ASPO Abstracts
#ColonCancer text and visuals: Colorectal Cancer on Twitter and Instagram
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose of the StudyColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths overall in the United States (US). Despite the gravity of this disease, little is known about social media discussions of colorectal cancer. Enhanced understanding of what colorectal cancer information is available and how it isspread on social media may inform strategies to communicate risk and prevention strategies. Thisknowledge may be particularly important considering the disease is largely preventative throughlifestyle modification and widespread screening. This study focuses on how the public discussescolorectal cancer on the social media platforms Twitter and Instagram. MethodsA random sample of 500 colorectal cancer-related tweets and 500 Instagram posts including the hashtags #coloncancer and #colorectalcancer were collected using the Netlytic platform. In a quantitative content analysis, two independent investigators will code for a variety offactors, including the sources of information posted, CRC-specific content, and the presence of health behavior and risk communication variables. Engagement with posts (i.e., frequency ofretweets, likes, and replies on Twitter; and number of likes and comments on Instagram) will beanalyzed. In addition, the colorectal cancer-related messages will be interpreted through the lens ofthe Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). ResultsAnalyses are ongoing and will be completed by January 20, 2019.ConclusionsStudy findings will provide insights for public health professionals and health communication researchers about the conversation related to colorectal cancer on social media andultimately, may aid the development of future social media-based interventions.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, Twitter, Instagram,and social media