Insights into Facebook Pages: an early adolescent health research study page targeted at parents

Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2016 Feb;28(1):69-77. doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2014-0074.

Abstract

Facebook has been used in health research, but there is a lack of literature regarding how Facebook may be used to recruit younger adolescents. A Facebook Page was created for an adolescent cohort study on the effects of puberty hormones on well-being and behaviour in early adolescence. Used as a communication tool with existing participants, it also aimed to alert potential participants to the study. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed description of the development of the study Facebook Page and present the fan response to the types of posts made on the Page using the Facebook-generated Insights data. Two types of posts were made on the study Facebook Page. The first type was study-related update posts and events. The second was relevant adolescent and family research and current news posts. Observations on the use of and response to the Page were made over 1 year across three phases (phase 1, very low Facebook use; phase 2, high Facebook use; phase 3, low Facebook use). Most Page fans were female (88.6%), with the largest group of fans aged between 35 and 44 years. Study-related update posts with photographs were the most popular. This paper provides a model on which other researchers could base Facebook communication and potential recruitment in the absence of established guidelines.

Publication types

  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / physiology
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Adolescent Health*
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Female
  • Health Education / methods*
  • Health Services Research / methods*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • New South Wales
  • Parents / education*
  • Patient Selection
  • Sex Education / methods*
  • Social Media / organization & administration
  • Social Media / standards
  • Social Media / trends*