Social Media Health Campaigns: Impact on Health Behaviors

Introduction: Social Media as a Health Communication Tool

Social media campaigns have been employed to educate large proportions of the population. Before the spread of social media across the global population, conventional media — such as newspapers, television, and radio — were the main forms of communication, but these channels have become less dominant with the growing popularity of social media as a source of information. As a result, social media campaigns have been adopted as a communication channel for core health concerns, whether to create awareness, prevent risky health behaviors, or raise funds to address growing public health needs (Wakefield et al., 2010). Some health-focused social media campaigns that attracted global attention include the New Zealand Health Sponsorship Council Online Anti-Smoking Challenge, the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness and funds to fight ALS, and the Know Your Lemons campaign. The effectiveness of these social media campaigns in accomplishing specific health objectives demonstrates their power to prevent negative changes in health-related behaviors across a population.

Ice Bucket Challenge and ALS Awareness

The Ice Bucket Challenge was started to create awareness and raise funds for research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The challenge was initiated in 2014 in Washington, D.C., and increased funds raised for research by 187%. ALS is a progressive disease of the nervous system that affects the brain's nerve cells and spinal cord, resulting in muscle loss. In some cases, ALS is inherited, while other causes of the disease remain unknown. Inherited ALS affects 5% to 10% of those diagnosed (Frederick, 2021). The onset of the disease typically begins with muscle twitching, weakness in a limb, or slurred speech. Eventually, ALS affects involuntary control of the muscles required for breathing, eating, and other essential functions. Symptoms of ALS include difficulty walking and performing daily activities, inappropriate crying or yawning, and cognitive-behavioral changes as the disease progresses.

The Ice Bucket Challenge resulted in global awareness of ALS and expanded research that brought scientists closer to diagnosing, treating, and potentially curing the disease. Funds raised through the challenge supported the discovery of a new gene connected to ALS (Frederick, 2021). Researchers used the funds to launch new clinical trials testing potential treatments and to expand research partnerships by 50%. The money collected was awarded as grants to 237 scientists worldwide, significantly building the body of knowledge about ALS genomics.

The challenge was started by three men living with ALS, who posted videos of themselves dumping buckets of ice water over their heads and then nominated others to do the same and contribute to the cause. The challenge gained global traction, with more than 17 million people performing it and posting their videos on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube (Frederick, 2021). The videos were viewed by 400 million people more than 10 billion times. The campaign successfully created global awareness of ALS and raised $115 million for research.

New Zealand's Anti-Smoking Campaign: Smoking Not Our Future

The New Zealand Health Sponsorship Council Online Anti-Smoking Challenge was initiated to prevent people aged 12 to 24 years from smoking and to encourage smoking cessation (Health Sponsorship Council, 2010). The Health Sponsorship Council (HSC) is a governmental agency that encourages New Zealanders to adopt and maintain healthy attitudes and behaviors through its tobacco control program, Smoking Not Our Future. The program engaged audiences through online games that facilitated active interaction with the anti-smoking message. Online games were preferred for the campaign because they enable active participant engagement and require far less spending than traditional media placement (Wakefield et al., 2010). Games are also particularly well-suited to the target age group of 12 to 24 years, which is more actively involved in online gaming.

Tobacco use is associated with a high risk of developing lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. Other diseases linked to smoking include heart disease, lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and stroke. Smoking has been associated with an unsustainable global healthcare burden dedicated to managing smoking-related diseases (Health Sponsorship Council, 2010). In America, 16 million people live with diseases caused by smoking. Smoking also increases the risk for tuberculosis, diminishes immune system efficacy, contributes to certain eye diseases, and is associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

Smoking Not Our Future involved the development of three games designed to encourage anti-tobacco attitudes: Kiss Off, Butthead Bash, and Kanvas. Games are more cognitively engaging than many other forms of communication, increasing the campaign's potential impact. The gaming experiences were designed to improve retention of the anti-smoking message among players and discourage the onset of smoking. Players were also encouraged to share the games among peers on social networks to extend the campaign's reach.

Conclusion

The effectiveness of social media campaigns in accomplishing specific health objectives demonstrates their power to prevent negative changes in health-related behaviors across a population. Campaigns such as the Ice Bucket Challenge, the New Zealand Anti-Smoking Challenge, and the Know Your Lemons campaign illustrate how social media platforms can mobilize global audiences, raise critical funds, and shift public attitudes toward healthier behaviors — often at a fraction of the cost of conventional media campaigns.

References

Burnett, J. (2019). SOFII · Worldwide Breast Cancer – Know Your Lemons campaign. Sofii.org. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from

Edwards, R., Hoek, J., & van der Deen, F. (2014). Smokefree 2025 – use of mass media in New Zealand lacks alignment with evidence and needs. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 38(4), 395–396. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12246

Frederick, B. (2021). Ice Bucket Challenge dramatically accelerated the fight against ALS. The ALS Association. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from

Health Sponsorship Council (HSC). (2010). New media – Going viral to influence teenagers [Ebook]. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from https://www.hpa.org.nz/sites/default/files/InTheLoop-GoingViral-final-100805.pdf.

Wakefield, M., Loken, B., & Hornik, R. (2010). Use of mass media campaigns to change health behavior. The Lancet, 376(9748), 1261–1271. )60809-4