@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2383-2150    Journal of Education and Community Health 2019;6(2):103-109

Background
Many information sources, including mass media, are trying to play an important role in health-promoting of people in society through increasing their health information.
Previous Studies
... [3]. People receive health information from interpersonal sources (such as health care providers and family members) and media sources (such as television and the Internet) [4]. ... [5-7]. The results of studies in Iran emphasize the different use of these media. … [8]. Shiani & Sepahvand, in their study on the residents of Khorramabad, showed that the most media use was the television, internet, radio and satellite, respectively. Studies have also reported different reports on the relationship between media use and other health-related variables. Mousavi and Rad, for example, showed in their study that there is a significant relationship between the use of national television programs, radio and the tendency of citizens towards the traditional lifestyle and also there was a significant relationship between the rate of use of satellite, internet and the tendency of citizens towards the modern lifestyle [10]. [11].
Aim(s)
The aim of the present study was to investigate the rate of use of health information, presented in mass media and virtual social networks among citizens of Tehran.
Research type
This research was a cross-sectional descriptive study.
Research society, place and time
This research was carried out on adult population living in 22 district of Tehran in 2016.
Sampling method and number
Inclusion criteria included Iranian citizenship, at least reading and writing ability, the age of 18 to 65 years, being resident or working in Tehran, and consent to participate in the study. The study samples were selected through multistage cluster sampling. Sample size was calculated according to Cochran formula with 50% ratio and 95% confidence and 0.06 relative error. Finally, the sample size was estimated to be 1,174 subjects with a 10% probability of falling.
Used devices&materials
The data collection tool consisted of a researcher-made questionnaire to assess the extent of health information use of mass media and virtual social networks, including television, radio, internet surfing, mobile applications, mobile (Hamrahe Aval and Irancell), written media, satellite networks and virtual social networks. The questionnaire had two parts; the first part consisted of 13 items. The second part consisted of 10 items, including "the extent to which people are using and trusting health information in any of the mass media and virtual social networks", "What kinds of disorders are found in family members and relatives of the participants" and "What are the most important issues to address in the field of health". Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed via qualitative method (using experts' opinions including health education, reproductive health experts, research methodology, health care management, general practitioner, educational technology, media management, statistics, etc.) and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.91. The questionnaire was completed by the interviewer. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS 23 software.
Findings by Text
A total of 1,196 patients were studied. The mean age of the subjects was 37.2 ±13.02 years and the mean educational years were 12.5 ± 3.8 years (Table 1).The use of health information from all types of media was more in 25-34 years old subjects, married subjects, those with educational years of more than 13 years and the employed subjects and participants used television for health information (about 81%) and Internet surfing (about 64%) more than other mass media. Use of virtual media for health information was about 48% (Table 2).Participants also obtained health information "much/very much" from television (about 49%), radio (about 35%), surfing the internet (about 49%), written media (about 35%), satellite channels (about 44%), mobile applications (about 28%), the mobile (Hamrah Aval about 31% and Irancell 29%). This rate was reported for virtual social networks about 47% (Table 3).The most common use of media health information for those with a history of illness in their families and their surroundings was through television with the following values for different diseases: cancer (87.0%), blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (86.4%), obesity (83.6%), osteoporosis (78.7%), diabetes (77.9%), AIDS (96.3%) and stroke (85.5%) (Table 4).
Main comparison to the similar studies
As educational level increases, the use of medical programs increases and the highest rate of use is for those with a bachelor's degree or higher [12]. A study by Perrin showed that in 2005, social media use in those with diploma and below diploma was 4%, in people with university education was 12%, which was increases to 54% and 76% in 2015, respectively [13 ]. ... [14-16]. In this study, the most commonly used media was television and surfing the Internet. Shiani & Sepahvand study on 384 residents of Khorramabad in 2015 showed that the average use of television, internet, radio and satellite were 3.12, 3.09, 3.03 and 2.3 h, respectively. [9]…. [17]. The study also found that in all those with a history of illness in their families and relatives, the media used to obtain health information was television and surfing the Internet, respectively. The results of a systematic review of Burzyńska et al., on 47 articles published in 2010–2014, showed that television is a resource for promoting health and disease information [18]. Previous studies by several researchers have also shown that people use the Internet to search for cancer information 15, 19-21].
Suggestions
It is suggested that the present study be conducted in a larger sample size (national scale) to determine the extent to which citizens across the country use mass media for effective planning.
Limitations
Due to the gathering of information from the citizens, it was not possible to monitor the accuracy of the completed questionnaires after the study.
Conclusions
The rate of use of television health information among citizens of Tehran is significant.
Acknowledgments
The researchers are thankful to the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Technology of the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research for their support and also the citizens of Tehrani for their participation in this study.
Conflict of interest
None declared.
Ethical Permissions
This study was approved and registered by the Ethics Committee of the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (Approval code: IR.ACECR.IBCRC.REC.1395.5).
Funding Sources
This study was supported by the Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology of the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research.

TABLES and CHARTS

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