Social media for communicating health information in Uganda: constraints and practical suggestions

Domain:

healthcare

Creator:

AisFre

Publisher:

Hea

Host:

African countries are experiencing an upsurge in the use of new information communication technologies, particularly the mobile phone. Such technologies have accelerated the use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, as tools for information dissemination on all aspects of life. Despite their widely acknowledged role in accelerating access to information, the health sector in developing countries has been reluctant to adopt social media platforms to communicate health. Through in-depth interviews, this paper explores experiences of selected health promoting organisations in Uganda of using Facebook to connect people to health. Understanding opportunities and constraints to using social media platforms in communicating health as argued from the communicative affordances approach can potentially improve health outcomes through augmenting not just access to health information but care as well. Our findings show that among others, Facebook provides opportunity for multimedia communication and specific targeting for health messages. Its potential for health communication is however constrained by financial, structural and technological limitations prevailing in organizations. We recommend that instead of overlooking social media as tools for health information dissemination, focus should be directed to addressing barriers to their effective utilisation.

Visit

doi.org

Licenses

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Effectiveness of social media for communicating health messages in Ghana

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness, ev

FACTORS INFLUENCING SOCIAL MEDIA CHOICE FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INFORMATION AMONG NAIROBI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

In Kenya, youth constitute 35% of the population and are often sexually active and experimental. To

Multilingual social media platform for tourist centres in Uganda

Tourism is an important source of revenue in Africa which has not been properly harness to generate

Information Sharing in the Social Media Era

While the role of information for the functioning of any social system is enormous, individuals do n

Social Media Alternative for Health Communication in Nigeria

In the changing media and health landscapes, health communication requires more ways to improve and

Constraints in using social media in accessing agricultural information among crop farmers in Makurdi local Government area of Benue State, Nigeria

The study was conducted to ascertain constraints to use of social media in accessing agricultural in