Behind the counter, behind the discourse: The paradox of pharmacist influence in Arabic women's health online.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Social media is now a major arena for Arabic women's health discourse in the MENA region, yet it is unclear how pharmacists' expertise influences both the accuracy and visibility of information across platforms.

Objective

To compare pharmacists' visibility and accuracy with other author groups and to assess how platform, sentiment, and follower dynamics shape the gap between information quality and reach.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional content analysis of 682 public Arabic-language posts on women's self-medication and over-the-counter care from Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and X (January 2024-March 2025). Two independent coders rated accuracy on a four-point scale and classified sentiment (κ > 0.80). Engagement was summarized using

SUBMITTER: Melhem SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12774756 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature