ArticlePilot and feasibility studies2022
Investigating the feasibility and acceptability of using Instagram to engage post-graduate students in a mass communication social media-based health intervention, #WeeStepsToHealth.
Article in Pilot and feasibility studies, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Elements Influencing User Engagement in Social Media Posts on Lifestyle Risk Factors: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Trial
- Pre-Post Evaluation of a Sun Safety Social Media Campaign for Young Adults to Reduce Skin Cancer Risk.JMIR dermatology · 2026Article
- Humor in Social Media Health Communication: A Systematic Review of Strategic Uses and Effects.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Feasibility of the Social Media-Based Prevention Program "Leduin" for German Adolescents on Instagram: Mixed Methods Pilot Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- The Ways of Using Social Media for Health Promotion Among Adolescents: Qualitative Interview and Focus Group Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- The individual-level effects of social media campaigns related to healthy eating, physical activity, and healthy weight: A narrative review.Obesity science & practice · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInstagram's popularity among young adults continues to rise, and previous work has identified diffusion of unhealthy messages and misinformation throughout the platform. However, we know little about how to use Instagram to promote health messages. This study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using Instagram to engage post-graduate students in a mass communication social media (SM)-based health intervention.
methodsA 4-week intervention targeting post-graduate students with physical activity (PA), nutrition, and general wellbeing messages was conducted via Instagram. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using SM metrics (likes, comments, and shares), pre- and post-intervention online surveys (knowledge, attitude, and behavioural outcomes), and a focus group conducted with a sample of individuals in the target population (to assess intervention recall, feedback on message framing, and acceptability of Instagram).
resultsThe two independent samples captured by online surveys (pre-intervention, n = 43, post-intervention, n = 41, representing 12.3% and 11.7% of Instagram followers, respectively) were predominantly female (88.4%, 80.5%) aged 18-34 (95.4%, 95.1%). Respondents in the second survey reported higher weekly PA levels (+ 13.7%) and more frequent nutritional behaviours including consumption of five or more fruits and vegetables (+ 23.3%) and looking at nutritional labels (+ 10.3%). However, respondents in the second survey also reported less frequent meal preparation (- 18.0%) and a small increase in fast food consumption (+ 2.8% consuming fast food 3-4 days a week). A total of 247 'likes' were collected from 28 Instagram posts (mean 8.8 likes per post). Humorous posts achieved a moderately higher level of engagement than non-humorous posts (median 10 and 8 likes, respectively). Focus group participants liked the campaign content and trusted the information source.
conclusionsFindings indicate that Instagram could be a feasible and acceptable platform for engaging post-graduate students in a SM-based mass communication health intervention, and that humour may have the potential to encourage further engagement.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.