Engaging Moms on Teen Indoor Tanning Through Social Media

Participants in the intervention join a private Facebook group to participate in the Health Chat program. The group is not viewable to the public, including other Facebook users. The content of Health Chat is designed primarily for mothers, the participants in the group. Posts will occur twice daily for 12 months for a total of 720 posts. Each group will be hosted by a moderator who is responsible for managing the intervention goals and mothers' engagement. Mothers likely will not continuously engage with a social media campaign that is limited only to indoor tanning. To engage mothers in the Health Chat program, content addressing several major health and wellness topics relevant to adolescent girls and their mothers will be posted.

In the comparison condition, 25% of the posts will be about prescription drug abuse and misuse. Prescription drug abuse was selected as control content because it is a) completely unrelated to tanning, and b) an emerging issue of great interest and relevance to young adults in east Tennessee. This 25% segment of posts is the only difference between the intervention and comparison conditions.