Social media explored as tool for health experts

Can we be tweeted to better health? Will a widget help slow the spread of swine flu? Do Facebook groups improve the chances of sticking with an exercise or weight-loss regimen?

Yesterday, a group of about 45 public-health practitioners explored how social-networking media such as MySpace and Twitter can be used to advance health.

The session was one of several "learning institutes" held at the Convention Center in advance of the American Public Health Association's 137th annual meeting in Philadelphia this week.

The conference is expected to draw more than 11,000 public-health experts and practitioners to discuss a variety of issues, including chronic-disease management, HIV, clean drinking water, and smoking cessation.

Two issues that will dominate much of the conference are the swine-flu pandemic and congressional consideration of the overhaul of the nation's health-care system, which the House began debating in earnest yesterday.

"From the public-health perspective, we have a particular interest in moving our system from sick care toward wellness," said Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the association.

The theme of the conference is the impact of water on health, particularly in the era of climate change, he said.

"Sessions will explore important and timely public-health issues such as preventing food and waterborne illness, the role of water and conflict, the intersection of water and climate change, and . . . ensuring adequate, safe drinking water," Benjamin said.

While public-health experts present the latest science and discuss its practical impact on health, a critical factor for making progress on those issues is meaningful and timely communication with the public.

"Social networking is a phenomenal new way to engage and communicate with the public," Benjamin said.

And if the top public-health practitioners don't employ such tools to inform the public, someone else will, said Mark J. Marosits of Worldways Social Marketing, a Denver company that helps nonprofits and other organizations use new media to promote causes and products.

Marosits and two of his colleagues led the session yesterday on social networking and public health.

Marosits also said that it was critical for public-health organizations to learn how to use new media effectively "so they can be the authoritative voice" on their issues.

The H1N1 influenza - swine flu - pandemic could serve as an example of what to do and what to avoid.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses Twitter to send updates and provides a "widget" on its Web site and at www.flu.gov to help the public understand such things as where to get vaccinations and when an individual should and should not go to a hospital.

The Harvard University School of Public Health has developed an iPhone application to provide outbreak updates through the phone's GPS, information on how to protect yourself, and the latest news on swine flu from the school.