Exploring public attitudes toward live-streaming fitness in China: A sentiment and content analysis of China's social media Weibo

What drives Chinese youth to use fitness-related health information on social media? An analysis of intrinsic needs, social media algorithms, and source credibility

Introduction

The role of social media in providing fitness-related health information has been widely discussed; however, there is a notable lack of research on fitness-related health information behaviors among youth within the social media context. This study aims to address this gap by integrating Self-Determination Theory (SDT)-based internal factors and external factors (social media algorithms and source credibility).

Methods

A voluntary sample of 600 participants, aged 15 to 29, was recruited. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the relationships between variables.

Results

The analysis revealed that all three intrinsic needs-competence, autonomy, and relatedness-along with social media algorithms and source credibility, positively correlated with fitness-related health information use behaviors among youth. Additionally, social media algorithms moderated the relationship between the need for relatedness and fitness-related health information behavior.

Discussion

These findings provide new insights into developing health communication strategies on social media, particularly targeted toward the youth demographic, enhancing our understanding of effective health information dissemination in digital environments.

Chinese Public Attitudes and Opinions on Health Policies During Public Health Emergencies: Sentiment and Topic Analysis

BACKGROUND

By the end of 2021, the new wave of COVID-19 sparked by the Omicron variant spread rapidly due to its highly contagious nature, affecting more than 170 countries worldwide. Nucleic acid testing became the gold standard for diagnosing novel coronavirus infections. As of July 2022, numerous cities and regions in China have implemented regular nucleic acid testing policies, which have had a significant impact on socioeconomics and people's lives. This policy has garnered widespread attention on social media platforms.

OBJECTIVE

This study took the newly issued regular nucleic acid testing policy during the COVID-19 pandemic as an example to explore the sentiment responses and fluctuations of netizens toward new policies during public health emergencies. It aimed to propose strategies for managing public opinion on the internet and provide recommendations for policy making and public opinion control.

METHODS

We collected blog posts related to nucleic acid testing on Weibo from April 1, 2022, to July 31, 2022. We used the topic modeling technique latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) to identify the most common topics posted by users. We used Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) to calculate the sentiment score of each post. We used an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model to examine the relationship between sentiment scores and changes over time. We compared the differences in sentiment scores across various topics, as well as the changes in sentiment before and after the announcement of the nucleic acid price reduction policy (May 22) and the lifting of the lockdown policy in Shanghai (June 1).

RESULTS

We collected a total of 463,566 Weibo posts, with an average of 3799.72 (SD 1296.06) posts published daily. The LDA topic extraction identified 8 topics, with the most numerous being the Shanghai outbreak, nucleic acid testing price, and transportation. The average sentiment score of the posts was 0.64 (SD 0.31), indicating a predominance of positive sentiment. For all topics, posts with positive sentiment consistently outnumbered those with negative sentiment (χ27=24,844.4, P<.001). The sentiment scores of posts related to "nucleic acid testing price" decreased after May 22 compared with before (t120=3.882, P<.001). Similarly, the sentiment scores of posts related to the "Shanghai outbreak" decreased after June 1 compared with before (t120=11.943, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

During public health emergencies, the topics of public concern were diverse. Public sentiment toward the regular nucleic acid testing policy was generally positive, but fluctuations occurred following the announcement of key policies. To understand the primary concerns of the public, the government needs to monitor social media posts by citizens. By promptly sharing information on media platforms and engaging in effective communication, the government can bridge the information gap between the public and government agencies, fostering a positive public opinion environment.

Being there and being with them: the effects of visibility affordance of online short fitness video on users' intention to cloud fitness

Introduction

Cloud fitness is transforming indoor exercise for young people in China. Recent studies have explored the correlation between media use and health-promoting behavior by examining the motivation of individuals and the credibility of influencers. However, the role of media affordance has thus far been largely overlooked. Drawing on the theory of Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR), the study investigated the indirect effect of visibility affordance on the intention to exercise with fitness influencers in the context of cloud fitness through psychological variables.

Methods

This paper, based on the online survey data (N = 456), analyses the effect of visibility affordance on the intention to fitness following with influencers. A moderated parallel mediation model was constructed to examine the relationship among related variables.

Results

The paper draws the following conclusions: (1) Visibility affordance is positively related to the intention to exercise with fitness influencers. (2) Both the sense of social presence and immersion positively mediate the relationship between visibility affordance and the intention to exercise with fitness influencers. (3) The perceived popularity of the influencer positively moderates the relationship between social presence and the intention to exercise with fitness influencers and moderates the mediating role of social presence.

Discussion

Consequently, this study enhances the existing body of knowledge in exercise behavior and health communication literature, and provides practical implications for short video platform, influencers and individuals in promoting healthier behaviors.

Exploring sources of patient dissatisfaction in mobile health communication: A text analysis based on structural topic model

Understanding online patient dissatisfaction is essential for improving the quality of healthcare services, patient satisfaction, and physician career development. This study is the first to apply the structural topic model to patient satisfaction research based on patient online reviews from a mobile health communication platform, revealing eight negative topics of patient concerns. These topics include under-explored areas such as "go to the hospital for check-ups," "incomplete counseling," and "language expression." Additionally, we incorporated the doctor's title as a covariate in the model to examine how specific topics varied across different conditions. The results indicated that higher-titled doctors were more likely to receive complaints about the cost of treatment and whether the question was answered, whereas lower-titled doctors were more likely to receive complaints related to physician's knowledge, incomplete counseling, and response speed. This study not only enhances our understanding of mobile health services but also provides targeted insights for healthcare providers to improve their services, thereby contributing to the advancement of patient-centered care.