate to the platform that best fits their own skills and the audience they want to reach. YouTube is best for providing how-to videos, whereas TikTok is best for sharing short-form videos and Twitter is a strong platform for connecting with others and voicing opinions. Audience is a factor for selecting a social media platform as well. Instagram is best for reaching younger adults, whereas most Facebook users are older than 35 years.
“In general, I want you to focus on your own path, your own skills and what drives you to do what you do,” Chaparro said.
When getting started on social media, diabetes care and education specialists should believe they will be successful, find mentors, connect with others who have explored platforms and be willing to fail, learn and adapt.
“I truly believe that diabetes care and education specialists have this really unique opportunity to use social media to change the lives of people with diabetes, because we’re giving them the information that maybe they don’t receive and because we have an opportunity to potentially connect with them on a more human level,” Chaparro said. “I also think it gives us an opportunity to raise ourselves and become a diabetes entrepreneur. We can elevate the profession to the next level.”
Reference:
- Alanzi T, et al. Front Public Health. 2021;doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.543913.
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Chaparro M. S20. Presented at: ADCES22; Aug. 12-15, 2022; Baltimore.
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