Abstract
Online social media is widespread, easily accessible and attracts a global audience with a widening demographic. As a large proportion of adults now seek health information online and through social media applications, communication about health has become increasingly interactive and dynamic. Online health information has the potential to significantly impact public health, especially as the population gets older and the prevalence of dementia increases. However, little is known about how information pertaining to age-associated diseases is disseminated on popular social media platforms. To fill this knowledge gap, we examined empirically: (i) who is using social media to share information about dementia, (ii) what sources of information about dementia are promoted, and (iii) which dementia themes dominate the discussion. We data-mined the microblogging platform Twitter for content containing dementia-related keywords for a period of 24 hours and retrieved over 9,200 tweets. A coding guide was developed and content analysis conducted on a random sample (10%), and on a subsample from top users’ tweets to assess impact. We found that a majority of tweets contained a link to a third party site rather than personal information, and these links redirected mainly to news sites and health information sites. As well, a large number of tweets discussed recent research findings related to the prediction and risk management of Alzheimer’s disease. The results highlight the need for the dementia research community to harness the reach of this medium and its potential as a tool for multidirectional engagement.
Highlights
The emergence of ‘‘Web 2.00, a platform that allows all its users to create and modify online content on an ongoing basis, has led to new ways of accessing and exchanging health information
With a growing population of older adults and the associated increase in the prevalence of age-related dementias such as Alzheimer disease, the dissemination and the quality of information relating to aging and dementia have the potential to significantly impact the health of older adults and the economic burden associated with their care
The prevalence of Alzheimer disease and other age-related diseases of the central nervous that are characterized by dementias are projected to rise significantly - by 2050, it is estimated that 1 in 45 Americans will be afflicted by Alzheimer disease alone [1]
Summary
The emergence of ‘‘Web 2.00, a platform that allows all its users to create and modify online content on an ongoing basis, has led to new ways of accessing and exchanging health information. With a growing population of older adults and the associated increase in the prevalence of age-related dementias such as Alzheimer disease, the dissemination and the quality of information relating to aging and dementia have the potential to significantly impact the health of older adults and the economic burden associated with their care. In this new age of information technology, it becomes imperative to empirically assess the information exchanged about aging and dementia on social networks to inform the optimization of the delivery and the accessibility of this information. These interventions, such as changes to diet and exercise regimens, have the potential to significantly impact overall public health [5]: a delay in the onset of Alzheimer of just two years today would lead to a decrease of 2 million cases 50 years [1]
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