This presentation was given at the Keeneland Conference for Public Health Systems and Services Research

Shah, Gulzar H.

Trivedi, Rakhi

English

Georgia Southern University: Digital Commons@Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern UniversityDigital Commons@Georgia SouthernHealth Policy and Management FacultyPresentations Health Policy & Management, Department of4-21-2015Use of Facebook by Local Health Departments:Activity and Focus AreasRakhi TrivediGeorgia Southern UniversityGulzar H. ShahGeorgia Southern University, gshah@georgiasouthern.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/health-policy-facpresPart of the Health Policy Commons, and the Health Services Administration CommonsThis presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Health Policy & Management, Department of at Digital Commons@GeorgiaSouthern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Health Policy and Management Faculty Presentations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu.Recommended CitationTrivedi, Rakhi, Gulzar H. Shah. 2015. "Use of Facebook by Local Health Departments: Activity and Focus Areas." Health Policy andManagement Faculty Presentations. Presentation 21.https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/health-policy-facpres/21

Use of Facebook by Local Health Departments: Activity and Focus Areas

Introduction: Use of online social-media such as Facebook, Twitter etc., is not confined to personal use. There is a great potential for public health professionals at local health departments (LHDs) to utilize a popular platform such as Facebook, to promote health, and provide updates to people in their jurisdictions about current health issues.
Objective: Assess the usage of Facebook by LHDs, their level of activity, and to identify the areas in which LHDs are focusing through Facebook.
Method: Using NACCHO’s 2013 Profile of LHD study, for which a module was administered to a sample of 625 LHDs, we determined that 167 LHDs used Facebook. We then followed the Facebook profiles of these 167 LHDs over a period of 4 months and transcribed the content information. Finally we performed analysis on the transcripts for this study.
Result: Out of the 167 LHDs indicating they used Facebook, we were able to find only 101 with an active profile. In terms of content-information, we found that tobacco usage and its effects were the most popular topic followed by inclement weather/emergency preparedness and maternal and child health issues. Surprisingly, Ebola was the least mentioned topic by LHDs on Facebook.
Conclusion: This analysis reflected the current status of LHDs in using Facebook in increasing awareness about public health issues. Despite the extended reach of Facebook, LHDs are not completely utilizing this platform in health promotion. Moreover, LHDs need to be updated with the current global concerns as well, along with the conventional public health issues

Shah, Gulzar H

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=health-policy-facpres

Use of Facebook by Local Health Departments: Activity and Focus Areas

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Georgia Southern University: Digital Commons@Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern University: Digital Commons@Georgia Southern