The Power of Digital Campaigns in Public Health: An Analysis of The Ministry of Health's Social Media Activities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18045978Keywords:
Health Communication , Health Policies, Public Health , Health Literacy , Social MarketingAbstract
To assess whether health-themed social media posts by the Turkish Ministry of Health (MoH) are associated with short-term online information-seeking. Methods: We analyzed 25 MoH posts on X and Instagram (October 1, 2024–March 30, 2025). Engagement metrics (likes, comments, reposts, views) were compiled; Google Trends search volumes for matching topics were extracted. On X, one-way ANOVA tested time-of-day effects on engagement and views; Spearman correlations assessed associations between views and other metrics; Mann–Whitney U compared posts that did vs. did not coincide with a Google Trends spike (GT+ vs. GT–). Findings: Nine of 25 posts coincided with increased search volume. On X, engagement did not differ by posting time (F(2,44)=2.16, p=.128). View counts differed overall by time-of-day (F(2,44)=3.87, p=.028), but pairwise differences were non-significant (Games–Howell, all p>.05). Views correlated with likes (ρ=.692, p<.001), comments (ρ=.550, p<.001), and reposts (ρ=.487, p=.001). GT+ and GT– posts did not differ on X (likes: p=.153; reposts: p=.106; total engagement: p=.293; views: p=.450). On Instagram, GT+ posts had higher reposts (U=21.00, p=.003) and likes (U=40.00, p=.049); total engagement trended higher (U=44.00, p=.080). Conclusion: MoH digital campaigns are associated with short-term increases in public information-seeking, particularly on Instagram. Platform-specific strategies emphasizing compelling visuals, concise messages, and alignment with awareness days may enhance impact, whereas posting hour alone appears insufficient to boost engagement.
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