#feasibility of the Social Media–Based Prevention Program “Leduin” for German Adolescents on Instagram: Mixed Methods Pilot Study
Background: Digital platforms, particularly social media including Instagram, present unique opportunities for health promotion among adolescents due to their widespread use with interactive features supporting high user engagement. However, the #feasibility of effectively utilizing platforms like Instagram for health interventions requires careful consideration of adolescent engagement patterns. Objective: This pilot study evaluated the leduin program – designed to foster essential life skills and functional social media use among adolescents – while also exploring the broader #feasibility of using Instagram to deliver complex social and psychological interventions in this population. Methods: The study adapted Bowen’s #feasibility framework and used a mixed-methods approach. Quantitatively, Instagram interaction metrics of 99 participants (62 women (62.6%) and 37 men (37.4%), aged 14–18; mean = 15.2, SD = 0.74) were analyzed descriptively (means, medians, SDs) and inferentially (Welch’s ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson and Spearman correlations, linear and segmented regressions) using RStudio. Metrics included story views, retention rates, feature engagement (e.g., polls, question stickers, quizzes), and drop-off rates. Recruitment efforts were also analyzed descriptively. Qualitatively, 13 post-program semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 women (64.7%) and 6 men (35.3%) (mean age = 15.29, SD = 0.99). Participants were sampled to reflect varying engagement levels (six high, five medium, six low). The mean interview duration was 25:11 minutes (SD = 6:34). Content analysis, with high inter-coder reliability (κ = .90), comprehensively explored participants’ experiences and the program’s impact. Results: Quantitative results indicate that the recruitment process was challenging, with 101 schools and 10 youth centers contacted, resulting in a participation rate of 12.8% (99 out of 775 students). On Instagram, story views ranged from 34 to 81 per post, with an average daily retention rate of 87.7% (SD = 7.8%). By week 4, 76.0% of the total drop in views had occurred (mean views declined from 66.1 to 53.4); by week 6, 97.3% of the drhad been reached (49.9 views), indicating sustained viewer interest over the 14-week program. Features requiring minimal user effort including polls (56.8%-54.4%), quizzes (56.6%), and sliders (51.2%) showed significantly higher interaction rates than more demanding features such as challenges (21.7%) and question stickers (20.6%) (P
