Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on Instagram

Abstract Background Increasingly, social media is a source for information about health and disease self-management. We conducted a content analysis of promotional asthma-related posts on Instagram to understand whether promoted products and services are consistent with the recommendations found in...

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Main Authors: Brent Heineman, Marcella Jewell, Michael Moran, Kolbi Bradley, Kerry A. Spitzer, Peter K. Lindenauer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2021-03-01
Series:Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-021-00528-3
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spelling doaj-b93abd2638844c0680f71ba066467d7e2021-03-11T11:56:51ZengBMCAllergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology1710-14922021-03-011711710.1186/s13223-021-00528-3Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on InstagramBrent Heineman0Marcella Jewell1Michael Moran2Kolbi Bradley3Kerry A. Spitzer4Peter K. Lindenauer5Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School-BaystateInstitute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School-BaystateInstitute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School-BaystateInstitute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School-BaystateInstitute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School-BaystateInstitute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School-BaystateAbstract Background Increasingly, social media is a source for information about health and disease self-management. We conducted a content analysis of promotional asthma-related posts on Instagram to understand whether promoted products and services are consistent with the recommendations found in the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2019 guidelines. Methods We collected every Instagram post incorporating a common, asthma-related hashtag between September 29, 2019 and October 5, 2019. Of these 2936 collected posts, we analyzed a random sample of 266, of which, 211 met our inclusion criteria. Using an inductive, qualitative approach, we categorized the promotional posts and compared each post’s content with the recommendations contained in the 2019 GINA guidelines. Posts were categorized as “consistent with GINA” if the content was supported by the GINA guidelines. Posts that promoted content that was not recommended by or was unrelated to the guidelines were categorized as “not supported by GINA”. Results Of 211 posts, 89 (42.2%) were promotional in nature. Of these, a total of 29 (32.6%) were categorized as being consistent with GINA guidelines. The majority of posts were not supported by the guidelines. Forty-one (46.1%) posts promoted content that was not recommended by the current guidelines. Nineteen (21.3%) posts promoted content that was unrelated to the guidelines. The majority of unsupported content promoted non-pharmacological therapies (n = 39, 65%) to manage asthma, such as black seed oil, salt-room therapy, or cupping. Conclusions The majority of Instagram posts in our sample promoted products or services that were not supported by GINA guidelines. These findings suggest a need for providers to discuss online health information with patients and highlight an opportunity for providers and social media companies to promote evidence-based asthma treatments and self-management advice online.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-021-00528-3AsthmaSocial mediaClinical guidelinesQualitative methodsMisinformationInternet
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Brent Heineman
Marcella Jewell
Michael Moran
Kolbi Bradley
Kerry A. Spitzer
Peter K. Lindenauer
spellingShingle Brent Heineman
Marcella Jewell
Michael Moran
Kolbi Bradley
Kerry A. Spitzer
Peter K. Lindenauer
Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on Instagram
Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology
Asthma
Social media
Clinical guidelines
Qualitative methods
Misinformation
Internet
author_facet Brent Heineman
Marcella Jewell
Michael Moran
Kolbi Bradley
Kerry A. Spitzer
Peter K. Lindenauer
author_sort Brent Heineman
title Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on Instagram
title_short Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on Instagram
title_full Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on Instagram
title_fullStr Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on Instagram
title_full_unstemmed Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on Instagram
title_sort content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on instagram
publisher BMC
series Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology
issn 1710-1492
publishDate 2021-03-01
description Abstract Background Increasingly, social media is a source for information about health and disease self-management. We conducted a content analysis of promotional asthma-related posts on Instagram to understand whether promoted products and services are consistent with the recommendations found in the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2019 guidelines. Methods We collected every Instagram post incorporating a common, asthma-related hashtag between September 29, 2019 and October 5, 2019. Of these 2936 collected posts, we analyzed a random sample of 266, of which, 211 met our inclusion criteria. Using an inductive, qualitative approach, we categorized the promotional posts and compared each post’s content with the recommendations contained in the 2019 GINA guidelines. Posts were categorized as “consistent with GINA” if the content was supported by the GINA guidelines. Posts that promoted content that was not recommended by or was unrelated to the guidelines were categorized as “not supported by GINA”. Results Of 211 posts, 89 (42.2%) were promotional in nature. Of these, a total of 29 (32.6%) were categorized as being consistent with GINA guidelines. The majority of posts were not supported by the guidelines. Forty-one (46.1%) posts promoted content that was not recommended by the current guidelines. Nineteen (21.3%) posts promoted content that was unrelated to the guidelines. The majority of unsupported content promoted non-pharmacological therapies (n = 39, 65%) to manage asthma, such as black seed oil, salt-room therapy, or cupping. Conclusions The majority of Instagram posts in our sample promoted products or services that were not supported by GINA guidelines. These findings suggest a need for providers to discuss online health information with patients and highlight an opportunity for providers and social media companies to promote evidence-based asthma treatments and self-management advice online.
topic Asthma
Social media
Clinical guidelines
Qualitative methods
Misinformation
Internet
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-021-00528-3
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