Effective posts have led to a better understanding among new parents-ScienceDaily

After seeing a social media post, researchers found that toddler parents were better able to remember safety messages, such as how to put their baby to sleep safely, when the image in the post matched the text message. It was discovered.

The study will be displayed in Health Communication Journal..

“Often scientists and safety professionals are not involved in social media decisions of health agencies or other organizations, images unrelated to safety messages, or worse, inconsistent with guidance. The image will be displayed, “said Liz Klein, lead author and associate professor of public health at Ohio State University.

For example, take the example of safe sleep. Researchers have proposed a crib without bumpers for babies, but found a post using images of babies in cribs with bumpers. They saw a post about preventing head injuries with bicycle helmets shown in pictures of children without bicycle helmets.

“This study was trying to understand how important these discrepancies are. Do people understand the message even if the images are incorrect? Are the images really important?” Klein said.

Their answer came from a study using eye-tracking techniques to measure the attention paid by young parents to various posts, and subsequent tests to confirm what they remembered about the safety message. ..

When 150 parents surveyed see three posts with matching images and text and three other posts with mismatched visual and written messages, they spend 5.3 seconds on matching posts. However, it took 3.3 seconds for my eyes to prolong. Mismatched posts.

In addition, the matched message seemed to make a difference in understanding and recalling the safety message. After considering the differences in health literacy and social media use between participants, researchers found that browsing time per second for matched posts was associated with a 2.8% increase in safety knowledge score. did.

“Approximately 70% of adults report social media use, and many parents use social media and other internet sources to keep their injury prevention strategies up-to-date. Social media is safe and injured. This is a great opportunity to broadcast a message of prevention, “said the collaborative research. Author Lara Mackenzie, Principal Investigator, Injury Research and Policy Center, National Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

“As more health and public health agencies use social media to share health information with the general public, our findings show that the images and text in social media posts match. It emphasizes the need to confirm. “

Klein said he understands that people who manage social media accounts can be attracted to the images that get the most attention. But when it comes to health and safety, this study suggests that it’s more important to make sure that the image and text send the same message.

“If you want people to raise your medicine and keep it out of the reach of your child, your child should wear a bicycle helmet or ask a new parent that your baby should always lie on his back in the crib alone. Keep in mind. Matching is important here .. Maybe save eye-catching and humorous posts for a variety of purposes. “

Klein said the results of this study are likely to extend beyond child safety messages to various health and safety campaigns, but the power of social media in different types of public health communication. There’s more work to be done to figure out how to get the most out of.

“We need to pay more attention to how we communicate with those who are trying to influence our health and safety guidance. All of us are better public using social media accounts. You can do a better job thinking about ways to contribute to hygiene, “she said.

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material Provided by Ohio State University.. Original written by Misty Crane. Note: The content can be edited in style and length.