IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON HEALTH INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AMONG YOUTH: EVIDENCE FROM LAGOS UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Social media platforms have emerged as dominant channels of health information dissemination among young people globally, reshaping health communication paradigms and challenging traditional public health outreach models. In Nigeria, where youth constitute the majority of the population and internet and mobile phone penetration continues to increase, social media represents both an opportunity and a risk for health information dissemination. Young people aged 18–30, characterised as 'digital informavores,' are known to actively seek, consume, and share health information across multiple social media platforms, with their health attitudes, behaviours, and risk perceptions significantly shaped by this exposure (Uzuegbunam, 2024).

Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) is one of Nigeria's foremost tertiary health institutions, serving a large and predominantly urban population in Lagos, Nigeria's most populous city. LUTH's outreach programmes represent a critical mechanism for translating clinical knowledge into community health messages, increasingly leveraging social media to extend the reach of health communication. Research involving participants in Lagos and the FCT found that young adults viewed platforms such as Twitter/X and Instagram as equally credible sources of health information as conventional media channels (Uzuegbunam, 2024), a finding with significant implications for the design of social media-based outreach.

A scoping review on social media for health promotion by key stakeholders found that health organisations' use of social media significantly enhanced message reach and audience engagement, though content credibility and misinformation remain persistent concerns (Gharamani et al., 2022). In 2024 and 2025, health misinformation on Nigerian social media platforms intensified, with AI-generated content, recycled posts, and out-of-context media clips contributing to a major infodemic across multiple health and non-health domains (TheCable Fact Check, 2025). These developments highlight the dual role of social media as a vehicle for legitimate health promotion and as a vector for harmful health misinformation in the Nigerian context.

A study on social media usage for health information among undergraduate students published in 2025 identified widespread use of social media for health information seeking, but found that students' capacity to critically evaluate the credibility of health content was limited (BMC Public Health, 2025). Research on social media influencers for health communication in Africa has increasingly highlighted the role of health expert content creators such as doctors and nurses using platforms to share evidence-based information in countering misinformation and overly simplified health messages, particularly among youth populations (PMC, 2025). The intersection of these trends with LUTH's outreach mandate creates an important research focus.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite the widespread use of social media among Nigerian youth for accessing health information, and despite LUTH's outreach efforts, there is limited rigorous evidence on the extent to which social media-mediated health information dissemination through LUTH's outreach programmes effectively reaches, engages, and positively influences health knowledge and behaviours among youth in Lagos. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the dual potential of social media as a vehicle for health promotion and as a vector for health misinformation (Uzuegbunam, 2024), yet the quality, accuracy, and behavioural impact of health information disseminated through social media in the LUTH outreach context has not been systematically evaluated.

A critical thematic analysis of how young Nigerians (18–30) navigated COVID-19 health misinformation found that the severity, virality, and velocity of false health information presented a profound challenge to public health communication, with drivers of misinformation including politicians, bloggers, social media influencers, and citizen journalists (Uzuegbunam, 2024). Research also documents that excessive social media exposure contributes to emotional distress among Nigerian youth through cyberbullying, digital harassment, and exposure to disturbing content (RSISINTERNATIONAL, 2025), meaning that health outreach strategies must contend with a complex psychosocial media environment. For LUTH outreach programmes to be maximally effective, an evidence-based understanding of youth health information behaviour on social media including preferred platforms, trusted sources, and barriers to acting on health information is needed.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective is to assess the impact of social media on health information dissemination among youth, with evidence from Lagos University Teaching Hospital outreach programmes.

The specific objectives are to:

1. assess the social media platforms most used by Lagos youth for health information;
2. evaluate the reach and engagement metrics of LUTH's social media-based health outreach;
3. examine youth perceptions of the credibility and quality of health information disseminated via social media;
4. assess the influence of social media health information on health knowledge and behaviour change among Lagos youth

1.4 Research Questions

1. What social media platforms do Lagos youth primarily use for health information?
2. What is the reach and engagement of LUTH's social media outreach health messages?
3. How do Lagos youth assess the credibility and quality of health information on social media?
4. What is the influence of social media health information on health knowledge and behavioural intentions among Lagos youth?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

H01: There is no significant relationship between social media use intensity and health knowledge levels among youth attending LUTH outreach programmes.

H02: Platform type does not significantly predict the credibility rating assigned to health information by Lagos youth.

H03: Exposure to LUTH social media health outreach does not significantly influence health behaviour change intentions among Lagos youth.

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study provides LUTH, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, and public health practitioners with evidence to refine social media health communication strategies for youth populations. The findings contribute to the broader literature on digital health communication in sub-Saharan Africa and address a context-specific gap in knowledge about Nigerian youth health media literacy. Practically, the study offers a model for evaluating social media outreach effectiveness in a tertiary hospital setting, with implications for health communication policy. The study also informs the development of institutional strategies to counter health misinformation a priority issue in the Nigerian social media environment as of 2024–2025 (TheCable Fact Check, 2025; PMC, 2025).

1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study focuses on youth aged 15–35 years attending LUTH outreach programmes in Lagos, within a defined study period. Data include both online survey-based measures of social media health information behaviour and review of LUTH outreach programme social media analytics. Limitations include: self-reporting bias in social media use data; the rapid evolution of social media platforms may affect the currency of findings; selection bias if outreach programme attendees are not representative of Lagos youth more broadly.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Social Media: Internet-based platforms and applications that enable users to create, share, and exchange content and information, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, and YouTube.

Health Information Dissemination: The process of communicating health-related messages, data, or recommendations to target audiences through various media channels with the aim of promoting health knowledge, attitude, and behavioural change.

Digital Informavore: A term used to describe individuals who actively seek, consume, and share digital information including health information across multiple online platforms as part of their daily routine (Uzuegbunam, 2024).

Health Communication: The study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health, used widely in disease prevention and health promotion.

Misinformation: False or inaccurate information, particularly health-related content shared on social media, that has the potential to mislead users and lead to harmful health behaviours.

Infodemic: An overabundance of information both accurate and inaccurate that makes it difficult for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance, particularly during health emergencies (WHO).

Outreach Programme: A structured initiative by a health institution to extend health education, promotion, or service delivery to community populations outside the hospital walls.

Health Literacy: The degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.

Engagement Rate: A metric used to measure the level of audience interaction with social media content, calculated as the sum of likes, shares, comments, and other interactions divided by the total reach of the content.

References

BMC Public Health. (2025). Social media usage for health information among undergraduate students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-26099-1

Gharamani, H., Maximilian, X. F., & Prokofieva, A. (2022). Social media for health promotion by key stakeholders in health: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14885-0

RSISINTERNATIONAL. (2025). Exploring the relationship between social media usage and mental wellbeing of young adults in Nigeria. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science. https://rsisinternational.org

TheCable Fact Check. (2025). Top misinformation trends on Nigerian social media in 2025. TheCable. https://factcheck.thecable.ng

PMC. (2025). Optimizing social media influencers for health communication in Africa. PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12523457/

Uzuegbunam, C. E. (2024). Youth and the pandemic: Health information imaginaries and practices while navigating COVID-19 in Nigeria. Frontiers in Communication, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1461140

Uzuegbunam, C. E. (2024). Perceptions and practices of young people regarding COVID-19 health misinformation and the underlying interdependencies. Communication & Society, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/20966083241308655