Social Media as a Platform for Cancer Care Decision Making: A Survey-Based Study on Trust, Engagement, and Preferences (Preprint)

Abstract

Decision aids can improve patient and clinician decision making but are underused and restricted to clinical settings.

To investigate the potential dissemination of health decision aids through digital platforms and social media.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in February 2023 using an online platform. Descriptive statistics evaluated demographics, health and cancer information-seeking behaviors, and social media trust and usage. Correlation and non-parametric tests analyzed relationships between these variables and likelihood to view health information or access decision aids online.

Of 607 respondents, 65.4% had searched for cancer information. Of these 46.6% had used the internet for their primary source of cancer information. Facebook was the most popular social media platform, used by 84.2% of respondents. Trust in social media for health information was higher among those of Black or Asian race (p=0.003), younger age (p<0.001), and fewer years as a United States resident (p=0.004). Trust in social media for health information was associated with a higher likelihood of viewing online health information and accessing a decision aid online (p<0.001). Younger age was associated with increased online health seeking behavior (p=0.008). Social media engagement was associated with increased online health seeking behavior (ρ=0.20 p<0.001) and willingness to access an online decision aid (ρ=0.21, p<0.001).

Social media platforms hold promise for increasing accessibility of evidence-based health information and decision aids. Future research should evaluate the use of social media with patient populations. The nuanced relationship(s) between trust and digital media use should be explored to optimize content delivery.

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