Empowering Influencers to Support Harm Reduction: A Mixed-Methods Process Evaluation of Appalachian Influence

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Social Media Research

Background:

• Harm reduction strategies, including syringe services programs (SSPs), aim to minimize drug use consequences.
• SSPs face stigma and misconceptions, hindering policy support and community acceptance.
• Social media influencers present a novel channel for disseminating public health information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the role of social media influencers in promoting harm reduction and SSPs in the Appalachian region.
• To assess influencer perceptions and audience reception of harm reduction messages disseminated through the Appalachian Influence intervention.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach involving interviews, surveys, and sentiment analysis of social media comments.
• Engagement of 67 local social media influencers to share evidence-based harm reduction messages.
• Analysis of 589 comments from 65 posts to gauge public sentiment.

Main Results:

• Influencers reported increased confidence and ability to communicate harm reduction topics due to provided educational resources.
• Content personalization was valued by influencers, leading to high engagement and positive audience reception.
• Sentiment analysis revealed 82.9% of comments were positive, indicating broad support for harm reduction messaging.

Conclusions:

• Social media influencers can be effective partners in promoting public health messages, including harm reduction and SSPs.
• Ongoing support, educational materials, and sentiment monitoring are crucial for successful influencer-led health campaigns.
• Future research should investigate the long-term impact of influencer engagement in public health communication.