Article Excerpt: As some states try to regulate children’s social media use and TikTok emerges as a geopolitical chew toy, a new clearinghouse has emerged for mediating between tech companies and those concerned about their products’ impact on kids: the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/bdahr353
Article Source: Axios
Article Excerpt: A Stony Brook University computer professor with an AI algorithm that detects substance abuse through language has refocused the impressive prediction technology on opioids – with startling results. Associate Computer Science Professor H. Andrew Schwartz is the senior author of a new study detailing the use of artificial intelligence to predict opioid mortalities. The work builds on Schwartz’s earlier success identifying high- and low-risk alcohol abuse via an AI application that interpreted language used in Facebook posts. This time, Schwartz and four other authors – including lead author Matthew Matero, an SBU computer-science student, and National Institute on Drug Abuse Data Scientist Salvatore Giorgi – hope to create some desperately needed “location-specific aid for the U.S. opioid crisis,” according to the abstract of an article published last week by the peer-reviewed open-access journal Npj Digital Medicine.
Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/6m4jwpd4
Article Source: Innovate LI
Luo T, Li MS, Williams D, Fritz J, Beiter K, Phillippi S, Yu Q, Kantrow S, Chen L, Chen Y, & Tseng TS. (2022). A WeChat-based smoking cessation intervention for Chinese smokers: a feasibility study. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 12(10), 1018–1027. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibac067
This paper reported the development and feasibility findings of a WeChat-based smoking cessation intervention for smokers in China. A total of 403 participants who currently smoked and used WeChat, the most widely used social media platform in China, were recruited and randomized to three study arms: Standard Intervention (N=136), Enhanced Intervention (N=135), and waitlist control (N=132). The Standard intervention consisted of 20 smoking cessation messages for 2 weeks and the Enhanced intervention included 20 smoking cessation messages for 2 weeks and 6 oral health-related messages for another week. Intervention content was informed by the Transtheoretical Model framework and targeted self-efficacy, stimulus control, coping skills, consciousness raising, and oral health. Researchers assessed feasibility by measuring program reach, recruitment rate, cost per person, attrition rate, intervention exposure, engagement, and satisfaction. Attrition from baseline to 4-week follow-up was 46% and program cost was estimated as $0.85 per person. In the Standard and Enhanced intervention arms, all participants read at least one message and on average engaged (sent a Like or comment) with 57% of the messages. A majority of participants were very or somewhat satisfied with the intervention (96%), engaged (72%) and would recommend to others (95%). Overall, findings support feasibility of both the Standard and Enhanced intervention. Given the feasibility and low cost of the WeChat-based program, this has the potential to be scaled up for larger population sizes to deliver smoking cessation treatment at low costs.
Article Excerpt: From telehealth and TikTok to artificial intelligence and virtual reality, the mental health care industry is embracing technology — but it’s making many clinicians uneasy. From concerns about the ethics of mental health influencers to the inaccuracy of mental health advice on TikTok and to complaints about teens misdiagnosing themselves, many experts are uncomfortable about the role technology is playing in mental health support. But technology can also help solve what’s arguably the industry’s biggest issue: access. Given the ongoing mental health crisis and the fact that many people lack adequate access to quality mental health care, it’s essential to strike a balance between technological innovation, the pace of clinical validation, and high ethical and safety standards to ensure that rigorous, culturally centered mental health support is widely available at a time when it’s so desperately needed.
Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4d4vk7pr
Article Source: STAT News
Young SD, Cumberland WG, Singh P, Coates T. A Peer-Led Online Community to Increase HIV Self-Testing Among African American and Latinx MSM: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2022 May 1;90(1):20-26. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000002919. PMID: 35044989; PMCID: PMC8986620.
Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a peer-led online community for increasing HIV self-testing among Latinx and African American men who have sex with men (MSM). Nine hundred MSM living in Los Angeles were recruited from online advertisements, community centers and referrals. Eligible participants were HIV negative and/or serostatus unknown. Seventy-nine peer leaders were also recruited from local community organizations and attended training sessions on HIV epidemiology, building an online community, and promoting discussion on health and stigmatizing topics. Participants randomly assigned to the intervention joined a 12-week private online community group with peer leaders on Facebook and the control group joined a private Facebook group without peer leaders. Each group had about 30 participants and 5 peer leaders. During the intervention period, peer leaders communicated with participants weekly via sending messages, chats, and posts in their Facebook group to build trust and deliver HIV information. Every four weeks, all participants were offered a free HIV self-testing kit. All participants were administered self-report assessments at baseline and at 12-weeks at post-intervention. Results indicated the intervention group was significantly more likely to accept the offer for self-testing compared to the control group (OR=1.43, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.95). Compared to the control, intervention participants were significantly more likely to take a HIV self-test within the past 3 months (OR=1.47, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.13) and consume less alcohol in an average week (p=0.01) at post-intervention follow-up relative to baseline. The study observed a high retention rate (93%). Findings suggest that online communities are effective platforms for increasing HIV testing and reducing alcohol consumption among MSM of color. Results have implications for public health policy and scalability of technology-based interventions.
Meacham MC, Nobles AL, Tompkins DA, Thrul J (2022) “I got a bunch of weed to help me through the withdrawals”: Naturalistic cannabis use reported in online opioid and opioid recovery community discussion forums. PLoS ONE 17(2): e0263583. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263583
This study investigated cannabis-related posts in two online communities on the Reddit platform to compare naturalistic cannabis use by people actively using opioids versus people in recovery from opioid misuse. Researchers extracted all posts mentioning keywords related to cannabis from an opioid use subreddit and opioid recovery subreddit on Reddit from December 2015 to August 2019. Cannabis-related posts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis to identify the most frequently used phrases and then compared between the two subreddits. Cannabis-related posts were twice as prevalent in the recovery subreddit (N=908, 5% of posts) than the active opioid use subreddit (N=4224, 2.6% of posts). The most frequent phrases in the recovery subreddit referred to time without opioid use and using cannabis as treatment. The opioid use subreddit most frequently referred to concurrent use of cannabis and opioids. The primary reason for cannabis use among persons in recovery was to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms and among active opioid users to achieve the “high” in conjunction with opioids. This study of naturalistic cannabis use reported on an online community platform provides insight into the motivation behind cannabis use among people who actively or previously used opioids. Findings have implications for cannabis policy and its potential impact on opioid use in the context of unmet treatment needs for opioid use disorder. Future research is needed to understand the role of cannabis for treating opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Chen S, Lam T, Lam K, Lo T, Chao D, Mak K, Lam E, Tang W, Chan H, Yip P. The Use of Close Friends on Instagram, Help-Seeking Willingness, and Suicidality Among Hong Kong Youth: Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study. J Med Internet Res 2022;24(10):e37695 DOI: 10.2196/37695
This study examined youths’ private social media use via a new Instagram feature, Close Friends, and its relationship with online and offline help-seeking willingness and suicidality. The Close Friends Instagram feature allows private online interaction by permitting invited users only to view private posts. Forty youth participants aged 15-19 years old residing in Hong Kong were recruited. The motivations for using Close Friends and concerns regarding online expression were addressed in focus groups and individual interviews. A quantitative survey was also conducted among a larger sample of 1,676 students aged 15-19 years old in Hong Kong to examine the prevalence of Close Friends usage, online and offline help-seeking willingness, and suicide-related experiences. Focus group and interview data revealed common motives for using Close Friends to include interaction and seeking help from friends, release of negative emotions, and venting and self-expression. Survey results found 71% of youth use Close Friends and 46% use frequently. Overall, seeking help online was associated with higher risk of suicidality (Odds Ratio=1.50, 95% CI 1.04-2.15) and seeking help offline was associated with decreased suicidality (Odds Ratio=0.55, 95% CI 0.39-0.75). Close Friends users were significantly more likely to seek offline support than non-users, but frequent Close Friends users were more likely to seek help online and to be at higher risk of suicidality than non-users. Prevalent use of Close Friends represents an emerging trend for online expression and private conversation among youth. Excessive use of this feature may indicate more limited offline support or less desirable offline support for youth experiencing suicidality. Authors recommend future steps in determining the causal relationship between use of Close Friends and willingness to seek help.
Bonnevie E, Rosenberg SD, Goldbarg J, Ashley-West A, & Smyser J. (2021). Building Strong Futures: The Feasibility of Using a Targeted Digital Media Campaign to Improve Knowledge About Pregnancy and Low Birthweight Among Black Women. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 25(1), 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-03068-1
This article reports the campaign methods for a digital intervention targeting Black women in one Florida county to promote positive pregnancy-related knowledge and attitudes related to low birthweight. The Strong Beautiful Future campaign was tailored toward Black women around a reproductive empowerment lens. Content focused on emphasizing healthy pregnancy-related behaviors (prenatal care, nutrition, weight gain, and birthweight) and creating positive representations of Black women throughout the pregnancy stages, using images and videos. Content was posted 5-7 times each week on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for 2 years and digital ads and local social media influencers were used to promote the campaign. Researchers measured campaign engagement through digital metrics. After two years of campaign implementation, social media accounts had 1784 total followers, with most on Facebook (n=920). In the two years, on a monthly average, Facebook had the highest number of times the content was displayed, but Instagram showed highest level of engagement (number of likes, comments, shares, views and clicks). Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted online over the study period to examine Black women’s pregnancy-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Findings showed a non-significant increase in knowledge about prenatal care, weight gain, exercise, and health impacts of low birthweight. Overall, this study highlights how a targeted digital campaign to providing health information is feasible in reaching Black women in targeted locations.
Escobar-Viera CG, Choukas-Bradley S, Sidani J, Maheux AJ, Roberts SR, Rollman BL (2022). Examining Social Media Experiences and Attitudes Toward Technology-Based Interventions for Reducing Social Isolation Among LGBTQ Youth Living in Rural United States: An Online Qualitative Study. Frontiers in Digital Health, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2022.900695
This study examined rural LGBTQ youth’s social media experiences and attitudes toward technology-based interventions for reducing perceived isolation. Researchers recruited via social media advertisements a total of 20 participants who identified as LGBTQ youth (14-19 years old), lived in rural areas, and screened positive for perceived social isolation. Qualitative interviews conducted virtually focused on social media experiences, personal strategies to improve social media experiences, and perspectives about digital intervention delivery. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from interviews: 1) positive representation of LGBTQ groups on social media are important, 2) content from people with shared experiences promotes experiences of support, and 3) lack of feedback about one’s experiences reduces perceived support. Participants discussed advantages and disadvantages of intervention delivery via mobile apps, social media, chatbots, and dedicated websites. Overall, rural-living LGBTQ youth who feel socially isolated turn to social media to seek support and connect in meaningful ways. Study findings identified key components to a positive social media experience among LGBTQ young people, which can inform future intervention development. Results also indicated a combination of delivery modalities may foster engagement of rural-living LGBTQ young people in digital interventions to improve social isolation outcomes.