Using Online Social Media and Social Networks as a Public Health Intervention

12 Pages Posted: 27 Jun 2015

See all articles by Marco Huesch

Marco Huesch

Duke University - School of Medicine; Duke University - Fuqua School of Business

Jason N. Doctor

University of Southern California; University of Southern California - Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics

Aram Galstyan

University of Southern California

Date Written: June 2015

Abstract

We performed a public reporting data-based intervention using social media and social network marketing campaigns to influence women in Los Angeles to seek public information on maternity care hospital quality. More than four million women give birth in the US every year, and more than three fourths of all American women will become mothers at some stage in their lives. Yet on key objective evidence-based metrics such as the proportion of women who received antenatal care within the first trimester, low birth weight infant deliveries, infant mortality, and maternal death rates, progress has either been away from or incompletely towards federal targets.

We used cutting edge social media and social network listening tools to understand the extent and types of communications that pregnant women engaged in online. We leveraged these understandings to design commercial marketing campaigns to drive consumer interest through targeted communications on Facebook, Twitter and Google search platforms. Our campaigns reached a little more than 140,000 consumers each day across the three platforms, with a little more than 400 click-throughs each day. Facebook and Google search had broader reach, better click-through rates, and lower costs than Twitter. Our results suggest that commercially available 2 online advertising platforms in wide use by other industries may play a low cost role in targeted public health interventions.

Keywords: Maternity care, public reporting, hospital quality, social media, social network, marketing campaign, micro-education

Suggested Citation

Huesch, Marco and Doctor, Jason N. and Galstyan, Aram, Using Online Social Media and Social Networks as a Public Health Intervention (June 2015). CESR-Schaeffer Working Paper No. 2015-011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2623277 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2623277

Marco Huesch (Contact Author)

Duke University - School of Medicine

United States

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business

Box 90120
Durham, NC 27708-0120
United States

Jason N. Doctor

University of Southern California ( email )

2250 Alcazar Street
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States

University of Southern California - Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics ( email )

635 Downey Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089-3333
United States

Aram Galstyan

University of Southern California ( email )

2250 Alcazar Street
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States

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