Utilization and Patterns of Social Media Use and Their Influence on Health-Related Behaviors: A Sociodemographic Perspective

Social media has emerged as a popular resource for obtaining health-related information, influencing opinions, and forming behaviors connected to health. However, its effects differ depending on the sociodemographic group, with younger and better-educated people frequently exhibiting higher levels of participation. Effective public health communication methods require an understanding of these dynamics. This study aimed to investigate how adults utilized social media platforms to access health-related information, the patterns of their use, and the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on health-related behaviors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 630 adult participants. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that captured sociodemographic characteristics, patterns of social media utilization, and health-related behavioral changes. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, and chi-square tests were applied to examine associations between sociodemographic variables, social media use, and health-related behaviors. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Out of the 630 participants, 505 (80.2%) were younger than 40 years, and 349 (55.4%) were female. More than 90% (578/630) reported using social media to access health-related information, with influencers (≈65%) and healthcare professionals (≈62%) being the most commonly followed sources. Utilization significantly differed across age, gender, education, nationality, and employment status (p < 0.05). Younger adults (