Rate of Use of Health Information of Mass Media and Virtual Social Networks among Citizens of Tehran: A Population Study

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. 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. This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 1196 citizens of Tehran aged 18-65 years old in 2016. The subjects were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire after assessment of its validity and reliability. Data were analyzed by SPSS 19 software, using appropriate descriptive statistical methods. 1,196 citizens of Tehran (581 women and 615 men) were studied in this research with a mean age of 37.2±13.2 years old. The highest use of media health information was about television (about 81%), internet (about 64%) and the print media (about 58%). The use of health information in virtual social networks was about 56%. The use of health information of mass media and virtual social networks in the age group of 24 to 35 years old, married, the group with 13 years of education and workers were more than other groups.  The rate of use of television health information among citizens of Tehran is significant. Also, Internet search and social networking sites for health information should be taken into consideration by health care providers.