%0 Journal Article
%@ 1438-8871
%I JMIR Publications
%V 25
%N 
%P e46309
%T Social Media Use and Its Concurrent and Subsequent Relation to a Biological Marker of Inflammation: Short-Term Longitudinal Study
%A Lee,David
%A Jiang,Tao
%A Crocker,Jennifer
%A Way,Baldwin
%+ Department of Communication, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 327 Baldy Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, United States, 1 716 645 1167, dslee9@buffalo.edu
%K social media use
%K inflammation
%K physical health
%K well-being
%K screen time
%K mental health
%K social media
%K biomarker
%K chronic disease
%D 2023
%7 8.12.2023
%9 Original Paper
%J J Med Internet Res
%G English
%X Background: Although many studies have examined the impact of social media use (SMU) on mental health, very few studies have examined the association of SMU with health-relevant biomarkers. Objective: Addressing this gap, we conducted a short-term longitudinal study examining the link between SMU and C-reactive protein (CRP), a biological marker of systemic inflammation predictive of major depression, chronic diseases, and mortality. Methods: We measured college students’ weekly amount of SMU for 5 consecutive weeks objectively via the Screen Time app and collected blood samples at baseline and 5 weeks later. Results: In separate cross-sectional analyses conducted at phase 1 (baseline) and at phase 2 (5 weeks after baseline), objective SMU had a positive, concurrent association with CRP at both time points. Critically, in a longitudinal analysis, more SMU between phase 1 and phase 2 predicted increased CRP between these time points, suggesting that increased SMU led to heightened inflammation during that period. Conclusions: Although more research is needed to understand why SMU led to higher inflammation, the association between objective SMU and a marker of a biological process critical to physical health presents an intriguing opportunity for future research on social media effects. 
%M 38064253
%R 10.2196/46309
%U https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e46309
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/46309
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38064253