Democratizing Knowledge: Health Literacy, Media, and Access

In an age where digital platforms are shaping how we access health information, social media has emerged as a key player in bridging the gap between health care professionals and the public. While not a substitute for medical care, platforms such as TikTok and Instagram offer opportunities to increase health literacy, especially among patients with limited access to health care professionals. ^1,2

People of color often face barriers in accessing dermatologic care, such as financial constraints, insurance barriers, or lack of available providers. This can result in treatment delays, worsening condition severity and outcomes.

Additionally, research indicates that nondermatologic medical professionals receive limited training on recognizing and treating skin conditions in darker skin colors. This can result in misdiagnosis or inadequate treatment, further frustrating patients and prolonging their suffering. Social media health education campaigns can help address these gaps by increasing health literacy among patients and offering valuable insights to medical professional who may have had limited exposure to skin of color conditions during their training. Despite this potential, a representation gap remains.

A study conducted found that only 10.4% of the analyzed posts on Instagram featured individuals with Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI (ie, darker skin colors). ³ Other studies have highlighted the lack of skin of color representation in skin cancer prevention campaigns on social media platforms.⁴

However, there is apparent interest in online resources featuring skin of color.

Posts featuring individuals with darker skin colors have an overall higher engagement rate (4.68%) compared to those featuring lighter skin colors (3.75%)³.

Yet only 9.8% of posts from health professional accounts featured individuals with skin of color, suggesting a lack of diversity in dermatology-related content from medical professionals.⁵

Despite dermatologists and other medical professionals depicting skin conditions in darker skin colors in a limited capacity, online content creators more frequently showcase such individuals. To ensure accurate representation and minimize misinformation, it is increasingly important for dermatologists to actively discuss and depict conditions in skin of color on digital platforms.

By enhancing representation across the spectrum of skin colors in social media campaigns and dermatologist-created online content, the medical community can improve access to health knowledge, empower patients, and encourage timely care.

References

1. Comp G, Dyer S, Gottlieb M. Is TikTok the next social media frontier for medicine?. AEM Educ Train. 2021 Jul;5(3):. PubMedId: 34095694. doi:10.1002/aet2.10532
2. Bressler MY, Grudnikoff E, Bressler Y, Tamez R, Zampella JG. Risks and benefits of using social media in dermatology: cross-sectional questionnaire study. JMIR Dermatol. 2021 Feb 24;4(1):e24737. PubMedId: 37632799. doi:10.2196/24737
3. Ahmed F, Ogidi P, Shareef O, Lipoff J. Lack of skin of color representation in dermatology-related Instagram posts: content analysis. JMIR Dermatol. 2022 May 24;5(2):e37415. PubMedId: 37632868. doi:10.2196/37415
4. Grewal SK, Reddy V, Tomz A, Lester J, Linos E, Lee PK. Skin cancer in skin of color: a cross-sectional study investigating gaps in prevention campaigns on social media. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021 Nov;85(5):1311-1313. PubMedId: 32891777. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.08.121
5. Ahmed F, Fitzsimmons R, Chu EY, Shin DB, Takeshita J. Frequency of skin biopsies for psoriasis by race and ethnicity. JAMA Dermatol. 2024 Sep 1;160(9):1003-1005. PubMedId: 39110450. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.2554