Social Media: The New Sex Ed April 2, 2010

Sexual education for kids and teens is quite the hot topic, especially when it comes to the information students receive in their schools. Debates over how best to prevent teen pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases rage on, yet rates in many states continue to rise. Due to the popularity of social media among teens and young adults, it makes sense that advocacy groups have turned to these sites to reach out to teens and provide accurate sexual health information.

New Media to Address Old Problems

ISIS, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using new media to provide sexual health information to young adults. The group has used several social media strategies to address rising STD and pregnancy rates among American teens. Though I have not used any of these services before writing this blog, I examined much of the material and found it highly educational and interesting.

• Planned Parenthood and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy both provide free podcasts covering relationship and sexual health topics, and the California Family Health Council has its own YouTube Channel featuring a variety of videos on common teen health and sex concerns. I found the videos informative and fun to watch. They feature real teens speaking like teens do, not older “experts” spouting off a bunch of facts. Below is a video about featuring a young male talking about the need to practice safe sex.

• The HookUp is a sexual health text messaging service created to address high gonorrhea rates among teens in San Francisco. Users can text “SexINFO” to a 5-digit number and find answers to common sexual questions. This can be key when timing is an issue to quickly address ineffective, forgotten, or broken birth control methods.

• Widgets and applications for cell phones are another innovative measure used to provide sexual health information. Facebook users can use the “Sexpert” application to test their sexual health knowledge and read relevant blogs and articles. AIDS.gov also provides several new media tools, such as social bookmarks, widgets and podcasts to spread HIV and AIDS awareness and direct users to HIV testing sites.

Though socially conservative parents may cringe at the thought of their children using the Internet to get information about sex, they have to get it somewhere. Judging from the United States’ high STD and pregnancy rates compared to other Westernized nations, it’s clear that the “safe sex” message is not getting through to our teens. I think using social media to reach the very people who use it most makes more sense than any other method, and I applaud these groups for putting ideology aside and making it easier for young adults to access the information they need.

Social Media’s Role in Healthcare March 28, 2010

When you’re feeling under the weather, what’s the first thing you do? Do you call up your doctor and schedule an appointment? Or, like millions of Americans, do you search your symptoms on the Internet first? The first thing I do whenever I notice an unusual symptom or feel sick is Google my symptoms. The last thing I want to do when I’m sick is call up the doctor and have to wait days or weeks for an appointment while continuing to suffer from whatever is bothering me.

Share symptoms, Connect with others

But besides using search engines to find more information about a disease or disorder, people are increasingly turning to social media to self-diagnose and find remedies. While it may seem odd to rely on strangers rather than your home doctor for medical information, it can be a great way to obtain quick information from people who have had similar experiences. We all know that the Internet provides us with a (false?) sense of privacy, and I would imagine that people find it a lot easier to pose a question as an anonymous stranger than have to admit their maladies to a doctor face-to-face.

Personally, I am often worried that I’m making too big of a deal about something that’s bothering me, so I prefer to try to find an answer from an online community. Apparently, I’m not alone. According to a 2009 Manhattan Research survey, 35% of U.S. adults used social media for health and medical purposes in 2009, up from 27% in 2008.

According to the survey, 80 million U.S. adults in 2009 also created or consumed health care content on:

• Blogs;
• Chat rooms;
• Message boards;
• Online communities;
• Online social networks; and
• Patient testimonials

Below is an interesting video highlighting the way the Internet has changed health care:

Rise of the E-Hospital

Hospitals are getting in on the social media action too. Over 400 have Facebook and Twitter pages, and over 200 have YouTube channels. The entire health care industry is adapting to care for the millions of “e-patients” who turn to the Internet over traditional treatment methods. According to an article on Free Republic, President Obama has pledged $50 billion dollars over the next 5 years to help hospitals digitalize their health records. Creating electronic health records will improve the quality and reduce the costs of health care for most Americans.

But this digital revolution comes at a price–privacy. There are obviously risks in sharing confidential health information over the Internet. But this is already what people are doing on social media sites. People may think they’re anonymous, but anything they search or type can be traced back to them. Social media is transforming everything, and the health care industry is no exception. Personally, I think it’s vital for the industry to adapt to the way people are using the Internet for health care today. Getting the best, most helpful information for patients is what’s important, and social media could be just what the doctor ordered.

Tweeting for Health February 21, 2010

Twitter is a great way to get health information, recipe ideas, workout tips, and support. It also provides a way to hold yourself accountable for your health and lifestyle decisions through interaction with other members.

Health & Wellness Resources on Twitter

• @WeightWatchers: This a great source for people trying to lose or maintain their weight, whether they follow the Weight Watchers diet program or not. The company posts articles, fitness routines, and healthy recipes along with their “point” values for those on the Weight Watchers program. There are also motivational quotes, polls, and questions inviting followers to share health tips and feedback.

• @BBCHealth: A compilation of the latest health news from the BBC, Great Britain’s main media organization. There are many interesting articles on the latest health research, including studies on diseases and healthcare. The site also posts human-interest stories about real life health problems and how to solve them.

• @FitnessMagazine: A fun, interactive Twitter page from the staff of Fitness Magazine. There are posts with coupons for healthy snacks, workout gear, and fitness equipment, along with recipe ideas and nutritional facts for popular chain restaurant menu items. Tweets also include advice from current Olympic athletes, polls, and ideas for incorporating fitness into everyday life.

I’ve highlighted a few popular Twitter sites, but there are many more worth checking out, including @FitnessForHim, @CalorieTweet, @GoodHealth, and @FitSugar.

Average Joes Tweeting for Health

Additionally, many regular people use Twitter to voice their health concerns, keep food diaries, and share personal fitness routines. It’s a great way to keep yourself on track and get ideas and feedback from followers. Here are a few examples of personal Twitter accounts with users doing just that:

• @RawandFit

• @FatBurningTweet

• @HealthLoserGal

To find more health tweets, you can also search Twitter using the browse function and choosing “health” as your subject. If you aren’t on Twitter yet, hop on the wagon. Soon you may find yourself tweeting your way to a healthy lifestyle–and helping others along the way.