HOSA STUDY: SPRINGER ARTICLE

Thematic Qualitative Text Analysis, A research method used to identify, analyze, and interpret recurring patterns of meaning in qualitative data

Familiarization, The first step in thematic analysis involving reading and re-reading the text to note initial observations

Initial Coding, Assigning labels (codes) to meaningful segments of text to categorize data

Theme Identification, Grouping codes into broader clusters that represent candidate themes

Reviewing Themes, Checking if themes accurately reflect the dataset, combining, splitting, or discarding themes as necessary

Defining and Naming Themes, Clearly explaining what each theme represents and giving it a concise, descriptive name

Writing Up, Using selected quotes and narrative to illustrate themes and answer research questions

HECC, Health Expert Content Creator; a health professional active on social media

SMI, Social Media Influencer; a regular person gaining recognition through social media self-presentation

Micro-Influencer, An SMI with smaller followings perceived as more authentic and relatable

Mega-Influencer, An SMI with very large followings perceived as likable and popular

Parasocial Relationship (PSR), One-sided relationship where audiences feel emotionally close to a media persona, concept introduced by Horton and Wohl

Overgeneralized Health Messaging, Health info that is factually correct but may mislead due to lack of individual applicability

Health Misinformation, Information contrary to scientific consensus, often factually incorrect

Health Disinformation, False information deliberately shared to deceive others

Motivations for HECC Social Media Use, Include public health education, professional visibility, community building, and counteracting misinformation

Attitudes Toward Non-Expert SMIs, HECCs perceive non-experts as negative, problematic, and irritating

Epidemic of Inexpertise, Term used by HECCs to describe widespread non-expert health advice on social media

Disclaimers, Notes added by SMIs acknowledging lack of expertise or individual applicability

Health Literacy, Audience’s ability to understand and act on health-related information

Social Media Literacy, Audience’s ability to critically evaluate information shared online

Regulatory Interventions, Platform policies or laws designed to limit the spread of misleading health content

Verification Systems, Tools to confirm the professional qualifications of health content creators on social media

Dual Expertise, HECCs combine medical knowledge with understanding of social media dynamics

Public Health Education, Using social media to fill knowledge gaps and inform the public about health topics

Community Building, Engaging online audiences to foster discussion, support, and interaction

Professional Visibility, HECCs using social media for self-promotion or client acquisition

Counteracting Misinformation, HECCs actively correcting or preventing misleading health messages

Overgeneralized Messaging Risks, Can lead to self-diagnosis, inappropriate health decisions, or confusion

Individual Specificity Principle, Health advice must consider the recipient’s unique medical condition

Self-Diagnosis Risk, Followers may misidentify with an influencer and incorrectly assess their health

Mental Health Example, SMIs sharing symptoms may cause adolescents to self-diagnose conditions like ADHD

Positive Influence of SMIs, Encouraging exercise, healthy diets, and positive attitudes toward vaccination or screenings

Negative Influence of SMIs, Promoting unhealthy food, fitness myths, or spreading misleading health information

Combined Harm Principle, Overgeneralized but accurate advice can be as harmful as misinformation

Harff et al., Defined SMIs as "regular people who became well-known on social media due to efficient self-presentation"

Horton and Wohl, Introduced the concept of parasocial relationships in media psychology

Kuckartz, Developed the structured approach to thematic qualitative text analysis used in the study