Hypertension: An Instagram analysis

Abstract

Background Hypertension (HTN) or high blood pressure exerts a significant public health burden on cardiovascular health status and healthcare systems in India. With the internet now being used to search for information about medical conditions and treatment, the aim of the study was to review the posts and videos related to hypertension on Instagram and to check their authenticity.Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional observational study was conducted over a period of one month in August 2022, in which posts under different hashtags related to hypertension were analyzed. Information related to the type of post, number of likes and comments, the type of information provided, and information about the uploaders were collected. The information provided in the posts was cross-checked according to WHO guidelines for hypertension.Results: Out of 600 posts only 404 posts (67.3%) were related to hypertension.Our study revealed that 311 posts (76.98%) regarding Hypertension on Instagram are true and 242 posts (59.9%) were posted by the healthcare and welfare Industry. Majority of the posts are related to prevention of hypertension.Conclusions: According to our research, 30% of Instagram posts are unrelated to the category they are under. People will become aware that not everything they see on Instagram is true or pertinent to the issue by recognizing such posts and statistics regarding the misinformation that is present there.