PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
TikTok is one of the most-used and fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, and recent reports indicate that it has become an increasingly popular source of news and information in the United States. These trends have important implications for public health because an abundance of health information exists on the platform. Women are among the largest group of TikTok users in the United States and may be especially affected by the dissemination of health information on TikTok. Prior research has shown that women are not only more likely to look for information on the internet but are also more likely to have their health-related behaviors and perceptions affected by their involvement with social media.
We conducted a survey of young women in the United States to better understand their use of TikTok for health information as well as their perceptions of TikTok\'s health information and health communication sources.
A web-based survey of US women aged 18 to 29 years (N=1172) was conducted in April-May 2023. The sample was recruited from a Qualtrics research panel and 2 public universities in the United States.
The results indicate that the majority of young women in the United States who have used TikTok have obtained health information from the platform either intentionally (672/1026, 65.5%) or unintentionally (948/1026, 92.4%). Age (959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.30; P<.001), education (959/1026, 93.47%; ρ=0.10; P=.001), and TikTok intensity (ie, participants\' emotional connectedness to TikTok and TikTok\'s integration into their daily lives; 959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.32; P<.001) were positively correlated with overall credibility perceptions of the health information. Nearly the entire sample reported that they think that misinformation is prevalent on TikTok to at least some extent (1007/1026, 98.15%), but a third-person effect was found because the young women reported that they believe that other people are more susceptible to health misinformation on TikTok than they personally are (t1025=21.16; P<.001). Both health professionals and general users were common sources of health information on TikTok: 93.08% (955/1026) of the participants indicated that they had obtained health information from a health professional, and 93.86% (963/1026) indicated that they had obtained health information from a general user. The respondents showed greater preference for health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=23.75; P<.001); the respondents also reported obtaining health information from health professionals more often than from general users (t1025=8.13; P<.001), and they were more likely to act on health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=12.74; P<.001).
The findings suggest that health professionals and health communication scholars need to proactively consider using TikTok as a platform for disseminating health information to young women because young women are obtaining health information from TikTok and prefer information from health professionals.
We conducted a survey of young women in the United States to better understand their use of TikTok for health information as well as their perceptions of TikTok\'s health information and health communication sources.
A web-based survey of US women aged 18 to 29 years (N=1172) was conducted in April-May 2023. The sample was recruited from a Qualtrics research panel and 2 public universities in the United States.
The results indicate that the majority of young women in the United States who have used TikTok have obtained health information from the platform either intentionally (672/1026, 65.5%) or unintentionally (948/1026, 92.4%). Age (959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.30; P<.001), education (959/1026, 93.47%; ρ=0.10; P=.001), and TikTok intensity (ie, participants\' emotional connectedness to TikTok and TikTok\'s integration into their daily lives; 959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.32; P<.001) were positively correlated with overall credibility perceptions of the health information. Nearly the entire sample reported that they think that misinformation is prevalent on TikTok to at least some extent (1007/1026, 98.15%), but a third-person effect was found because the young women reported that they believe that other people are more susceptible to health misinformation on TikTok than they personally are (t1025=21.16; P<.001). Both health professionals and general users were common sources of health information on TikTok: 93.08% (955/1026) of the participants indicated that they had obtained health information from a health professional, and 93.86% (963/1026) indicated that they had obtained health information from a general user. The respondents showed greater preference for health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=23.75; P<.001); the respondents also reported obtaining health information from health professionals more often than from general users (t1025=8.13; P<.001), and they were more likely to act on health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=12.74; P<.001).
The findings suggest that health professionals and health communication scholars need to proactively consider using TikTok as a platform for disseminating health information to young women because young women are obtaining health information from TikTok and prefer information from health professionals.
摘要：
背景：TikTok是世界上使用最多，增长最快的社交媒体平台之一，最近的报道表明，它已成为美国越来越受欢迎的新闻和信息来源。这些趋势对公共卫生具有重要意义，因为平台上存在丰富的健康信息。女性是美国最大的TikTok用户群体之一，尤其受到TikTok健康信息传播的影响。先前的研究表明，女性不仅更有可能在互联网上寻找信息，而且更有可能因参与社交媒体而影响与健康相关的行为和观念。
目的：我们对美国的年轻女性进行了一项调查，以更好地了解她们对TikTok健康信息的使用以及她们对TikTok健康信息和健康传播来源的看法。
方法：在2023年4月至5月对18至29岁的美国女性进行了基于网络的调查（N=1172）。该样本是从Qualtrics研究小组和美国2所公立大学中招募的。
结果：结果表明，美国大多数使用过TikTok的年轻女性都是有意（672/1026，65.5％）或无意（948/1026，92.4％）从该平台获得健康信息。年龄（959/1026，93.47%；r=0.30；P<.001），教育（959/1026，93.47%；ρ=0.10；P=.001），和TikTok强度(即，参与者与TikTok的情感联系和TikTok融入日常生活；959/1026，93.47%；r=0.32；P<.001）与健康信息的整体可信度呈正相关。几乎所有样本都报告说，他们认为错误信息在TikTok上至少在一定程度上普遍存在（1007/1026，98.15％）。但是发现了第三人称效应，因为年轻女性报告说，他们认为其他人比他们个人更容易受到TikTok健康错误信息的影响（t1025=21.16；P<.001）。卫生专业人员和一般用户都是TikTok上常见的健康信息来源：93.08％（955/1026）的参与者表示他们从卫生专业人员那里获得了健康信息。93.86%(963/1026)表示他们从一般用户那里获得了健康信息。受访者对卫生专业人员的健康信息表现出更高的偏好（与一般用户相比；t1025=23.75；P<.001）；受访者还报告说，从卫生专业人员那里获得健康信息的频率高于一般用户（t1025=8.13；P<.001），他们更有可能根据卫生专业人员的健康信息采取行动（与一般使用者相比；t1025=12.74；P<.001）。
结论：研究结果表明，卫生专业人员和健康传播学者需要积极考虑使用TikTok作为向年轻女性传播健康信息的平台，因为年轻女性从TikTok获得健康信息，更喜欢来自卫生专业人员的信息。
目的：我们对美国的年轻女性进行了一项调查，以更好地了解她们对TikTok健康信息的使用以及她们对TikTok健康信息和健康传播来源的看法。
方法：在2023年4月至5月对18至29岁的美国女性进行了基于网络的调查（N=1172）。该样本是从Qualtrics研究小组和美国2所公立大学中招募的。
结果：结果表明，美国大多数使用过TikTok的年轻女性都是有意（672/1026，65.5％）或无意（948/1026，92.4％）从该平台获得健康信息。年龄（959/1026，93.47%；r=0.30；P<.001），教育（959/1026，93.47%；ρ=0.10；P=.001），和TikTok强度(即，参与者与TikTok的情感联系和TikTok融入日常生活；959/1026，93.47%；r=0.32；P<.001）与健康信息的整体可信度呈正相关。几乎所有样本都报告说，他们认为错误信息在TikTok上至少在一定程度上普遍存在（1007/1026，98.15％）。但是发现了第三人称效应，因为年轻女性报告说，他们认为其他人比他们个人更容易受到TikTok健康错误信息的影响（t1025=21.16；P<.001）。卫生专业人员和一般用户都是TikTok上常见的健康信息来源：93.08％（955/1026）的参与者表示他们从卫生专业人员那里获得了健康信息。93.86%(963/1026)表示他们从一般用户那里获得了健康信息。受访者对卫生专业人员的健康信息表现出更高的偏好（与一般用户相比；t1025=23.75；P<.001）；受访者还报告说，从卫生专业人员那里获得健康信息的频率高于一般用户（t1025=8.13；P<.001），他们更有可能根据卫生专业人员的健康信息采取行动（与一般使用者相比；t1025=12.74；P<.001）。
结论：研究结果表明，卫生专业人员和健康传播学者需要积极考虑使用TikTok作为向年轻女性传播健康信息的平台，因为年轻女性从TikTok获得健康信息，更喜欢来自卫生专业人员的信息。
