Sbardelotto Jackson, Martins Bárbara Birck, Buss Caroline
Nutrition Course, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Department of Nutrition, Graduate Study Program in Health Sciences, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
JMIR Form Res. 2022 Feb 25;6(2):e31533. doi: 10.2196/31533.
Social networks have been pointed out as 1 of the greatest means of spreading information. A large part of the population is already present on these platforms, looking up subjects such as health, nutrition, and food. To reach this audience, it may be important for dietitians to explore social networks. However, there is a gap in scientific studies on exploring the ways in which these platforms are used by dietitians in Brazil, and the roles they play in the profession have not been well defined.
This study aims to describe the roles that social networks play in dietitians' practice in Brazil and their mode of use of social networks. This study also aims to identify professionals' perceptions and opinions regarding the use of these tools, as well as changes in behavior on social network usage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We carried out a quantitative cross-sectional study, collecting data through an online questionnaire, submitted between October 2020 and January 2021 to dietitians registered on the Federal Council of Dietitians. All participants included in the study answered questions about the use of social networks in their professional context.
In total, 264 (91.7%) of the 288 participants reported using social networks for professional practice. Instagram was the social network most often used by professionals (224/264, 84.8%). Dietitians (N=288) related to the use of social networks (always to almost always) for sharing information about their services (n=114-72 [39.6%-25%], respectively), following the work of other dietitians (n=172-64 [59.7%-22.2%], respectively), and writing about topics related to food and nutrition (n=166-53 [57.6%-18.4%], respectively). The roles played by social networks in the professional context of dietitians were attracting more clients (210/289, 72.7%) and keeping in touch with them (195/289, 67.5%). Furthermore, 227 (78.5%) of the 289 dietitians strongly agreed that social networks are good tools to promote their services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 216 (74.7%) of the 289 participants noticed changes in their behavior, feelings, or beliefs on the use of social networks related to professional practice, and 149 (51.6%) have increased the frequency of sharing information about nutrition and health in general on social networks.
The main roles of social networks in the professional context of dietitians are to attract clients and to facilitate the contact between professional and client. The modes of use reported by the professionals included sharing information about their services, following the work of professional colleagues, and writing about topics related to nutrition. Most of them reported believing that social networks are an effective way to disseminate their services. Moreover, most professionals claimed to have noticed changes in their behaviors or beliefs on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.
社交网络已被视为传播信息的最主要手段之一。很大一部分人口已经活跃在这些平台上，查找诸如健康、营养和食品等主题。对于营养师而言，探索社交网络可能很重要，以便接触到这类受众。然而，关于巴西营养师如何使用这些平台的科学研究存在空白，它们在该职业中所起的作用也尚未得到明确界定。
本研究旨在描述社交网络在巴西营养师实践中所起的作用及其社交网络使用模式。本研究还旨在确定专业人员对使用这些工具的看法和意见，以及新冠疫情导致的社交网络使用行为变化。
我们开展了一项定量横断面研究，通过在线问卷收集数据，于2020年10月至2021年1月期间提交给在联邦营养师委员会注册的营养师。研究纳入的所有参与者都回答了关于在其专业背景下使用社交网络的问题。
在288名参与者中，共有264名（91.7%）报告在专业实践中使用社交网络。Instagram是专业人员最常使用的社交网络（224/264，84.8%）。营养师（N = 288）将社交网络的使用（总是到几乎总是）与分享其服务信息（分别为n = 114 - 72 [39.6% - 25%]）、关注其他营养师的工作（分别为n = 172 - 64 [59.7% - 22.2%]）以及撰写与食品和营养相关的主题（分别为n = 166 - 53 [57.6% - 18.4%]）联系起来。社交网络在营养师专业背景中所起的作用是吸引更多客户（210/289，72.7%）以及与他们保持联系（195/289，67.5%）。此外，289名营养师中有227名（78.5%）强烈同意社交网络是推广其服务的良好工具。在新冠疫情期间，289名参与者中有216名（74.7%）注意到他们在与专业实践相关的社交网络使用方面的行为、感受或信念发生了变化，149名（51.6%）增加了在社交网络上分享一般营养和健康信息的频率。
社交网络在营养师专业背景中的主要作用是吸引客户并促进专业人员与客户之间的联系。专业人员报告使用的模式包括分享其服务信息、关注专业同事的工作以及撰写与营养相关的主题。他们中的大多数报告认为社交网络是传播其服务的有效方式。此外，大多数专业人员声称在新冠疫情期间注意到了他们在社交媒体上的行为或信念的变化。
