Social Media Use among American Indian and Alaska Native People: Implications for Health Communication Strategies

Abstract

Patients, health professionals, and communities use social media to communicate information about health determinants and associated risk factors. Studies have highlighted the potential for social media to reach underserved populations, suggesting these platforms can be used to disseminate health information tailored for diverse and hard-to-reach populations. Little is known, however, about the use of social media among American Indian and Alaska Native populations. The objective of this cross-sectional study is to better understand the use of social media platforms to disseminate health information in this population. We surveyed 429 American Indian and Alaska Native adults attending cultural events in Washington State on their use of various types of social media. We used logistic regressions to assess participant use of Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram as related to participant demographics, including age, gender, education, and residence (either reservation, rural area but not a reservation, or large metropolitan area). Facebook was used by more participants (79%) than other platforms, followed by Instagram (31%); Nearly half of participants used only one social media platform (48%). Age was negatively associated with using Instagram (0.8 OR, 95% CI: 0.7, 0.9) and Snapchat (0.6 OR, 95% CI: 0.5, 0.7). College education was associated with a higher odds of using an additional social media platform compared to those without any college education (2.0 OR, 95% CI: 1.1, 3.6). Most participants used social media platforms, suggesting that they may be a useful tool in disseminating health and health risk information to American Indian and Alaska Native people. Further research should document how social media can be used to effectively disseminate risk and health information across the life course and assess whether it can influence health knowledge and behaviors among this populations.