Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jul 5;17(Suppl 2):66.
doi: 10.1186/s12911-017-0470-0.

How the public uses social media wechat to obtain health information in china: a survey study

Xingting Zhang  1 , Dong Wen  1 , Jun Liang  2 , Jianbo Lei  3   4
Affiliations

How the public uses social media wechat to obtain health information in china: a survey study

Xingting Zhang et al. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. .

Abstract

Background: On average, 570 million users, 93% in China's first-tier cities, log on to WeChat every day. WeChat has become the most widely and frequently used social media in China, and has been profoundly integrated into the daily life of many Chinese people. A variety of health-related information may be found on WeChat. The objective of this study is to understand how the general public views the impact of the rapidly emerging social media on health information acquisition.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was designed, distributed, collected, and analyzed utilizing the online survey tool Sojump. WeChat was adopted to randomly release the questionnaires using convenience sampling and collect the results after a certain amount of time.

Results: (1) A total of 1636 questionnaires (WeChat customers) were collected from 32 provinces. (2) The primary means by which respondents received health education was via the Internet (71.79%). Baidu and WeChat were the top 2 search tools utilized (90.71% and 28.30%, respectively). Only 12.41% of respondents were satisfied with their online health information search. (3) Almost all had seen (98.35%) or read (97.68%) health information; however, only 14.43% believed that WeChat health information could improve health. Nearly one-third frequently received and read health information through WeChat. WeChat was selected (63.26%) as the most expected means for obtaining health information. (4) The major concerns regarding health information through WeChat included the following: excessively homogeneous information, the lack of a guarantee of professionalism, and the presence of advertisements. (5) Finally, the general public was most interested in individualized and interactive health information by managing clinicians, they will highly benefit from using social media rather than Internet search tools.

Conclusions: The current state of health acquisition proves worrisome. The public has a high chance to access health information via WeChat. The growing popularity of interactive social platforms (e.g. WeChat) presents a variety of challenges and opportunities with respect to public health acquisition.

Keywords: Health education; Health information acquisition; Social media; WeChat.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographical Distribution
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Health Information Search Channels
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Time Using WeChat Each Day
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Most Expected Health Education Type
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Most Expected Means for Searching for Health Information
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Meeker M. INTERNET TRENDS 2016-CODE CONFERENCE. 2016.
    1. Perrin A, Duggan M. Americans’ Internet Access:<br/>2000-2015. 2015.
    1. DUGGAN M. The demographics of social media users, in mobile messaging and social media 2015. 2015.
    1. CNNIC . The 36th Statistical Report on Internet Development in China. 2015. pp. 41–49.
    1. Baidu: http://baike.baidu.com/subview/5117297/15145056.htm. Accessed 2016.

LinkOut - more resources