An Exploratory Content Analysis of the Use of Health Communication Strategies and Presence of Objectification in Fitness Influencer Social Media Posts.

Health and fitness content intended to inspire people to live healthy lives (e.g. "fitspiration") has been linked to negative body image among girls and young women. Fitness influencers purport wanting to motivate healthy behaviors. This study seeks to examine the presence of strategies known to positively influence health behaviors (e.g. attitudes, self-efficacy) as well as of content known to have a negative influence (e.g. objectification) among fitness influencers. We conducted a content analysis (N = 441) of a random sample of one year of posts from four Instagram fitness influencers popular with girls and young women in the United States. The main analysis consisted of codes related to objectification, health promotion strategies, health-related content, and social engagement (i.e., likes). We found that fitness influencers included content that conveyed constructs previously found to positively influence health behaviors (e.g., attitudes and self-efficacy), but objectification was frequently present, in more than half of the posts. Additionally, we found that the presence of objectification in posts was negatively associated with likes, a form of social endorsement. We suggest health communicators aim to work in tandem with fitness influencers to include content that may motivate positive health behaviors and improve media literacy and that influencers aim to reduce the amount of objectifying content included in their posts. Our findings shed light on content being conveyed and possible insights into the negative effects associated with viewing such content.

Social Media Use among American Indian and Alaska Native People: Implications for Health Communication Strategies.

Patients, health professionals, and communities use social media to communicate information about health determinants and associated risk factors. Studies have highlighted the potential for social media to reach underserved populations, suggesting these platforms can be used to disseminate health information tailored for diverse and hard-to-reach populations. Little is known, however, about the use of social media among American Indian and Alaska Native populations. The objective of this cross-sectional study is to better understand the use of social media platforms to disseminate information across these populations. Our team surveyed 429 American Indian and Alaska Native adults attending cultural events in Washington State on their use of various types of social media. We used logistic regressions to assess participant use of Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram as related to participant demographics, including age, gender, education, and their place of residence (on-reservation, rural off-reservation areas, or large metropolitan areas). Findings showed that Facebook was used by more participants than other platforms (79%), followed by Instagram (31%). Nearly half of participants used only one social media platform (48%). Age was negatively associated with using Instagram (0.8 OR, 95% CI: 0.7, 0.9) and Snapchat (0.6 OR, 95% CI: 0.5, 0.7). College education was associated with higher odds of using an additional social media platform compared to those without any college education (2.0 OR, 95% CI: 1.1, 3.6). Most participants used social media platforms, which suggests these platforms may be a useful tool in disseminating information to American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. Further research should document how social media can be used to effectively disseminate risk and health information and assess whether it can influence health knowledge and behaviors among these populations.

Communication about Alzheimer's disease and research among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Introduction: American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people infrequently participate in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research, despite the rapidly increasing population of AI/AN people aged 65 and older. Methods: We surveyed 320 adults who identified as AI/AN at two Native-focused events and used ordinary least squares regression and logistic regression models to test associations between demographic factors and perceived risk of AD, knowledge about AD, and willingness to participate in research, along with preferred source of AD information. Results: Willingness to participate in research was highest among those living in a city versus reservation and associated with perceived personal risk for AD. Health professionals and the internet were preferred sources of information about AD. Discussion: These hypothesis-generating results provide insight into perceptions of AD and willingness to participate in research. Conclusions could inform development of AD recruitment strategies for AI/ANs and influence participation in AD research.