Facilitating and encouraging healthy behaviours is important to prevent illness and promote health. This systematic review investigates whether the use of social media can have an impact on healthy behavours. We included seven studies. We found many different interventions and most of the comparisons and outcomes were measured only by one small study.
Studies comparing an online social network to no information or information delivered via other channels showed no or only small effects for change in knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, intentions and behaviour.
Several studies combined an online social network (OSN) with other interventions. Outcome measures were change in knowledge, attitudes, behaviour, eating habits, weight, energy and fat intake, self efficacy and sharing in social media. One of the studies found small effects in favour of OSN in combination with other interventions for change in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour related to food safety. None of the other comparisons showed significant differences.
One study which compared watching motivational videos to not watching such videos found small to no effects for the outcome measures self efficacy and physical activity.
We found no studies which compared the use of social media to the use of traditional media such as newspapers, radio or television.
We found no relevant studies about tobacco or alcohol.
Because of small studies and weaknesses in how they were performed, we have low to very low confidence in these results. We cannot draw any clear conclusions about whether or not the use of social media in health promotion campaigns have an effect on healthy behaviours.
The fact that we are very unsure about the potential effect does not mean that there is no effect; it means that we are unsure about whether or not there is an effect.
Keywords: Social media; Health promotion.
Copyright ©2014 by The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH).