Design and deployment of social media interventions for community-based rehabilitation in rural and low-resource settings

Despite the increasing interest in using digital technology to support healthcare and rehabilitation, the design and deployment of social media as a delivery medium for Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) in rural and Low-Resource Settings (LRSs) remains underexplored. Rehabilitation is a long-term, multifaceted process that often involves not only patients but also family caregivers, healthcare professionals, and community health workers. In rural areas, limited infrastructure, geographical barriers, and digital exclusion further complicate access to continuous rehabilitation support. Social media platforms, widely adopted even in LRSs, ofer new opportunities to bridge these gaps; yet questions remain about how to design and implement such interventions efectively and sustainably.

In this research thesis, a series of studies were carried out to investigate how social media platforms can be designed and deployed to support digitally delivered CBR in rural and LRSs in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with a focus on the needs of patients, family caregivers, Village Health Volunteers (VHVs), and healthcare professionals. The frst study explored the needs, challenges, and caregiving dynamics in rural rehabilitation. It examined how Facebook could serve as a CBR delivery platform by facilitating access to rehabilitation knowledge, emotional support, and peer engagement. The study also explored the feasibility and limitations of using social media in community-based healthcare settings, highlighting the importance of trust, local relevance, and digital inclusion.

Building on these insights, the second study investigated the co-design, implementation, and real-world deployment of a cross-platform CBR intervention using Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and LINE. Participatory workshops were conducted to identify additional local needs and shape content that was both instructional and culturally resonant. The study evaluated platform-specifc usage through social media analytics and stakeholder interviews, revealing that each platform ofered distinct strengths for engagement, content dissemination, and emotional reinforcement in caregiving. The intervention supported a wide range of needs, from physical training to mental health and motivational storytelling.

This thesis draws together these fndings, and the implications of these fndings extend both theoretical and practical knowledge in designing inclusive, culturally grounded, and sustainable CBR interventions for rural and LRSs.