The Influence of Social Media Lifestyle Interventions on Health Behaviour: A Study on Patients with Major Depressive Disorders and Family Caregivers

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts that depression will be the second leading cause of diseases by 2020. If depression is not properly treated, it can develop into a depressive disorder and increase the risk of suicide.Besides biopsychosocial factors, lifestyle is said to be a major cause of this disease and has led to an increase in its prevalence. Objective: The objective of this study was to study the intentions of patients with major depressive disorders and family caregivers to change their health behaviour and lifestyle through social media influences. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Participants were invited to take part in the research and give their informed consent. The sample consisted of 157 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorders, aged 18 years and over, and 110 family caregivers. Data were collected from the questionnaires designed according to the I-Change Model (ICM). Statistical results to confirm causal relationships were analysed based on Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and by using the SmartPLS 3 software. Results: Patients and family caregivers were questioned about their perspectives on health matters and the influence on their motivations and intentions to change patients’ health behaviour and lifestyle, particularly social media interventions. The patients received information and counselling about health matters, health awareness, motivation and their intentions to change their health behaviour. The family caregivers were presented with the same information and counselling to motivate them to influence the depressive patients’ intentions to change their health behaviour. Conclusion: It is possible that lifestyle interventions on social media can influence the intention to change health behaviour in both patients and caregivers. However, if the patient lacks interest in participating in the treatment and does not have a good relationship with the clinician or provide relevant information to the experts; this can be an obstacle to changing their health behaviour. Therefore, future research should be conducted to ascertain which interventions are appropriate for patients and to study the long-term effects of any risks from using social media in patients with major depressive disorders.

Effect of dramatized health messages: Modelling predictors of the impact of COVID-19 YouTube animated cartoons on health behaviour of social media users in Nigeria

“…On a comparative note, recall predicted health behaviour more than exposure. Our results extend those of Uittenhout (2012) and Jattamart and Leelasantitham (2019), who examined the impact of social media on health behaviour without looking at the role of exposure and recall together. Therefore, in the current study, we have shown that exposure and recall are essential predictors of the effectiveness of YouTube animated cartoons on COVID-19 and on health behaviour.…”

“…Fletcher et al (2011), Macdonald-Wallis et al (2011), Sawka et al (2013) and Latkin and Knowlton (2015) are in agreement that exposure to social media content from people that are close to the user (such as friends, family members, neighbours, as well as colleagues) significantly impacts on the health behaviour of social media users. Jattamart and Leelasantitham (2019) carried out a study to examine the intentions of patients who have severe depressive disorders and family caregivers to alter their health behaviour and lifestyle through social media influences and reported that there is a significant association between social lifestyle interventions and change in health behaviour for both patients and caregivers. Earlier studies by Young et al (2015) and Maher et al (2015) also reported that social media interventions are effective in influencing health behaviour.…”

Assessment of preventive behavior and associated factors towards COVID-19 in Qellam Wallaga Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study

“…In our study the use of social media as a source of information was also significantly associated with preventive behavior for COVID-19. Now days the world has become a global village where everyone can share information and learn about new things in the world being at his/ her residence while social influences are primary factor in the adoption of health behaviors [19]. According to findings from a study conducted on effect of medias, media not only provides new information that persuades individuals to accept it but also can informs listeners about what others learn, thus facilitates preventive behavior [20].…”

“…Novel-coronavirus disease (COVID- 19) is currently a public health emergency of international and local concerns [1]. The coronavirus belongs to a family of nidovirus that may cause various symptoms such as cough, fever, breathing difficulty, and lung infection.…”

Perspectives to social media usage of depressed patients and caregivers affecting to change the health behavior of patients in terms of information and perceived privacy risks

“…However, there are researches studied to the process of changing health behaviors using the I-Change Model (Hein de Vries, Mesters, Van de Steeg and Honing, 2005) including sleep behavior (Cassoff et al, 2014), smoking cessation (Rüther et al, 2015), alcohol consumption (van der Wulp et al, 2013). Moreover, some studies confirm that the possibility of lifestyle interventions by using SM is an influence on health behaviors in depressed patients (Jattamart and Leelasantitham, 2019). The results only explain the relationship between factors and intentions, but as yet there have been no studies into the relationship between change health behaviors, content, and the risk of both privacy and unreliability of information on SM.…”