McCoy, J.

Abstract RATIONALE: Community engagement is critical in the conduct of research seeking to address healthcare disparities. Indigenous peoples (American Indians and Alaskan Natives) have the highest prevalence of cigarette smoking and commercial tobacco use among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Including Indigenous people as partners in the research process is critical for moving interventions to improve health forward. Engagement in the research process should be considerate of the time, travel, and ease of use for research participants and advisors. Based on feedback from community members, we launched social media pages with deidentified study updates for past participants and any interested community members to receive updates on a prospective mixed methods study designed to inform a pilot smoking cessation intervention. METHODS: Facebook and Instagram were the social media platforms identified for this study. Prior themes identified from the principal investigator's previous work and results of current study informed the development of posts. Institutional Review Board approval was granted for this community engagement method. There were no recruitment activities conducted on these pages, and all information was presented in a deidentified, thematic fashion to protect research participants. There were two social media moderators monitoring interaction with social media pages. An Indigenous artist created accompanying images to enhance engagement with posts. The content covered discussions on smoking cessation identified from the primary study along with profiles highlighting team members and allies. Posts were made at non-fixed, variable intervals from May to September 2024, and were checked bi-weekly to ensure respectful conduct. RESULTS: Between May and September 2024, ten posts were shared, including three highlighting Indigenous team members and allies and seven focused on smoking cessation discussions. Instagram had more engagement when compared to Facebook. Posts that featured Indigenous team members and allies received higher interaction when compared to those on smoking cessation alone, contributing to Instagram's overall success. CONCLUSION: Instagram was the more effective platform demonstrating higher engagement and follower growth when compared to Facebook. Of note, on both platforms, posts that highlighted team members and allies resonated well, and generated the most interaction. This not only emphasizes social media as an effective tool to engage underserved populations in the research process, but also suggests that emphasizing representation and ally-ship among research teams is impactful when engaging Indigenous audiences. This outcome exemplifies the importance of integrating cultural relevance in public health messaging when discussing thoughts and attitudes surrounding smoking cessation.