Instagram for audience engagement: an evaluation of CERC framework in the GCC nations for digital public health during the Covid-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigate the utilization of Instagram by public health ministries across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations to disseminate health-related information during the COVID-19 pandemic. With Instagram's visual-centric approach and high user engagement, the research aims to investigate its critical yet complex role in information dissemination amid a health crisis. METHODS: To examine how Instagram communication strategies align with the CDC's Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) framework, we employ the content analysis method. This approach helps to evaluate the effectiveness and challenges of employing Instagram for health communication within a region known for its significant social media usage. RESULTS: Findings indicate that Instagram serves as a vital platform for the rapid dissemination of health information in the GCC, leveraging its visual capabilities and wide reach. The GCC ministries of health utilized Instagram to demonstrate a consistent and strategic approach to communicate essential COVID-19 related information. Kuwait and Bahrain were the most active of all the assessed ministries with respect to the number of engagement metrics (likes and comments). Most of the posts, as per the CERC framework, were informational and related to vaccine infection and death cases. The second most salient theme in line with the CERC framework was about promoting actions, followed by Instagram posts about activities, events, and campaigns. CONCLUSIONS: The research underscores Instagram's potential as a powerful tool in enhancing public health resilience and responsiveness during health emergencies in the GCC. It suggests that leveraging social media, with careful consideration of its affordances, can contribute significantly to effective health communication strategies in times of crisis.

Conflicting attitudes: Analyzing social media data to understand the early discourse on COVID-19 passports.

In several countries, vaccine passports are being encouraged to hasten the return to some form of normalcy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine passport is a digital or paper document that may serve as proof of the COVID-19 vaccine, thereby allowing entry to public venues, sporting events, air travel, and unrestricted access to other facilities. This study explores how the COVID-19 passport is being discussed and perceived on Twitter and the prominent entities involved in the early discourse on the issue. Twitter messages were theoretically analyzed for Health Belief Model (HBM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) variables, as well as message source, engagement, and attitudes towards vaccination certificates. Using quantitative content analysis, tweets were coded on nine dimensions: account type, tweeter profile, tweet content, tweet modality, attitude, self-efficacy, perceived barriers, benefits, and action cues. Most of the tweets originated from personal accounts, followed by media organizations, media-related personalities, politicians, and the travel industry. A significant number of tweets were from male Twitter users. Our analysis revealed that most tweeters had a favorable attitude towards the COVID-19 passports. Unfavorable attitudes toward the COVID-19 passport were based on reasons such as a lack of common standard or consensus, and personal freedoms & human rights. Tweets highlighting the benefits of COVID-19 passports cited travel as the primary reason. Based on a combination of technical, legal, and ethical practices, our study offers a set of vital recommendations for governments, health organizations, and businesses that may help stimulate the acceptance of vaccine passports.

Public health agencies outreach through Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic: Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication perspective.

Background: Governmental and non-governmental institutions increasingly use social media as a strategic tool for public outreach. Global spread, promptness, and dialogic potentials make these platforms ideal for public health monitoring and emergency communication in crises such as COVID-19. Objective: Drawing on the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication framework, we sought to examine how leading health organizations use Instagram for communicating and engaging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We manually retrieved Instagram posts together with relevant metadata of four health organizations (WHO, CDC, IFRC, and NHS) shared between January 1, 2020, and April 30, 2020. Two coders manually coded the analytical sample of 269 posts related to COVID-19 on dimensions including content theme, gender depiction, person portrayal, and image type. We further analyzed engagement indices associated with the coded dimensions. Results: The CDC and WHO were the most active of all the assessed organizations with respect to the number of posts, reach, and engagement indices. Most of the posts were about personal preventive measures and mitigation, general advisory and vigilance, and showing gratitude and resilience. An overwhelming level of engagement was observed for posts representing celebrity, clarification, and infographics. Conclusions: Instagram can be an effective tool for health organizations to convey their messages during crisis communication, notably through celebrity involvement, clarification posts, and the use of infographics. There is much opportunity to strengthen the role of health organizations in countering misinformation on social media by providing accurate information, directing users to credible sources, and serving as a fact-check for false information.