Diabetes Education in Argentina: Leveraging Social Media in the Wake of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted diabetes care services in Argentina, prompting the need for innovative solutions to continue education and support for individuals with diabetes. Researchers at the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy partnered with public health institutions to develop a diabetes education program using social media, specifically Facebook, in two cities: Chaco and La Rioja. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two e-learning modalities: synchronous and asynchronous, in providing diabetes self-management education (DSME) during the pandemic.

Key Takeaways:

• The study found that the asynchronous modality had a higher number of visualizations, while the synchronous modality had more posts and interactions between educators and users.
• Incorporating primary care clinics as disseminators, sharing educational videos via social media, increased the number of views.
• The educator/moderator role had a greater presence in the synchronous modality, providing motivation, resolving connectivity problems, and answering user queries.
• Positive aspects of the posts included messages of thanks, reaffirmations, reflections, and personal experiences, as well as consultations related to the subject matter.
• The study highlighted the potential for these strategies to be replicated and adapted to other contexts, contingent upon the availability of documented experiences and long-term impact assessments.

Statistics:

• A total of 332 messages were analyzed from the Facebook posts.
• The asynchronous modality had 152 messages, with an average of 76 visualizations per message.
• The synchronous modality had 180 messages, with an average of 56 posts and interactions per message.
• The number of views increased by 25% when primary care clinics were incorporated as disseminators.
• The educator/moderator role was present in 70% of the synchronous modality posts.

Sources:

• NewsRx. Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy Reports Findings in COVID-19 (The Use of 2 e-Learning Modalities for Diabetes Education Using Facebook in 2 Cities of Argentina During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Study). Education Letter. November 30, 2022; p 20.