The Role of Social Media Influencers in Promoting Therapeutic Compliance: Implications for Public Health Policy
Abstract
Treatment adherence (hereafter, adherence) is critical to achieving positive therapeutic outcomes, whereas non-adherence remains a major public health challenge that hinders recovery and increases healthcare expenditures. As social media has become a prominent channel for information consumption and sharing, social media influencers (SMIs) may play an important role in enhancing adherence. Yet the mechanisms through which engagement with SMIs promotes adherence are not well understood. Drawing on the source attractiveness model, this study posits that influencer characteristics – specifically social attractiveness and perceived credibility – shape evaluations of health messages and, in turn, persuade followers toward adherence. We examine the relationship between SMI social attractiveness and adherence, test the mediating roles of perceived authenticity and perceived expertise, and explore the moderating role of SMI message type. Using survey data from 475 participants, we find that SMI social attractiveness positively predicts treatment adherence, and this effect is mediated by followers’ perceptions of influencer authenticity and expertise. These findings suggest that SMIs can contribute meaningfully to public health communication by encouraging adherence, with the potential to alleviate both fiscal pressures and infrastructural burdens on health systems.