INFLUENCE OF HEALTH COMMUNICATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA

ABSTRACT

This study was undertaken to ascertain the influence of health communication on social media on the adoption of positive health behavior among students in public universities. The objectives of f the study were, To find out the level of exposure to social media sites by undergraduate students in University of Benin. To ascertain the positive health behavior adopted from social media sites. The survey design was employed with the aid of a 15-item questionnaire to elicit responses from 279 respondents in four levels of Mass Communication in University of Benin. The sample was selected using Stratified simple random sampling and then, simple random. Then, data were presented using frequency tables. Findings reveal that majority of the students adopt positive health behaviour from social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram.Secondly, social media is easier and faster in dissemination of information.Also, findings reveal that health information such as "commonly used treatments and interventions that are liked to best outcomes when applied".Then, the study concludes that social media platforms can be used in the adoption of positive health behaviour among students. Therefore, the study recommends that social media users should ensure that they use it for its primary positive health information instead of spreading fake news.