Health-Related Disaster Communication and Social Media: Mixed-Method Systematic Review

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  • Stine Eckert
    Wayne State University
  • Pradeep Sopory
    Wayne State University
  • Ashleigh Day
    Wayne State University
  • Lee Wilkins
    Wayne State University
  • Donyale Padgett
    Wayne State University
  • Julie Novak
    Wayne State University
  • Jane Noyes
  • Tomas Allen
    World Health Organization
  • Nyka Alexander
    World Health Organization
  • Marsha Vanderford
    World Health Organization
  • Gaya Gamhewage
    World Health Organization

This mixed-method evidence synthesis drew on Cochrane methods and principles to systematically review literature published between 2003 and 2016 on the best social media practices to promote health protection and dispel misinformation during disasters. Seventy-nine studies employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods on risk communication during disasters in all UN-languages were reviewed, finding that agencies need to contextualize the use of social media for particular populations and crises. Social media are tools that still have not become routine practices in many governmental agencies regarding public health in the countries studied. Social media, especially Twitter and Facebook (and equivalents in countries such as China), need to be incorporated into daily operations of governmental agencies and implementing partners to build familiarity with them before health-related crises happen. This was especially observed in U.S. agencies, local government, and first responders but also for city governments and school administrations in Europe. For those that do use social media during health-related risk communication, studies find that public relations officers, governmental agencies, and the general public have used social media successfully to spread truthful information and to verify information to dispel rumors during disasters. Few studies focused on the recovery and preparation phases and on countries in the Southern hemisphere, except for Australia. The vast majority of studies did not analyze the demographics of social media users beyond their geographic location, their status of being inside/outside the disaster zone; and their frequency and content of posting. Socioeconomic demographics were not collected and/or analyzed to drill deeper into the implications of using social media to reach vulnerable populations. Who exactly is reached via social media campaigns and who needs to be reached with other means has remained an understudied area.

Keywords

  • Journal Article
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1389-1400
Number of pages12
JournalHealth Communication
Volume33
Issue number12
Early online date21 Aug 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2018

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