Leveraging Social Media for Health Promotion and Behavior Change: Methods of Analysis and Opportunities for Intervention

Abstract

This chapter describes methodologies used to describe, model, and predict user communication patterns in social media interactions, with the shared goal of facilitating understanding of health-related behavior change. To set the stage, the chapter presents an overview of the documented effects of social relationships on health behavior change. Investigators from a variety of disciplines have attempted to understand and harness these social ties for health promotion. Online communities, which digitize peer-to-peer communication, provide a unique opportunity to researchers to understand the mechanisms underlying human behavior change. Through transdisciplinary methods that draw upon socio-behavioral theories, and information and network sciences, analysis of communication patterns underlying social media user interactions is possible at scale. Such methods can provide insight into development of "healthier life" technologies that harness the power of social connections. Examples of such translational projects and implications for public health practice are discussed to conclude the chapter.