Promoting Public Engagement in Palliative and End-of-Life Care Discussions on Chinese Social Media: Model Development and Analysis (Preprint)

• DOI: 10.2196/preprints.59944
• Publication Date: 2025-03-18T12:05:08Z
• Authors: Yijun Wang; Han Zheng; Yuxin Zhou; Emeka Chukwusa; Jonathan Koffman; Vasa Curcin
• Keywords: Preprint; Public Engagement; End-of-Life Care; Social Engagement

<sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> In Chinese traditional culture, discussions surrounding death are often considered taboo, leading to a poor quality of death, and limited public awareness knowledge about palliative end-of-life care (PEoLC). However, the increasing prevalence social media in health communication China presents an opportunity promote educate PEoLC through online discussions. </sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> This study aimed examine factors influencing engagement on platform develop practice recommendations such engagement. <title>METHODS</title> We gathered 30,811 PEoLC-related posts Weibo, largest China. Guided by elaboration likelihood model, our examined across 4 dimensions: content theme, mood, information richness, source credibility. Content theme was using thematic analysis, while sentiment analysis used determine mood posts. The impact potential post quantified negative binomial regression. <title>RESULTS</title> Organizational accounts exhibited lower compared individual (incidence rate ratio [IRR]&amp;lt;1; &lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt;&amp;lt;.001), suggesting underuse organizational advocating for Weibo. Posts centered entertainment (films, television shows, books; IRR=1.37; &lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt;&amp;lt;.001) or controversial news (IRR=1.64; garnered more engagement, primarily published accounts. An interaction effect observed between with featuring generally attracting higher except educational-related (IRR=2.68; &lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt;&amp;lt;.001). <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> Overall, organizations faced challenges capturing attention involving when promoting platforms. It is imperative move beyond mode incorporate cultural elements media, as engaging influencers, leveraging news, visual elements, which can serve effective catalysts attention. strategies developed this particularly pertinent nonprofit academics aiming use campaigns, fundraising efforts, research dissemination.