Journal article

The use of social networking sites for public health practice and research: A systematic review

D Capurro, K Cole, MI Echavarría, J Joe, T Neogi, AM Turner

Journal of Medical Internet Research | JMIR PUBLICATIONS, INC | Published : 2014

Abstract

Background: Social networking sites (SNSs) have the potential to increase the reach and efficiency of essential public health services, such as surveillance, research, and communication. Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review to identify the use of SNSs for public health research and practice and to identify existing knowledge gaps. Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of articles related to public health and SNSs using PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL to search for peer-reviewed publications describing the use of SNSs for public health research and practice. We also conducted manual searches of relevant publications. Each publication w..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by U.S. National Library of Medicine


Funding Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice (NWCPHP) for providing initial support for Kate Cole and Anne Turner to investigate the role of SNSs in public health practice. This work was funded in part by Dr Capurro's Fulbright-MECESUP faculty development grant. The granting agencies did not influence the conduction of this research, elaboration of the manuscript, or the decision to submit for publication.