Bringing Social Media Into Mobile Public Health

In the past, people used to receive health information from verbal communications, printed materials, radio waves or television sets. Subsequently, with the advent and development of the internet, the citizenry became accustomed to access such data in computers, tablets or smart phones. And, recently, we have witnessed a tendency to use social networks to feed informational needs. Social media programs are now extremely popular. In billions, the numbers are as follows, Facebook, 1.9; WhatsApp, 1.2; YouTube, 1.0, Instagram, 0.6, LinkedIn, 0.4, and Twitter, O.3 world users. According to a survey of the Pew Research Center (n.d), in 2016, 69% of U.S. adults used at least one social media site. Networks costumers are from different nationalities, economic status, race, ethnicities, gender, or religious backgrounds (Pew Research Center, n.d.). Such programs have a major impact in the health care field as they allow receiving and transmitting health education and advise and/or foster connections with other consumers locally or internationally.

Furthermore, hundreds of mobile applications have been designed to allow consumers learn and manage chronic diseases. Such programs not only assist people in accessing information, but also contribute to reduce isolation by providing opportunities for socializing and interacting with afflicted peers. The new terms ePatient and Empowered Patient apply to individuals that get connected and strengthened through social networks (Bolaños, Rojas Quintero & Serrano Silva, 2015).

Within its triple-P mandate (prevent, promote and protect), public health officials have always tried to reach specific target populations with various health promotion efforts, including health screenings and other services. Contemporary technological innovations offer new tools for outreach, message dissemination and implementation of prevention strategies. However, taking advantage of these amazing opportunities requires careful planning, design and implementation.

Clearly, starting in the 80s, there was an impressive development of the internet, offering opportunities to explore a variety of websites and to communicate by email. But, currently, we have at hand high speed programs that offer options for immediate communication and interaction. People can purchase wristbands to monitor physical activities, or could download applications that document and monitor blood pressure, food intake and medication use.

Simultaneously, new professions and job descriptions have emerged. Among them, there is a high demand for the called social media specialists. These technological geeks, are masters of fast navigation, and are knowledgeable of protocols, features and nuances of various applications. Within minutes they are able of taking, recording, downloading, posting and disseminating pictures, voice messages or video images to large audiences across various communities.

Without any doubts, social media and mobile applications could be very useful tools for public health and health care practice. They could be used to disseminate health messages, provide information about how to receive services, send invitations for health promotion events, investigate disease outbreaks, for emergency management and other purposes.

A review of the literature shows that the field is taking heed and the utilization of such resources is now becoming popular among health departments. A study conducted by Thackeray, Neiger, Smith and Van Wagenen (2012) found that sixty

percent of the U.S. state health departments were using at least one social media application. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were the most commonly used venues. The 2016 National Profile of Local Health Departments (LHDs) showed that 65% of the sample (n= 466) had Facebook accounts and also utilized other social media venues. Institutions and agencies as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal Health and Human Services department(HHS), the American Public Health Association and the National Association of City and County Health Officers (NACCHO) are users of social media applications. There is a good reason for the implementation of such new strategies. A study conducted by Beck et al. (2014), in France, found that, in 2010, 48.5% (474/977) of Web users aged 15-30 years used the Internet for health purposes. That means that there is a growing population of individuals that use the web to access health information.

Notwithstanding, the new developments pose a set of new questions to public health management and leadership. Customarily, health educators, health promotors and outreach workers design fliers, pamphlets, posters and banners, deliver individual or group educational sessions, and plan and implement promotional events. But now, social networks have available tools that could make such interventions more effective by helping connect with thousands of people in just a few minutes.

One could wonder if either such critical functions should be assumed by social media specialists, or, if traditional positions should be required to have a high set of skills in social media and mobile technology. These are important questions. But we can’t go so fast without considered a variety of facts. For example, even with their refined skills, self-taught social media specialists cannot easily replace experienced professionals that not only obtained college or master degrees in public health related professions but have also accumulated many years of experience in the health care field. Such professionals have theoretical knowledge and practical experience in disease prevention and management. Perhaps, it would be more appropriate to consider the advantages of integrating both fields. Such alignment could be achieved by revising the listings of academic courses and also by implementing comprehensive technological training protocols for existing staff members. Educational leaders need to recognize the importance of revising their public health curricula to incorporate strong technological courses into their normal offerings.

While the benefits are many, one should be aware of the challenges and limitations associated with the use of social media. On the one hand, there is the need to be careful and ensure the accuracy of the information provided. Besides, social media specialists that become part of a health department need to be cognizant of their potential limitations in knowledge of the medical field. Program managers need to ensure that all contents are carefully revised by other experts before they get published. This also applies when using features that allow for chatting with consumers. In this case, workers need to be trained to set clear boundaries to maintain the focus on information and education, thus avoiding engaging into specific clinical dialogues with users.

Nevertheless, the necessity of incorporating social media strategies into the regular programming of health departments is crystal clear. These new strategies need to be elevated to a programmatic category reflected in strategic planning documents, organizational charts and budgets. Governmental entities and other funding sources should be aware of the urgency of providing public health practitioners with adequate financial support to be able to fully staff such services and to have proper technological tools.

Social media should be considered as an additional resource and not as a substitute for other traditional activities. Besides, it would be a good idea to market these strategies to assist the community in familiarizing with such tools. In summary, a new strategy, mobile public health, is here to stay. Social media sites bring new opportunities, but also new challenges for effective public health practice.

By Ramón Rojano, PhD, MFT, MPH, CPC

rojanophd@gmail.com

www.ramonrojano.com

References

BBVA Innovation Center (2011). Salud y redes sociales. Conocimiento de vanguardia sobre la Web Social en el sector salud. Proceedings from Simposium in Madrid Spain. November 17, 2011. Accessed on June 12, 2017 from: http://centrodeinnovacionbbva.com

Beck, F., Richard, J.-B., Nguyen-Thanh, V., Montagni, I., Parizot, I., & Renahy, E. (2014). Use of the Internet as a Health Information Resource Among French Young Adults: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(5), e128. http://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.2934

Bolaños, D., Rojas Quintero, G. & Serrano Silva, M. (2015). Las redes sociales y su papel en la mejora de la salud y prevencion de enfermedades. Universidad Autónoma de Centroameerica.

Accessed on June 14, 2017, from: http://files.biblioteca-uaca.webnode.es/200000733-94b5396a94/IC%202015%20INFORM%20MED_REDES%20SOCIALES.pdf

Krom, A. (2013). From Facebook to Tracebook, A Justified Means to Prevent Infection Risks? Public Health Ethics (2014) 7 (1): 54-56. November, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/phe/pht036. Accessed on June 14, 2017, from: https://academic.oup.com/phe/article-abstract/7/1/54/1592394/From-Facebook-to-Tracebook-A-Justified-Means-to?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Pew Research Center (n.d.). Social Media Fact Sheet. Internet & Technology. Accessed on June 12, 2017 from: http://pewinternet.org

Thackeray, Neiger, Smith and Van Wagenen (2012). Adoption and use of social media among public health departments. BioMed Central Ltd. Accessed on June 14, 2017 from: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-12-242?report=reader

Ramón Rojano is a former health and human services officer of the city of Hartford, CT, and of Wake County, NC.

Citation:

Rojano, 2017. Bringing Social Media into Mobile Public Health. LinkedIn Articles. Accessed on June 16, 2017 from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bringing-social-media-mobile-public-health-ramon-rojano-phd?published=t