Citation

Neiger BL, Thackeray R, Burton SH, Giraud-Carrier CG, Fagen MC. Health Promot. Pract. 2013; 14(2): 157-162.

Affiliation

1Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Society for Public Health Education, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1524839912469378

PMID

23271716

Abstract

Use of social media in health promotion and public health continues to grow in popularity, though most of what is reported in literature represents one-way messaging devoid of attributes associated with engagement, a core attribute, if not the central purpose, of social media. This article defines engagement, describes its value in maximizing the potential of social media in health promotion, proposes an evaluation hierarchy for social media engagement, and uses Twitter as a case study to illustrate how the hierarchy might function in practice. Partnership and participation are proposed as culminating outcomes for social media use in health promotion. As use of social media in health promotion moves toward this end, evaluation metrics that verify progress and inform subsequent strategies will become increasingly important.

Language: en