The Impact of Using Social Networks on Women’s Awareness of Their Physical Health

In recent years, social networks have attracted the attention of various segments of society, including women, as a source of health information. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of using social networks on women’s awareness of thier physical health.

In terms of purpose, this research was practical research and in terms of nature, it was descriptive-explanatory research, which was conducted as an online survey on the Instagram social network. The statistical population for this study included the Iranian female Instagram users aged 20 to 60 who were the members of the selected Instagram pages in the field of women’s physical health, approximately 22,800 people. A sample size of 384 people was included in the research by the available sampling method. Data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire, the validity and reliability of which had already been  confirmed. Findings were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods by SPSS software version 21.

Making use of health social networks has a significant positive impact on women’s consciousness of their physical health and all its dimensions, including puberty health, malnutrition and obesity, care during pregnancy and post-pregnancy care,and  women’s diseases and cancers.

The effective use of social networks in the field of women’s physical health should become a health discourse in the society because one of its important consequences for women is increasing the potential ability to make informed decisions during illness, reducing health-threatening risks, increasing disease prevention, increasing the quality of life, and increasing the quality of self-care.