Social media can help boost well-being post disaster: Study
Team Udayavani, Feb 19, 2019, 10:46 AM IST
Melbourne: Social media platforms like Facebook can help support the health and wellbeing of people following a natural disaster, a study claims.
A wellbeing campaign called ‘All Right?’ was created in 2013 to support people’s mental health and wellbeing following the devastating Canterbury earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 in New Zealand.
The research, published in the journal Health Promotion International, showed that 85 per cent of respondents to an online survey had taken action as a result of what they had seen on the campaign’s Facebook page.
“While social media provides a great platform to have a conversation with a community, a lot of the time it can fall flat or feel preachy,” said Ekant Veer, associate professor at University of Canterbury at New Zealand.
“What ‘All Right?’ has shown is that by getting the tone right, tapping into people’s everyday experiences, and alternating between engaging and specialised content, social media can be a force for good,” said Veer.
Almost all respondents agreed that the Facebook posts were helpful and gave respondents ideas of things they can do to help themselves.
“The Facebook page goes far beyond simply telling people what’s good for them. It’s led to actual behaviour change that is improving the wellbeing of people in Canterbury,” said Veer.
The research demonstrates the importance of mental health promotion, the team said.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Low back pain, depression, headaches main causes of poor health: Study
Surgical options for Parkinson’s disease
Breast cancer to cause a million deaths a year by 2040: Lancet commission
Will to resist temptations, achieve goals more trustworthy than using apps, study finds
Govt directs e-commerce firms to remove drinks, beverages from ‘health drinks’ category
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
PM Modi to address public meetings in Bengaluru and Chikkaballapura today
BJP trying to impose Governor’s rule in Karnataka, claims Deputy CM Shivakumar
IPL 2024: Rahul, De Kock slam fifties; LSG beat CSK by 8-wickets
Injuries don’t define you: Mohammed Shami shares rehab update
Shivakumar desperately wants to become CM, says K’taka BJP chief Vijayendra