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epublichealth — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:50:12 +0000

RSS Feeds and Gagets for Public Health (plus a fun cute hamster!): Try it out

Mobile Apps and Public Health

epublichealth — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:59:14 +0000

The iPhone App Store is just over a year old and already it’s having major implications for public health. In the next year or two, I think we’ll see some really amazing apps for public health. But even in it’s infancy, I found a bunch of great health applications that you can download today!

Here are the one’s that I liked the best (Disclaimer: I haven’t actually tried all of them, but they all seemed really great, and the reviews looked promising):

*Go Pedometer ($0.99) – Use your iPhone like a pedometer. 2-in-1, I’m sold!

*Eat This, Not that ($4.99) – Based on the book series, gives a wide selection of better choices for various foods and resturant items.

*Lose It (Free) – Good weight and food tracking tool. Very well made and user friendly.

*iFitness ($1.99) – Shows how to perform workouts, tracks activity, etc.

*Diabetes Pilot ($11.99) – Helps to manage diabetes.

*HealthMap: Swine Flu + Outbreaks Near Me (Free) – Tracks swine flu outbreaks based on your location.

Become a Facebook Fan

epublichealth — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:20:31 +0000

Come on down to my facebook page! There’s fun! There’s fans (okay, just me, but whatever)!

CDC and their text messages

epublichealth — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:45:03 +0000

About two times a week I get a text message. Not from a friend or family member, but from the CDC. That’s right, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends text messages. In all fairness to them, I asked for it. When I signed up, I didn’t really expect much to come of it. At first, it was just messages about H1N1 vaccines and seasonal flu prevention. But now they’re texting me every week with all sorts of messages. The last two:

“Thanksgiving is Nat’l Family History Day. Talk to UR family about health conditions that run in UR family Learn more http://m.cdc.gov/family. CDC 800-232-4636”

“Beware of fraudulent H1N1 flu products that aren’t approved 4 diagnosis, prevention, or treatment. Check FDA’s list: www.fda.gov/h1n1fraud or call 800-551-3989”

I have mixed feelings about these messages. On one hand, I like getting text messages. They make me feel special. Plus, I like getting health-related text messages even more. I like health. On the other hand, when the CDC uses “UR” in a message, it’s a little off putting. It makes me think they’re my 13-year-old cousin asking me if I’m going to their house for Christmas. I know, I know, it’s to save space, but still “UR,” “4”? This is a national health organization!

Although I’m somewhat skeptical and a little critical (I’m always critical), these messages are important. If nothing else, the CDC is recognizing that texts are a major way people communicate. They’re hoping to put their messages where people are going to read and understand them. Health organizations need to adapt to new technology and use different methods to get information out. CDC understands this, and is doing what they can to stay on top of it. And for that, I applaud them.

Google Wave and Public Health

epublichealth — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:54:04 +0000

I’ve been waiting for this day for months. I finally got my Google Wave invitation! For those who don’t know, Google Wave is the latest in collaboration tools. You can create a “wave” with your friends, co-workers, or groups to plan events, write papers, share information, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Obviously, to make a collaboration tool worthwhile, you have to have collaborators, which is something that Google Wave is currently lacking. But as more people receive invitations and dive into waves, the better it will become.

So what’s all this have to do with public health? A lot. I would love to see waves started among support groups, between doctors and patients, and among researchers and project collaborators. For instance, a gluten-free support group could invite all of its members to a wave. They could put up a map showing all the local restaurants that have gluten-free food items on the menu. The group members could share recipes and cooking tips. They could even set up a potluck and manage all the invitations.

A doctor could start a wave with their patient to discuss drug interactions, and post links or imbed applicable information pages. Google Wave could allow for open dialogue between the doctors and patients, and facilitate free exchange of information.

Researchers could use it to post links, import applicable blogs, and post journal articles. They could then use it to write a joint and collaborative paper. There is real-time updates with the wave, so you can see what other people are editing as they type it. It would provide much more flexibility then traditional collaboration tools (like Google Docs), and it even has a playback function so someone joining the wave can see the entire progression of the collaboration.

It’s going to be great. Welcome to the future. Well, as soon as people actually start waving.

Online Television Programs and Health Communication

epublichealth — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:27:06 +0000

Here’s one of my dreams: Coming home after a long day at work, plopping down on the couch, and turning on the television. Okay, that part of the dream is kind of lame. But I also imagine the day that when I turn on the television, every commercial that’s forced upon me is specifically selected for me! Better yet, at least half of those commercials are directed at improving my health and wellness. My gym could have a commercial on that reminds me that I haven’t been in a while. I could get special public service announcements about limiting cheese (mmm, cheessssseeee), because they know I already get plenty of fruits and vegetables. Although, this may be a little big-brother-esque, but it’s likely to happen eventually. Google already uses every search to pick specific tailored ad content. Every time you swipe a shoppers club card, special coupons print out for food you like. Facebook searches your keywords and groups to target advertising. Television isn’t quite there yet, but with the advent of online television programming, I’m sure it’s getting closer by the second.

While this may all sound a bit disconcerting, there is an upside. With more information about each person, health messages can be further targeted and provide each viewer with specialized communication. Viewers are less likely to get messages that don’t apply to their lifestyles or behavior and more likely to receive only the information that matters to them.

But there’s at least one problem with this. So far, most public health message is relatively ineffective. The challenge is to create effective personalized public health messaging that plays to the motivations, personality, and interests of each viewer that can actually create positive health behavior change. Good luck with that!

Online Tailored Health Programs

epublichealth — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:03:28 +0000

This past week, Keas—a health technology company—has been all over the news. Former Google Health Director, Adam Bosworth, went on to create Keas, a health technology company. Keas has been all over the news for their innovative plans to combine online electronic medical records with tailored health programs. It’s an exciting prospect: a one-stop shop for personal health information.

Keas isn’t alone in the marketplace. Ann Arbor’s HealthMedia, Inc. has been creating electronic tailored media since 1998. Since then, they have grown into one of the leaders in online tailored programs. For many years now, studies have shown that customized programs have a greater behavior change outcome than one-size-fits-all programming. Users are able to get customized advice that addresses their specific needs, concerns, and motivation. Now combine that with the amazing potential of the Internet to store medical records, check for medication interactions, warn of side effects, and provide prescription refill reminders, and we could have a comprehensive online health system.

Certainly, this will never replace the importance of health care professionals, but this kind of system could allow for more individualized information for the patient between visits. Better yet, an online health system could leave more during appointments for the doctor to do their most important job: treating patients.

Public Health and Technology

epublichealth — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:14:51 +0000

In terms of using-technology, public health has often been behind the times. This is sometimes due to lack of funding, sometimes due to a bureaucratic maze, sometimes due to lack of know-how. Thankfully, this is starting to change. In the past ten years or so, public health has started to catch up. The Truth created a hip and funny anti-smoking campaign. CDC has begun to work with Hollywood to put positive health messages in television programming. Not for profits have started to use social media outlets to get their message out. I hope that this is only the beginning. There is immense potential for using new media and technology to disseminate health information and create behavior change. In this blog I will explore some of these avenues. Some postings will be commentary on existing programs and some will be my own ideas of ways to use technology to improve public health.

So why should you care what I think? Well, maybe you shouldn’t. But I’m writing this because it’s a real interest of mine (okay, okay, and it’s a class project). I’m getting my Master’s in Public Health and I’ve always had a strong draw to technology. The intersection of these two fields is where my passion lies. I hope some of my readers feel the same. I’ll try to keep the blog light, interesting, and hopefully thought-provoking. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with suggestions, questions, fabulously compensated job offers, or with whatever else is on your mind.