Social Media News and Research

Latest Social Media News and Research

Twitter can indicate community's psychological well being, predict rates of heart disease

Twitter has broken news stories, launched and ended careers, started social movements and toppled governments, all by being an easy, direct and immediate way for people to share what's on their minds. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have now shown that the social media platform has another use: Twitter can serve as a dashboard indicator of a community's psychological well being and can predict rates of heart disease.

22 Jan 2015

Social media sites associated with significant drop in pounds

How can Facebook aid someone in their weight loss journey? According to recent research from the Arnold School of Health at the University of South Carolina, use of the social media site can be associated with a significant drop in pounds, especially during the critical maintenance period of a weight loss journey, where support from the clinical staff decreases.

22 Jan 2015

Education can help people better understand individuals with facial paralysis

A little bit of sensitivity training can help people form better first impressions of those with facial paralysis, reducing prejudices against people with a visible but often unrecognizable disability, new research from Oregon State University indicates.

21 Jan 2015

New computer model could predict responses to disease outbreak

Sometimes the response to the outbreak of a disease can make things worse -- such as when people panic and flee, potentially spreading the disease to new areas. The ability to anticipate when such overreactions might occur could help public health officials take steps to limit the dangers.

15 Jan 2015

Researchers evaluate fitness apps that help users modify their physical activities

Fitness applications (apps) use behavior change techniques (BCTs) to help users modify their physical activities, but which apps and which techniques are most effective? In a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers evaluated 100 top-ranked physical activity apps and analyzed which BCTs are being used in these apps. They determined that at present BCTs have been only narrowly implemented in physical activity apps.

14 Jan 2015

Kaiser Permanente receives five 2014 eHealthcare Leadership Awards

Kaiser Permanente has received five 2014 eHealthcare Leadership Awards, including one of only five organizations to receive the highest honor for eHealth Organizational Commitment.

23 Dec 2014

New intervention combines social media with behavioral psychology to encourage more HIV testing

Social media such as Twitter and Facebook can be valuable in the fight against HIV in the United States, where research has demonstrated they can prompt high-risk populations to request at-home testing kits for the virus that causes AIDS, suggesting a way to potentially boost testing rates.

17 Dec 2014

Study: Training older people in social media improves mental health and well-being

Training older people in the use of social media improves cognitive capacity, increases a sense of self-competence and could have a beneficial overall impact on mental health and well-being, according to a landmark study carried out in the UK.

14 Dec 2014

SPSP 2015 to feature symposia on social and personality psychology

The 16th Annual Convention of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) will bring together 3,500 scientists to share their latest research in 84 symposia and 2,256 posters.

4 Dec 2014

Online sourcing tool tealbook helps healthcare companies streamline RFP process

Matchbook, Inc., a company dedicated to connecting healthcare companies with service providers that best fit their needs, today announced the launch of tealbook, an online sourcing tool that helps healthcare companies streamline their search, evaluation and selection of service partners.

3 Dec 2014

‘Landmark’ study confirms aetiology effect on epilepsy mortality risk

A “landmark” meta-analysis confirms the increased mortality risk in patients who have symptomatic or cryptogenic epilepsy.

2 Dec 2014

(RED) raises money for ‘Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’

As the world reaches a tipping point in the AIDS fight, (RED) and its iconic partners Apple, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company and Starbucks marked World AIDS Day 2014 by rallying millions of people around the AIDS fight, and raising money for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

2 Dec 2014

Ansell launches #UniteToFightHIV campaign to raise awareness for World AIDS Day

Ansell, a global leader in protection solutions and the makers of LifeStyles Condoms, one of the nation's leading condom brands, today announced the launch of the #UniteToFightHIV, a social media campaign in partnership with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to raise awareness for World AIDS Day on December 1, 2014.

29 Nov 2014

ADHD information on social media: an interview with Gemma Ryan

It came about through the implementation of another ADHD project called One Stop Shop, which is a collaborative project with Leicestershire Partnership NHS trust (LPT) and ADHD Solutions, a charitable support organization.

From University of Derby Online Learning 24 Nov 2014

Two medical research bodies announce new research centre to tackle musculoskeletal disorders

A major new research centre to tackle the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on people's ability to work has been announced by two leading medical research bodies.

24 Nov 2014

Flusurvey to offer self-administered nasal swab to all participants

People taking part in this year’s Flusurvey, the UK’s biggest crowd-sourced study of influenza will for the first time be offered a swab to confirm if their symptoms are caused by a flu virus or not as part of a new collaboration with i-sense. Data from social media and internet searches will also be combined with Flusurvey, allowing flu trends to be monitored across the UK more accurately and earlier than ever before.

20 Nov 2014

Scientists call for public to help monitor spread of flu across the UK

People taking part in this year's Flusurvey, the UK's biggest crowd-sourced study of influenza will for the first time be offered a swab to confirm if their symptoms are caused by a flu virus or not as part of a new collaboration with i-sense. Data from social media and internet searches will also be combined with Flusurvey, allowing flu trends to be monitored across the UK more accurately and earlier than ever before.

18 Nov 2014

Cigna Foundation awards World of Difference grant to improve heart healthy behaviors in women

When it comes to hearts, men and women are not created equally. Women who have experienced a heart attack have a higher risk of a subsequent heart attack, or death, compared to men, according to the American Heart Association.

18 Nov 2014

Preterm birth becomes world's number one killer of young children

For the first time in history, the complications of preterm birth outrank all other causes as the world's number one killer of young children.

17 Nov 2014

Bluebeards Original joins with Lung Cancer Alliance to raise awareness about lung cancer

Bluebeards Original is pleased to announce that it has joined with the Lung Cancer Alliance in the month of November to help raise awareness about lung cancer and lung cancer screening. Throughout the month of November, Bluebeards Original will donate 5% of every purchase made on bluebeardsoriginal.com, while promoting lung cancer awareness on its site and through social media.

5 Nov 2014