Exploring communication by public health leaders and organizations during the pandemic: a content analysis of COVID-related tweets

Objectives Health communication is an essential competency in public health practice. The increasing use of social media and the connectivity between the general public and public health leaders present a unique opportunity to explore how digital communications tools were leveraged in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores Twitter-based communications from public health leaders and organizations across Canada and compares them with those from the World Health Organization (WHO). This research aimed to understand Twitter communications strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic, other public health emergencies, and non-emergency public health issues. Methods A content analysis of COVID-related Twitter content during the first wave of the pandemic (January 1–August 31, 2020) was performed. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Policy Intervention Scan was used as a framework to analyze messaging from public health leaders and the WHO. Results Findings demonstrate that most tweets from public health leaders and organizations in Canada and the WHO focused on case management and public information. Gaps and areas of weakness identified include the lack of Twitter participation by some public health leaders and a narrow range of policy intervention topics, limiting the breadth and depth of public health messages. Conclusion Strengthening communications can serve to improve information sharing in future pandemics or public health crises. Further research should assess how public health leaders and organizations applied communication best practices on all social media platforms and across different policy interventions.