Social Media as a Tool for Health Promotion and Disease Management in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Social media (SM) has drastically improved communication and information dissemination among various demographics. Purpose: This systematic review study aims to evaluate the use of social media as a health promotion tool in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed in carrying out this research. Different databases were used to search for relevant articles from 2015 to 2024. Results: Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Multiple social media platforms were utilized in these efforts, including YouTube, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and the X platform. The articles related to diabetic patients showed that the majority used SM to gather information about disease management. Advantages of using SM include improving patient education and awareness of diabetes, as well as facilitating patient-doctor communication. Barriers included breaching patient privacy, unreliable data, and a lack of easy access for the elderly and those with lower educational levels. YouTube, the X platform, and WhatsApp were especially popular. Moreover, 47% of participants in diabetic study and 96% of participants with celiac disease were using social media as a source of information for disease management. Conclusion: SM has been found to have a drastic impact on the knowledge of public health and specific diseases. Decision-makers need to support more studies on SM as a health promotion tool. Moreover, multiple media platforms could complement each other to provide audio-visual learning experiences, such as the X platform and YouTube, for easier access.