Publication date: Jul 31, 2025

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified health care worker burnout and increased their engagement with social media. However, it remains unclear whether social media is beneficial in mitigating burnout among primary health care workers (PHWs). This study aims to report the prevalence of burnout among Chinese PHWs and investigate the relationship between social media use, specifically WeChat Moments usage, and burnout, with a focus on urban-rural differences. Our nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and October 2022 and included 3769 PHWs. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, and WeChat Moments usage was self-evaluated. Weighted data were used to report the prevalence of burnout nationwide and in urban and rural areas. Multivariate logistic regression and subgroup analyses were used to examine the association between burnout and WeChat Moments usage frequency, highlighting differences between urban and rural PHWs. Urban PHWs reported a higher prevalence of burnout compared with their rural counterparts (212/1200, 17. 6% vs 351/2569, 13. 7%; P=. 004). Overall, the frequency of social media use was negatively associated with the prevalence of burnout. With the inclusion of covariates, those who sometimes used WeChat Moments experienced a statistically significant protective effect compared with those who never used WeChat Moments in the fully adjusted model (odds ratio 0. 570, 95% CI 0. 348-0. 933; P=. 03). The association between social media use and burnout was more statistically significant in urban settings than in rural settings (urban: all odds ratios and 95% CIs

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