Social Media-Based Interventions for Health Behavior Change in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health Interventions
• Public Health
• Health Behavior Change

Background:

• Limited evidence exists on digital health behavior change interventions for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Existing research primarily focuses on high-income countries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and describe the literature on social media-based behavior change interventions in LMICs.
• To identify effective strategies and gaps in current research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.
• Searched multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, and PsycInfo.
• Included studies published from 2000 onwards that utilized social media platforms.

Main Results:

• 33 studies were included in the final analysis from 1832 initial records.
• 22 studies reported effective social media interventions, but only 13 quantified engagement.
• Few studies employed behavior change theory (8) or conceptual models (5).

Conclusions:

• Significant gaps exist in intervention settings, types, follow-up duration, and evaluation methods.
• There is a need for greater use of theoretical frameworks and discussion of privacy implications in social media health interventions.
• Further research is needed to optimize digital health behavior change strategies in LMICs.