Rapid, Tailored Dietary and Health Education Through A Social Media Chatbot Microintervention: Development and Usability Study With Practical Recommendations
BackgroundThere is an urgent need to innovate methods of health education, which can often be resource- and time-intensive. Microinterventions have shown promise as a platform for rapid, tailored resource dissemination yet have been underexplored as a method of standardized h...
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JMIR Publications
2024-12-01
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| Series: | JMIR Formative Research |
| Online Access: | https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e52032 |
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| author | Shahmir H Ali Fardin Rahman Aakanksha Kuwar Twesha Khanna Anika Nayak Priyanshi Sharma Sarika Dasraj Sian Auer Rejowana Rouf Tanvi Patel Biswadeep Dhar |
| author_facet | Shahmir H Ali Fardin Rahman Aakanksha Kuwar Twesha Khanna Anika Nayak Priyanshi Sharma Sarika Dasraj Sian Auer Rejowana Rouf Tanvi Patel Biswadeep Dhar |
| author_sort | Shahmir H Ali |
| collection | DOAJ |
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BackgroundThere is an urgent need to innovate methods of health education, which can often be resource- and time-intensive. Microinterventions have shown promise as a platform for rapid, tailored resource dissemination yet have been underexplored as a method of standardized health or dietary education; social media chatbots display unique potential as a modality for accessible, efficient, and affordable educational microinterventions.
ObjectiveThis study aims to provide public health professionals with practical recommendations on the use of social media chatbots for health education by (1) documenting the development of a novel social media chatbot intervention aimed at improving dietary attitudes and self-efficacy among South Asian American young adults and (2) describing the applied experiences of implementing the chatbot, along with user experience and engagement data.
MethodsIn 2023, the “Roti” chatbot was developed on Facebook and Instagram to administer a 4-lesson tailored dietary health curriculum, informed by formative research and the Theory of Planned Behavior, to 18- to 29-year-old South Asian American participants (recruited through social media from across the United States). Each lesson (10-15 minutes) consisted of 40-50 prescripted interactive texts with the chatbot (including multiple-choice and open-response questions). A preintervention survey determined which lesson(s) were suggested to participants based on their unique needs, followed by a postintervention survey informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior to assess changes in attitudes, self-efficacy, and user experiences (User Experience Questionnaire). This study uses a cross-sectional design to examine postintervention user experiences, engagement, challenges encountered, and solutions developed during the chatbot implementation.
ResultsData from 168 participants of the intervention (n=92, 54.8% Facebook; n=76, 45.2% Instagram) were analyzed (mean age 24.5, SD 3.1 years; n=129, 76.8% female). Participants completed an average of 2.6 lessons (13.9 minutes per lesson) and answered an average of 75% of questions asked by the chatbot. Most reported a positive chatbot experience (User Experience Questionnaire: 1.34; 81/116, 69.8% positive), with pragmatic quality (ease of use) being higher than hedonic quality (how interesting it felt; 88/116, 75.9% vs 64/116, 55.2% positive evaluation); younger participants reported greater hedonic quality (P=.04). On a scale out of 10 (highest agreement), participants reported that the chatbot was relevant (8.53), that they learned something new (8.24), and that the chatbot was helpful (8.28). Qualitative data revealed an appreciation for the cheerful, interactive messaging of the chatbot and outlined areas of improvement for the length, timing, and scope of text content. Quick replies, checkpoints, online forums, and self-administered troubleshooting were some solutions developed to meet the challenges experienced.
ConclusionsThe implementation of a standardized, tailored health education curriculum through an interactive social media chatbot displayed strong feasibility. Lessons learned from challenges encountered and user input provide a tangible roadmap for future exploration of such chatbots for accessible, engaging health interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9c3b93e20f424800bc7b513d9bcdefb5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2561-326X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Formative Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-9c3b93e20f424800bc7b513d9bcdefb52025-08-20T01:55:46ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Formative Research2561-326X2024-12-018e5203210.2196/52032Rapid, Tailored Dietary and Health Education Through A Social Media Chatbot Microintervention: Development and Usability Study With Practical RecommendationsShahmir H Alihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0360-3507Fardin Rahmanhttps://orcid.org/0009-0006-5376-3003Aakanksha Kuwarhttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-4308-0876Twesha Khannahttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-5398-9098Anika Nayakhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4778-8654Priyanshi Sharmahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1789-5053Sarika Dasrajhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-1955-1475Sian Auerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7164-9526Rejowana Roufhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7361-7640Tanvi Patelhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-1203-0351Biswadeep Dharhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8143-9071 BackgroundThere is an urgent need to innovate methods of health education, which can often be resource- and time-intensive. Microinterventions have shown promise as a platform for rapid, tailored resource dissemination yet have been underexplored as a method of standardized health or dietary education; social media chatbots display unique potential as a modality for accessible, efficient, and affordable educational microinterventions. ObjectiveThis study aims to provide public health professionals with practical recommendations on the use of social media chatbots for health education by (1) documenting the development of a novel social media chatbot intervention aimed at improving dietary attitudes and self-efficacy among South Asian American young adults and (2) describing the applied experiences of implementing the chatbot, along with user experience and engagement data. MethodsIn 2023, the “Roti” chatbot was developed on Facebook and Instagram to administer a 4-lesson tailored dietary health curriculum, informed by formative research and the Theory of Planned Behavior, to 18- to 29-year-old South Asian American participants (recruited through social media from across the United States). Each lesson (10-15 minutes) consisted of 40-50 prescripted interactive texts with the chatbot (including multiple-choice and open-response questions). A preintervention survey determined which lesson(s) were suggested to participants based on their unique needs, followed by a postintervention survey informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior to assess changes in attitudes, self-efficacy, and user experiences (User Experience Questionnaire). This study uses a cross-sectional design to examine postintervention user experiences, engagement, challenges encountered, and solutions developed during the chatbot implementation. ResultsData from 168 participants of the intervention (n=92, 54.8% Facebook; n=76, 45.2% Instagram) were analyzed (mean age 24.5, SD 3.1 years; n=129, 76.8% female). Participants completed an average of 2.6 lessons (13.9 minutes per lesson) and answered an average of 75% of questions asked by the chatbot. Most reported a positive chatbot experience (User Experience Questionnaire: 1.34; 81/116, 69.8% positive), with pragmatic quality (ease of use) being higher than hedonic quality (how interesting it felt; 88/116, 75.9% vs 64/116, 55.2% positive evaluation); younger participants reported greater hedonic quality (P=.04). On a scale out of 10 (highest agreement), participants reported that the chatbot was relevant (8.53), that they learned something new (8.24), and that the chatbot was helpful (8.28). Qualitative data revealed an appreciation for the cheerful, interactive messaging of the chatbot and outlined areas of improvement for the length, timing, and scope of text content. Quick replies, checkpoints, online forums, and self-administered troubleshooting were some solutions developed to meet the challenges experienced. ConclusionsThe implementation of a standardized, tailored health education curriculum through an interactive social media chatbot displayed strong feasibility. Lessons learned from challenges encountered and user input provide a tangible roadmap for future exploration of such chatbots for accessible, engaging health interventions.https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e52032 |
| spellingShingle | Shahmir H Ali Fardin Rahman Aakanksha Kuwar Twesha Khanna Anika Nayak Priyanshi Sharma Sarika Dasraj Sian Auer Rejowana Rouf Tanvi Patel Biswadeep Dhar Rapid, Tailored Dietary and Health Education Through A Social Media Chatbot Microintervention: Development and Usability Study With Practical Recommendations JMIR Formative Research |
| title | Rapid, Tailored Dietary and Health Education Through A Social Media Chatbot Microintervention: Development and Usability Study With Practical Recommendations |
| title_full | Rapid, Tailored Dietary and Health Education Through A Social Media Chatbot Microintervention: Development and Usability Study With Practical Recommendations |
| title_fullStr | Rapid, Tailored Dietary and Health Education Through A Social Media Chatbot Microintervention: Development and Usability Study With Practical Recommendations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid, Tailored Dietary and Health Education Through A Social Media Chatbot Microintervention: Development and Usability Study With Practical Recommendations |
| title_short | Rapid, Tailored Dietary and Health Education Through A Social Media Chatbot Microintervention: Development and Usability Study With Practical Recommendations |
| title_sort | rapid tailored dietary and health education through a social media chatbot microintervention development and usability study with practical recommendations |
| url | https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e52032 |
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