The article “Instagram como herramienta de salud pública: un estudio sobre América del Sur” by Pâmela Pinto (DigiMedia Invited Researcher), Maria João Antunes(DigiMedia Researcher) and Ana Margarida Almeida (DigiMedia Researcher) was published in the journal “Ámbitos – Revista Internacional de Comunicación ”.

Abstract: Between 2015 and 2020, the adherence of South American health authorities to Instagram has increased. In 2015, from a total of 12 countries, there were three active profiles and, in 2019, there were nine. However, a few studies analyze the use of Instagram as a strategic tool in the context of public health in developing or low-income countries. Therefore, this study aims to map health authorities’ Instagram profiles in South America. An exploratory study was carried out based on a literature review and a content analysis of these profiles. It conducts a qualitative and quantitative analysis on the uses of the platform to expand information related to public health. The sample is composed of 2,418 posts, published between April and May 2020 and January and February 2021. Regardless of the region’s deep socio-economic inequalities, it presents an intense use of the Internet and social media. The results pointed to Instagram as an emerging communication tool for the analyzed countries’ authorities, which used it with different approaches. In the sample, messages that focused on prevention, health promotion, and institutions predominated. The card was the dominant language for presenting the posts. The COVID-19 pandemic was the most frequent topic. In the final considerations, there are good practices suggestions directed to the evaluated profiles, based on the issues presented in the analysis.

Citation: 

Pinto, A. P., Antunes, M. J., & Almeida, P. A. M. (2021). Instagram como herramienta de salud pública : un estudio sobre América del Sur. Ámbitos Revista Internacional de Comunicación, 53(2), 63–81. https://doi.org//dx.doi.org/10.12795/Ambitos.2021.i53.04

Article available HERE.