ABSTRACT
Parkinson's disease profoundly impacts patients' quality of life, yet public awareness is limited. As social networks reach broad audiences, they are vital platforms for health communication. This study analyzed Parkinson's disease (PD) topics on China's major social network, Weibo, to reveal public awareness and concerns. We found Parkinson's became a popular keyword due to its association with hand tremors, though this trend may impede public comprehensive understanding of this disease. Through time series analysis, marketing accounts were found to publish misinformation through concentrated posts during specific periods, but this false information had limited impact. Further analysis of communication network structures showed people focused more on mutual aid than acquiring Parkinson's disease knowledge. This indicates advanced technique should be develop to promote accurate Parkinson's knowledge through social media. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years led people to pay more attention to Parkinson's, demonstrating social media's role in responding to health crises. Overall, this study details how people discuss diseases on social media, providing a basis for developing communication strategies to promote Parkinson's and other diseases, while also informing patient mutual aid systems. To our best knowledge, this is the first study revealing the communications characteristics of PD related contents on social network. The findings may also empower more effective health promotion and patient support worldwide through social networks.