Impact of health-related Twitter messages on rates of diabetes screening in the Saudi Arabian population

Problem Domain: Type II diabetes (T2D) is a severe chronic metabolic disorder. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) currently suffers from high rates of undiagnosed T2D. In response, the KSA Ministry of Health (MoH) implemented the National Diabetes Prevention and Control Program (NDPCP) as a way to promote the diagnosis and early intervention for T2D. This project aimed to assess the feasibility of using Twitter, a highly-used social media platform in KSA, to promote diabetic screening among persons at risk of developing T2D in KSA. The objectives of this research were to: 1) develop a targeted social media model for the “Do not Wait for Diabetes” (DNWD) Campaign using Twitter, 2) compare the screening frequencies for T2D before and after the implementation of the DNWD Twitter Campaign, 3) measure users’ engagement and satisfaction with the DNWD Twitter Campaign, and 4) explore stakeholders’ views on the DNWD Twitter Campaign and its wider implementation and sustainability. Methodology: To achieve the objectives, a Twitter social media campaign was implemented using the MoH NDPCP Twitter account, and three substudies performed. Frequencies of T2D referrals at two MoH clinical locations, results from a Twitter user survey, and qualitative data from interviewing clinical and governmental stakeholders were analyzed to provide insight on the impact of the Twitter social media campaign. Results: The social media campaign was implemented from November 2017 through July 2018. Referral data were not helpful in providing insight on campaign impact, but survey data were. Of the approximately 800 Twitter users surveyed who were following the NDPCP Twitter account, 95% of respondents reported getting screened for T2D over the period of the campaign, and of those, 87% said they were Page 7 motivated by the tweets from the campaign. Over 90% of respondents reported satisfaction with various dimensions of the tweets. Interview results revealed that stakeholders felt that the campaign was realistic and sustainable if budgeted as a component of the overall public health campaign organized by the MoH. Conclusion: This project demonstrated that social media can be used to enhance the reach of an existing government-sponsored T2D awareness public health campaign. Future social media health education awareness projects can use this example as a prototype for applying social media to public health campaigns aimed at other clinical areas and populations.Open Acces