INVESTIGATING FACTORS INFLUENCING SOCIAL MEDIA USE BY GRADUATE STUDENTS FOR PERSONAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT: DEVELOPING A MODEL: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

Chronic diseases often referred to as "silent killers," pose a growing global health challenge, contributing to increased mortality rates and placing a substantial burden on healthcare systems. Chronic diseases, characterized by their prolonged and often progressive nature, encompass a range of health conditions that persist over an extended period. Conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and mental health disorders are categorized under chronic diseases. According to the Global Burden of Disease studies, the estimated death rate for non-communicable disease in Ethiopia stands at 800 per 100,000 populations, underscoring the severity of the issue within the country. Graduate students are crucial demographic face unique challenges as they juggle academic responsibilities and professional commitments. Prevalence of chronic diseases among graduate students is a growing concern, compounded by limited time to seek information from healthcare providers. The demands on their schedules often hinder their ability to access healthcare resources, exacerbating the problem. Moreover, the lack of trustworthy information sources further compounds the issue, leaving graduate students with insufficient knowledge to proactively manage their health and address the risks associated with chronic diseases. Addressing this gap is essential for empowering graduate students to make informed decisions about their well-being, fostering a healthier and more resilient academic community. Social media emerges as the ideal solution to address the existing gap in healthcare information about chronic diseases. The dearth of accessible and reliable information on chronic diseases for graduate students underscores the need for innovative approaches, and social media stands out as a promising avenue. Despite its potential, there remains an important gap in research regarding the specific uses of social media for the management of chronic diseases, particularly in the context of graduate students. This study aims to bridge this critical research gap by exploring the factors influencing the use of social media platforms, such as Telegram and Facebook, for personalized health management among graduate students. The ultimate goal is to contribute valuable insights that can guide the development of effective strategies for leveraging social xv media to promote health awareness and proactive health management in the face of chronic diseases. The research provides a comprehensive review of literature about the intersection of social media and personal healthcare management. Beginning with an exploration of chronic diseases, the discussion unfolds to elucidate the role of various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Skype—highlighted as the foremost platforms of 2021. The review literature delves into the relationship between social media and students, drawing from diverse sources to illuminate the experiences and practices of university students across different countries. Furthermore, it investigates the application of social media in healthcare, emphasizing its impact on personal healthcare management. The literature review culminates by examining theoretical foundations such as the Health Belief Model, Social Capital Theory, and the Technology Acceptance Model, providing a robust framework for the ensuing research. The study employed a multifaceted approach, utilizing both cross-sectional and experimental designs, to thoroughly investigate the impact of social media on the adoption and effectiveness of personalized health management strategies among graduate students in Ethiopian universities. The cross-sectional design involved graduate students from Jimma, Mizan-Teppi, Adama, and Bonga universities, selected through robust stratified random sampling to ensure diverse representation within the Colleges of Business and Economics and Technology. Data collection involved a structured questionnaire, administered through paper printed form for baseline data collection, the purpose of it is to understand the status of respondents before the intervention. Google Forms data collection was used to gather the responses of the study participants after the intervention; it is used to understand the impact of the intervention on the respondent‘s healthcare management. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 20, including descriptive statistics and logistic binary regression to measure the association between independent variables and social media utilization for personal healthcare management. The experimental design, targeting the same universities, categorizes participants into control and experimental groups, with a sample size of 282 distributed and randomly assigned. The intervention, exclusive to the experimental group, employs Facebook and Telegram to deliver 21 educational sessions on chronic diseases, incorporating multimedia elements for diverse learning preferences. Hypotheses were carefully crafted and aligned with model variables, with statistical xvi analyses employing reliability tests and linear regression to evaluate relationships between social media influence and chronic disease management. This comprehensive approach aims to provide insights into the intricate dynamics of social media's impact on personalized health management among graduate students, contributing to both theoretical knowledge and practical healthcare interventions The research outcomes showed a multifaceted perspective on the intersection of social media and chronic disease management among graduate students. Particularly the demographic analysis before the intervention underscores those individuals aged 25 to 30 exhibit a fourfold likelihood of utilizing social media for managing chronic diseases, while those aged 31 to 35 show a twofold likelihood. Despite these age-related trends, the overall use of social media for chronic disease information is found to be limited among students. Additionally, Facebook has emerged as the preferred platform for accessing healthcare content, particularly related to diet advice and walking techniques. The intervention results demonstrate that while baseline data indicated no significant group differences, post-intervention data revealed substantial improvements within the experimental group in healthcare knowledge and management dimensions. Specific diagnoses within this group surged from 7.8% to 86.5%, and platform utilization for healthcare purposes increased from 14.2% to 40.4%. A meticulous reliability test assures the internal validity of the study items. Furthermore, a correlation analysis reveals highly significant relationships between all studied items, highlighting strong interconnections. The hypotheses, rigorously tested through regression analysis, substantiate the impact of social media on chronic disease management. Overall, these findings provide a shade of understanding of the demographic dynamics, platform preferences, and the efficacy of interventions in leveraging social media for healthcare information among graduate students, offering valuable insights for future healthcare strategies. The dissertation's multifaceted conclusions shed light on the nuanced dynamics of utilizing social media in chronic disease management among graduate students. The first key conclusion underscores that the students while utilizing social media primarily for acquiring information about chronic diseases, exhibit a constrained approach. Despite Facebook being the favored platform for specific healthcare content, the findings emphasize a pressing need for increased attention and encouragement to harness social media for various aspects of personal health xvii management. The second conclusion highlights the significant positive impact of the study's intervention on the experimental group, demonstrating notable increases in all measured outcomes post-intervention. This approach, tailored to accommodate the time constraints of graduate students, not only empowers them to enhance their understanding of chronic diseases but also promotes informed health decisions. It accentuates the pivotal role of social media in fostering healthcare awareness and engagement within the graduate student demographic. The third and final conclusion positions the research as an ambitious endeavor to construct a model for leveraging social media in chronic disease management. Drawing on established theories such as Social Capital, Health Belief, and Technology Acceptance, the study explores various factors influencing attitudes and behaviors. The comprehensive methodology, involving graduate students, a structured questionnaire, and robust statistical analyses, provides compelling insights and confirms the hypotheses' validity through linear regression. This research enriches the realms of healthcare and social media knowledge, accentuating the evolving role of social connections, beliefs, and technology in effective chronic disease management through social platforms. Overall, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between social media and graduate students' approaches to managing chronic diseases, offering valuable insights for future healthcare strategies