Communication Inequalities and Public Health Implications of Adult Social Networking Site Use in the United States
Communication Inequalities and Public Health Implications of Adult Social Networking Site Use in the United States
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DOI：
10.1080/10810730.2010.522689
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
影响因子：
4.4
通讯作者：
Viswanath, K.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kontos, Emily Z.;Emmons, Karen M.;Viswanath, K.
社交媒体，特别是社交网站 (SNS)，正在成为沟通和健康信息交换的重要平台。然而，尽管社交网站的受欢迎程度和使用量有所增加，但只有数量有限的实证研究记录了成年人口中哪些部分正在使用社交网站，哪些没有使用社交网站，以及社交网站对健康的影响（如果有的话）。本研究的目的是确定美国成年人代表性样本中社交网站使用中潜在的沟通不平等，并研究 SNS 使用与心理健康之间的关联。我们分析了美国国家癌症研究所 2007 年健康信息国家趋势调查 (HINTS) 的数据。 35% 的在线成年人报告在过去 12 个月内使用过 SNS，并且不同种族/民族或社会经济地位的 SNS 使用情况没有显着差异。年龄较小 (p=.00) 是 SNS 使用的最重要预测因素，而已婚 (p=.02) 和有癌症病史 (p=.02) 则与 SNS 使用几率降低相关。控制其他因素后，SNS 使用与心理困扰评分增加 0.80 (p=.00) 显着相关。成人社交媒体使用不存在跨种族/民族和阶层的不平等，这为继续使用社交媒体促进公共卫生工作提供了一定的支持；然而，诸如持续存在的数字鸿沟以及社交网络服务的使用对心理健康的潜在有害影响等问题需要解决。
Social media, and specifically social networking sites (SNSs), are emerging as an important platform for communication and health information exchange. Yet, despite the increase in popularity and use, only a limited number of empirical studies document which segments of the adult population are and are not using social networking sites and with what, if any, affect on health. The purpose of this study is to identify potential communication inequalities in social networking site use among a representative sample of U.S. adults and to examine the association between SNS use and psychological well-being. We analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute's 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Thirty-five percent of online adults reported SNS use within the past 12 months, and there were no significant differences in SNS use by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic position. Younger age (p=.00) was the most significant predictor of SNS use, while being married (p=.02) and having a history of cancer (p=.02) were associated with a decreased odds of SNS use. SNS use was significantly associated with a 0.80 (p=.00) increment in psychological distress score after controlling for other factors. The absence of inequalities in adult SNS use across race/ethnicity and class offers some support for the continued use of social media to promote public health efforts; however, issues such as the persisting digital divide and potential deleterious effects of SNS use on psychological well-being need to be addressed.