RESUMO
The consumption and sharing of information on social media contribute to the circulation of false health content. In this sense, popular belief-driven posts recommending the use of amber necklaces to prevent symptoms of teething can be easily found on social media, even when they offer health risks for children. Accordingly, this study aimed to characterize posts in Portuguese by identifying message-based factors associated with higher user interactions of Facebook. A total of 500 Facebook posts published in Portuguese between August 2016 and August 2021 were retrieved by CrowdTangle, and analyzed quantitatively according to time of publication, total user interaction, and post overperforming score, and then qualitatively by two independent investigators, according to motivation, authors' profiles, and sentiment. The data were evaluated by descriptive analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression models regarding interaction metrics. The posts were published predominantly by commercial profiles, with social, psychological, and financial motivations, and expressed positive sentiment. Furthermore, time of publication (OR=2.65), regular user profiles (OR=3.30), and neutral/negative sentiment (OR=2.76) were associated positively with total interactions, whereas only time of publication was associated with post overperforming scores (OR=1.65). In conclusion, Facebook posts promoting efficacy of amber necklaces in managing teething symptoms are primarily created by commercial profiles with vested interests in marketing the product. The key factors that contribute to the success of posts containing false information about amber necklaces on Facebook can be identified by considering the author's profile, sentiment, and time of publication.
Assuntos
Mídias Sociais , Humanos , Erupção Dentária/fisiologia , Estatísticas não Paramétricas , Fatores de Tempo , Modelos Logísticos , Disseminação de Informação/métodos , Portugal , MotivaçãoRESUMO
Abstract The consumption and sharing of information on social media contribute to the circulation of false health content. In this sense, popular belief-driven posts recommending the use of amber necklaces to prevent symptoms of teething can be easily found on social media, even when they offer health risks for children. Accordingly, this study aimed to characterize posts in Portuguese by identifying message-based factors associated with higher user interactions of Facebook. A total of 500 Facebook posts published in Portuguese between August 2016 and August 2021 were retrieved by CrowdTangle, and analyzed quantitatively according to time of publication, total user interaction, and post overperforming score, and then qualitatively by two independent investigators, according to motivation, authors' profiles, and sentiment. The data were evaluated by descriptive analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression models regarding interaction metrics. The posts were published predominantly by commercial profiles, with social, psychological, and financial motivations, and expressed positive sentiment. Furthermore, time of publication (OR=2.65), regular user profiles (OR=3.30), and neutral/negative sentiment (OR=2.76) were associated positively with total interactions, whereas only time of publication was associated with post overperforming scores (OR=1.65). In conclusion, Facebook posts promoting efficacy of amber necklaces in managing teething symptoms are primarily created by commercial profiles with vested interests in marketing the product. The key factors that contribute to the success of posts containing false information about amber necklaces on Facebook can be identified by considering the author's profile, sentiment, and time of publication.
RESUMO
Recent studies have been concerned about the vast amount of misinformation detected on social media that directly hampers the prevention and control of chronic diseases. Based on these facts, the aim of this study was to identify and characterize misinformation about dental caries-related content found on Facebook, regarding the predictive factors of user interaction with posts. Then, CrowdTangle retrieved 2,436 posts published in English, ordered by the total interaction of the highest users. A total of 1,936 posts were selected for inclusion and exclusion criteria to select a sample of 500 posts. Subsequently, two independent investigators characterized the posts by their time of publication, author's profile, motivation, the aim of content, content facticity, and sentiment. The statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U and χ2 tests and multiple logistic regression models to determine differences and associations between dichotomized characteristics. p values <0.05 were considered significant. In general, posts were predominantly originated from the USA (74.8%), related to business profiles (89%), presented preventive content (58.6%), and noncommercial motivation (91.6%). Furthermore, misinformation was detected in 40.8% of the posts and was positively associated with positive sentiment (OR = 3.43), business profile (OR = 2.22), and treatment of dental caries (OR = 1.60). While the total interaction was only positively associated with misinformation (OR = 1.44), the overperforming score was associated with posts from the business profile (OR = 5.67), older publications (OR = 1.57), and positive sentiment (OR = 0.66). In conclusion, misinformation was the unique predictive factor of increased user interaction with dental caries-related posts on Facebook. However, it did not predict the performance of the diffusion of posts such as business profiles, older publications, and negative/neutral sentiment. Therefore, it is essential to promote the development of specific policies toward good quality information on social media, which includes the production of adequate materials, the increase of the critical sense of consuming health content, and information filtering mediated by digital solutions.