The effect of social media interventions on physical activity and dietary behaviours in young people and adults:a systematic review

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this systematic review were to update the evidence base on social media interventions for physical activity and diet since 2014, analyse the characteristics of interventions that resulted in changes to physical activity and diet-related behaviours, and assess differences in outcomes across different population groups. METHODS: A systematic search of the literature was conducted across 5 databases (Medline, Embase, EBSCO Education, Wiley and Scopus) using key words related to social media, physical activity, diet, and age. The inclusion criteria were: participants age 13+ years in the general population; an intervention that used commercial social media platform(s); outcomes related to changes to diet/eating or physical activity behaviours; and quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies. Quality appraisal tools that aligned with the study designs were used. A mixed methods approach was used to analyse and synthesise all evidence. RESULTS: Eighteen studies were included: randomised control trials (n = 4), non-controlled trials (n = 3), mixed methods studies (n = 3), non-randomised controlled trials (n = 5) and cross-sectional studies (n = 3). The target population of most studies was young female adults (aged 18–35) attending college/university. The interventions reported on positive changes to physical activity and diet-related behaviours through increases in physical activity levels and modifications to food intake, body composition and/or body weight. The use of Facebook, Facebook groups and the accessibility of information and interaction were the main characteristics of social media interventions. Studies also reported on Instagram, Reddit, WeChat and Twitter and the use of photo sharing and editing, groups and sub-groups and gamification. CONCLUSIONS: Social media interventions can positively change physical activity and diet-related behaviours, via increases in physical activity levels, healthy modifications to food intake, and beneficial changes to body composition or body weight. New evidence is provided on the contemporary uses of social media (e.g. gamification, multi-model application, image sharing/editing, group chats) that can be used by policy makers, professionals, organisations and/or researchers to inform the design of future social media interventions. This study had some limitations that mainly relate to variation in study design, over-reliance of self-reported measures and sample characteristics, that prevented comparative analysis. Registration number: PROPSERO;CRD42020210806. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12966-021-01138-3

Social media use informing behaviours related to physical activity, diet and quality of life during COVID-19:a mixed methods study

Abstract Background This mixed methods study explored how social media use informed physical activity and diet-related behaviours, and self-perceived Quality of Life (QoL) during COVID-19, and assessed the contextual factors that drive social media use for health-related behaviour change in diverse groups. During the COVID-19 lockdown periods there were reported changes to social media use and health behaviours, and this gave an opportunity to investigate potential relationships. Methods An explanatory sequential research design of two parts was used: (1) An online survey that assessed social media use in relation to physical activity levels, diet quality and QoL (n = 786; Mage 45.1 ± 19.1 (range 16–88) years; Female =69%); (2) 20 purposive focus groups (n = 69; Mage = 52.88 ± 18.45 years, Female n = 68%) to understand the contextual factors that drive social media use for health-related behaviour change. Descriptive and thematic analysis were conducted. Results Participants in this study reported that social media facilitated the self-management of behaviours related to physical activity, diet and QoL, through access to information to inform workouts and dietary quality, and the opportunities for interaction with peers, family members and within social groups. Contextual factors including work, home and lifestyle arrangements, pre-existing health-related knowledge and behaviours, and the perceived value of social media for health influenced the relationship between social media use and self-reported outcomes. Social media influencers, peers/family members, and official organisations influenced the application of health-related information accessed via social media. Conclusions The evidence shows that participants were critical users of social media and were able to use social media to derive benefit for their health and wellbeing. Detailed guidance for those who use social media, as well as those who recommend and endorse social media content is required to maximise the potential of social media to support health behaviours. Future public health strategies and social media interventions should acknowledge diversity in contextual factors driving social media use for health behaviour change

β2 integrins differentially regulate γδ T cell subset thymic development and peripheral maintenance

The γδ T cells reside predominantly at barrier sites and play essential roles in immune protection against infection and cancer. Despite recent advances in the development of γδ T cell immunotherapy, our understanding of the basic biology of these cells, including how their numbers are regulated in vivo, remains poor. This is particularly true for tissue-resident γδ T cells. We have identified the β2 family of integrins as regulators of γδ T cells. β2-integrin–deficient mice displayed a striking increase in numbers of IL-17–producing Vγ6Vδ1+ γδ T cells in the lungs, uterus, and circulation. Thymic development of this population was normal. However, single-cell RNA sequencing revealed the enrichment of genes associated with T cell survival and proliferation specifically in β2-integrin–deficient IL-17+ cells compared to their wild-type counterparts. Indeed, β2-integrin–deficient Vγ6+ cells from the lungs showed reduced apoptosis ex vivo, suggesting that increased survival contributes to the accumulation of these cells in β2-integrin–deficient tissues. Furthermore, our data revealed an unexpected role for β2 integrins in promoting the thymic development of the IFNγ-producing CD27+ Vγ4+ γδ T cell subset. Together, our data reveal that β2 integrins are important regulators of γδ T cell homeostasis, inhibiting the survival of IL-17–producing Vγ6Vδ1+ cells and promoting the thymic development of the IFNγ-producing Vγ4+ subset. Our study introduces unprecedented mechanisms of control for γδ T cell subsets

Guidelines for using social media to inform behaviours related to physical activity, diet and quality of life

This report provides evidence-based guidelines on how social media use can positively influence behaviours related to physical activity, diet, and overall quality of life. Researchers from the University of Birmingham worked with young people and adults (aged 16-88) to understand if and how social media use informs health-related behaviour change. Data were collected during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period of 2020 to better understand the key factors that drive social media use for behaviour change

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patient Volumes, Acuity, and Outcomes in Pediatric Emergency Departments: A Nationwide Study

Objectives The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization and outcomes. Methods This study is an interrupted-Time-series observational study of children presenting to 11 Canadian tertiary-care pediatric EDs. Data were grouped into weeks in 3 study periods: prepandemic (January 1, 2018-January 27, 2020), peripandemic (January 28, 2020-March 10, 2020), and early pandemic (March 11, 2020-April 30, 2020). These periods were compared with the same time intervals in the 2 preceding calendar years. Primary outcomes were number of ED visits per week. The secondary outcomes were triage acuity, hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mortality, length of hospital stay, ED revisits, and visits for trauma and mental health concerns. Results There were 577,807 ED visits (median age, 4.5 years; 52.9% male). Relative to the prepandemic period, there was a reduction [-58%; 95% confidence interval (CI),-63% to-51%] in the number of ED visits during the early-pandemic period, with concomitant higher acuity. There was a concurrent increase in the proportion of ward [odds ratio (OR), 1.39; 95% CI, 1.32-1.45] and intensive care unit (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.01-1.42) admissions, and trauma-related ED visits among children less than 10 years (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.45-1.56). Mental health-related visits in children declined in the early-pandemic period (in \u3c10 years,-60%; 95% CI,-67% to-51%; in children ≥10 years:-56%; 95% CI,-63% to-47%) relative to the pre-COVID-19 period. There were no differences in mortality or length of stay; however, ED revisits within 72 hours were reduced during the early-pandemic period (percent change:-55%; 95% CI,-61% to-49%; P \u3c 0.001). Conclusions After the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, dramatic reductions in pediatric ED visits occurred across Canada. Children seeking ED care were sicker, and there was an increase in trauma-related visits among children more than 10 years of age, whereas mental health visits declined during the early-pandemic period. When faced with a future pandemic, public health officials must consider the impact of the illness and the measures implemented on children\u27s health and acute care needs

SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses and clinical outcomes after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with immune-suppressive disease

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immune responses and infection outcomes were evaluated in 2,686 patients with varying immune-suppressive disease states after administration of two Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. Overall, 255 of 2,204 (12%) patients failed to develop anti-spike antibodies, with an additional 600 of 2,204 (27%) patients generating low levels (<380 AU ml−1). Vaccine failure rates were highest in ANCA-associated vasculitis on rituximab (21/29, 72%), hemodialysis on immunosuppressive therapy (6/30, 20%) and solid organ transplant recipients (20/81, 25% and 141/458, 31%). SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses were detected in 513 of 580 (88%) patients, with lower T cell magnitude or proportion in hemodialysis, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and liver transplant recipients (versus healthy controls). Humoral responses against Omicron (BA.1) were reduced, although cross-reactive T cell responses were sustained in all participants for whom these data were available. BNT162b2 was associated with higher antibody but lower cellular responses compared to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination. We report 474 SARS-CoV-2 infection episodes, including 48 individuals with hospitalization or death from COVID-19. Decreased magnitude of both the serological and the T cell response was associated with severe COVID-19. Overall, we identified clinical phenotypes that may benefit from targeted COVID-19 therapeutic strategies

Young People’s health-related learning through social media: What do teachers need to know?

International regulatory bodies have argued that young people should be better supported to engage safely, responsibly and effectively with social media. This paper considers ways in which the introduction of structured social media engagement in schools could bring educational benefits for young people, particularly in supporting them to deal with challenges relating to health and wellbeing. New evidence is provided on: (i) the value of social media as a health-related learning tool to bridge informal and formal learning contexts; (ii) how teachers should be supported to better understand and respond to young people’s learning needs; and (iii) the school-based policies, expectations and resources that will help teachers to offer relevant support