Using social media in health literacy research: A promising example involving Facebook with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males from the Top End of the Northern Territory

James A. Smith, Anthony Merlino, Ben Christie, Mick Adams, Jason Bonson, Richard H. Osborne, Murray Drummond, Barry Judd, David Aanundsen, Jesse Fleay, Himanshu Gupta

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)
42 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This brief report describes three key lessons learned during a health literacy research project with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males from the Top End of the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. More specifically, it is a methodologically focused paper that discusses processes associated with using a combination of yarning sessions and social media content as tools to unpack conceptualisations of health and well‐being among this marginalised population. The lessons discussed include (a) the utility of using social media in providing an authentic window into the lives of a hard‐to‐reach populations; (b) the need to carefully consider ethical implications; and (c) the benefits of using social media content to triangulate data and enhance methodological rigour. To understand the methodological contribution social media can make to equity‐focused health literacy research, it is first useful to understand what is meant by health literacy.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)186-191
Number of pages6
JournalHealth Promotion Journal of Australia
Volume32
Issue numberS1
Early online date18 Sept 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2021

Keywords

  • social media
  • health literacy
  • Aboriginal males
  • Torres Strait Islander males
  • Top End
  • Northern Territory

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