scholarly journals Insights From Twitter Conversations on Lupus and Reproductive Health: Protocol for a Content Analysis

10.2196/15623 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e15623
Author(s):  
Oleg Stens ◽  
Michael H Weisman ◽  
Julia Simard ◽  
Katja Reuter
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Social Media Analytics ◽  
Translational Science ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Data Source

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most common form of lupus. It is a chronic autoimmune disease that predominantly affects women of reproductive age, impacting contraception, fertility, and pregnancy. Although clinic-based studies have contributed to an increased understanding of reproductive health care needs of patients with SLE, misinformation abounds and perspectives on reproductive health issues among patients with lupus remain poorly understood. Social networks such as Twitter may serve as a data source for exploring how lupus patients communicate about their health issues, thus adding a dimension to enrich our understanding of communication regarding reproductive health in this unique patient population. Objective The objective of this study is to conduct a content analysis of Twitter data published by users in English in the United States from September 1, 2017, to October 31, 2018, in order to examine people’s perspectives on reproductive health among patients with lupus. Methods This study will analyze user-generated posts that include keywords related to lupus and reproductive health from Twitter. To access public Twitter user data, we will use Symplur Signals, a health care social media analytics platform. Text classifiers will be used to identify topics in posts. Posts will be classified manually into the a priori and emergent categories. Based on the information available in a user’s Twitter profile (ie, username, description, and profile image), we will further attempt to characterize the user who generated the post. We will use descriptive statistics to analyze the data and identify the most prevalent topics in the Twitter content among patients with lupus. Results This study has been funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) through their Clinical and Translational Science Awards program. The Institutional Review Board at the University of Southern California approved the study (HS-18-00912). Data extraction and cleaning are complete. We obtained 47,715 Twitter posts containing terms related to “lupus” from users in the United States, published in English between September 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018. We will include 40,885 posts in the analysis, which will be completed in fall 2020. This study was supported by funds from the has been funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) through their Clinical and Translational Science Awards program. Conclusions The findings from this study will provide pilot data on the use of Twitter among patients with lupus. Our findings will shed light on whether Twitter is a promising data source for learning about reproductive health issues expressed among patients with lupus. The data will also help to determine whether Twitter can serve as a potential outreach platform for raising awareness of lupus and reproductive health and for implementing relevant health interventions. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/15623

scholarly journals Insights From Twitter Conversations on Lupus and Reproductive Health: Protocol for a Content Analysis (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg Stens ◽  
Michael H Weisman ◽  
Julia Simard ◽  
Katja Reuter
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Social Media Analytics ◽  
Translational Science ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Data Source

BACKGROUND Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most common form of lupus. It is a chronic autoimmune disease that predominantly affects women of reproductive age, impacting contraception, fertility, and pregnancy. Although clinic-based studies have contributed to an increased understanding of reproductive health care needs of patients with SLE, misinformation abounds and perspectives on reproductive health issues among patients with lupus remain poorly understood. Social networks such as Twitter may serve as a data source for exploring how lupus patients communicate about their health issues, thus adding a dimension to enrich our understanding of communication regarding reproductive health in this unique patient population. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to conduct a content analysis of Twitter data published by users in English in the United States from September 1, 2017, to October 31, 2018, in order to examine people’s perspectives on reproductive health among patients with lupus. METHODS This study will analyze user-generated posts that include keywords related to lupus and reproductive health from Twitter. To access public Twitter user data, we will use Symplur Signals, a health care social media analytics platform. Text classifiers will be used to identify topics in posts. Posts will be classified manually into the a priori and emergent categories. Based on the information available in a user’s Twitter profile (ie, username, description, and profile image), we will further attempt to characterize the user who generated the post. We will use descriptive statistics to analyze the data and identify the most prevalent topics in the Twitter content among patients with lupus. RESULTS This study has been funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) through their Clinical and Translational Science Awards program. The Institutional Review Board at the University of Southern California approved the study (HS-18-00912). Data extraction and cleaning are complete. We obtained 47,715 Twitter posts containing terms related to “lupus” from users in the United States, published in English between September 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018. We will include 40,885 posts in the analysis, which will be completed in fall 2020. This study was supported by funds from the has been funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) through their Clinical and Translational Science Awards program. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study will provide pilot data on the use of Twitter among patients with lupus. Our findings will shed light on whether Twitter is a promising data source for learning about reproductive health issues expressed among patients with lupus. The data will also help to determine whether Twitter can serve as a potential outreach platform for raising awareness of lupus and reproductive health and for implementing relevant health interventions. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/15623

Calling for a Pro-Love Movement: A Contextualized Theo-Ethical Examination of Reproductive Health Care and Abortion in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-159
Author(s):  
Jeanie Whitten-Andrews
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Equitable Access ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
Reproductive Health Care ◽  
Political Debates

In the midst of extreme and dualistic religio-political debates regarding women’s sexual wellness and abortion, one begins to wonder what a new theo-ethical approach might look like which rejects overly-simplistic, harmful understandings of such crucial issues. What might it look like to truly centre women’s full human experiences, loving each other in a way that addresses harm and meets tangible needs? This article examines the complex inequitable structural and institutional realities of sexual wellness and abortion through an intersectional theo-ethical lens. The article then proceeds to suggest a new socio-religio-political ‘Pro-Love’ philosophy, undergirded by foundational theological understandings of justice-oriented love, and situated within the broad fields of Feminist, Liberation, Process, and Queer Theologies, within the Christian tradition. The suggested approach requires systematically addressing root issues affecting the lack of equitable access to sexual wellness and the racist/sexist/classist structures forcing women into under-resourced and unsafe environments, leading to high demand for abortion services.

scholarly journals Social Media and Men’s Health: A Content Analysis of Twitter Conversations During the 2013 Movember Campaigns in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1627-1641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline A. Bravo ◽  
Laurie Hoffman-Goetz
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Men’S Health ◽  
Men's Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Health Related

The Movember Foundation raises awareness and funds for men’s health issues such as prostate and testicular cancers in conjunction with a moustache contest. The 2013 Movember campaigns in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom shared the same goal of creating conversations about men’s health that lead to increased awareness and understanding of the health risks men face. Our objective was to explore Twitter conversations to identify whether the 2013 Movember campaigns sparked global conversations about prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and other men’s health issues. We conducted a content analysis of 12,666 tweets posted during the 2013 Movember campaigns in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom (4,222 tweets from each country) to investigate whether tweets were health-related or non-health-related and to determine what topics dominated conversations. Few tweets ( n = 84, 0.7% of 12,666 tweets) provided content-rich or actionable health information that would lead to awareness and understanding of men’s health risks. While moustache growing and grooming was the most popular topic in U.S. tweets, conversations about community engagement were most common in Canadian and U.K. tweets. Significantly more tweets co-opted the Movember campaign to market products or contests in the United States than Canada and the United Kingdom ( p < .05). Findings from this content analysis of Twitter suggest that the 2013 Movember campaigns in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom sparked few conversations about prostate and testicular cancers that could potentially lead to greater awareness and understanding of important men’s health issues.

A Framework for Femtech: guiding principles for developing digital reproductive health tools in the United States (Preprint)

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar Krishnamurti ◽  
Mehret Birru Talabi ◽  
Lisa S Callegari ◽  
Traci M. Kazmerski ◽  
Sonya Borrero
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Health Indices ◽  
Community Stakeholders ◽  
Guiding Principles

UNSTRUCTURED The United States has abysmal reproductive health indices that, in part, reflect stark inequities experienced by people of color and those with preexisting medical conditions. The growth of “femtech,” or technology-based solutions to women’s health issues in the public and private sectors, is promising; yet these solutions are often geared towards health literate, socioeconomically privileged, and relatively healthy white cis-women. In this viewpoint, we propose a set of guiding principles for building technologies that proactively identifies and addresses these critical gaps in health care for people from socially and economically marginalized populations who are capable of pregnancy, as well as those with serious chronic medical conditions. These guiding principles require that such technologies: 1) include community stakeholders in the design, development, and deployment of the technology, 2) are grounded in person-centered frameworks, and 3) address health disparities as a strategy to advance health equity and improve health outcomes.

scholarly journals Health issues of incarcerated women in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2051-2060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Mignon
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Incarcerated Women ◽  
Female Inmates ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Trauma History ◽  
The World

Abstract Health care within jails and prisons in the United States is typically insufficient to meet the medical and psychological needs of female inmates. Health services are often of low quality, especially in the areas of reproductive medicine. Mental illness, substance abuse, a trauma history, and sexual victimization while incarcerated can predict a more difficult adjustment to a correctional environment. Incarcerated women who are able to maintain contact with family members, especially children, can have a better prison adjustment. Recommendations are made to improve the types and quality of health care delivered to women in jails and prisons in countries around the world.

E-Shopping for Health: Issues for Latinos Using the Health Insurance Marketplace

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-45
Author(s):  
Georgia Beilmann ◽  
Ying-Jen Lin ◽  
Sabrina Perlman ◽  
Kimberly Ross ◽  
Michael Cavanaugh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Data Collection Strategy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Health care in the United States is undergoing a radical restructuring, mandated in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), designed to improve access to care and increase the efficiency of our health care system. Key features include a revamped health insurance market and increased reliance on electronic technologies for buying insurance and tracking patient care. One goal of these changes is to reduce the unequal burden of disease carried by low-income racial/ethnic minorities. However, the long history of racial/ethnic health disparities in the United States raises concern for how diverse populations will be affected by these innovations. Applied anthropologists are well equipped to produce knowledge and insight to inform how changes are enacted and to maximize positive impact for vulnerable populations. Employing a holistic framework and an in-depth data collection strategy, anthropologists are especially adept at uncovering the insider's perspective. This adds important insight and nuance to understandings of how the ACA's health care innovations affect specific groups.

Health Issues and Policy Options

1987 ◽  
Vol 20 (02) ◽  
pp. 226-231
Author(s):  
Jack DeSario
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Options ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Cost ◽  
Care Field ◽  
Government Financing ◽  
Care System

The high cost and inefficiency of the United States' health care system has been widely documented. These problems, augmented by increased government financing of the health cost spiral, have led policymakers to search frantically for programs and strategies which can interject a modicum of rationality back into the health care field. There has been general agreement among health care analysts about the need to control costs and even the principal causes of these rapid increases. However, there has been less agreement on appropriate and effective solutions. The following analysis will provide an overview of current problems and proposed solutions.

Health

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Freeman ◽  
Heinz Rothgang
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
International Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Modern State ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health It ◽  
Industrial Countries ◽  
The Public ◽  
The United Kingdom

This article focuses on the public aspects of health systems, on the ways in which concerns for health and health care are expressed in politics and policy. It first reviews the origins and development of health policy in the modern state, pointing to the different ways that development has been understood by welfare state scholars. It then discusses the different standard forms of health system, describing the ways health care is paid for, provided, and regulated in advanced industrial countries, and comments on the emergence of a new domain of international and global health. It takes the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States as archetypes of respective systems in regulation patterns. International health issues are interesting not least because they cut across the logic of comparison.

Health Care and Reproductive Politics

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rickie Solinger
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Care Reform ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reproductive Politics ◽  
Reproductive Health Care ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Care Reform Act

What does the federal health care reform act of 2010 say about pregnancy, contraception, abortion, and reproductive health care generally? The United States has the most expensive health care system of any country in the world. Medical costs per person and the percentage of...

scholarly journals Differences in Regional Patterns of Influenza Activity Across Surveillance Systems in the United States: Comparative Evaluation

10.2196/13403 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e13403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Baltrusaitis ◽  
Alessandro Vespignani ◽  
Roni Rosenfeld ◽  
Josh Gray ◽  
Dorrie Raymond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Influenza Season ◽  
The United States ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Health Care Seeking ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Data Source

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks influenza-like illness (ILI) using information on patient visits to health care providers through the Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet). As participation in this system is voluntary, the composition, coverage, and consistency of health care reports vary from state to state, leading to different measures of ILI activity between regions. The degree to which these measures reflect actual differences in influenza activity or systematic differences in the methods used to collect and aggregate the data is unclear. Objective The objective of our study was to qualitatively and quantitatively compare national and region-specific ILI activity in the United States across 4 surveillance data sources—CDC ILINet, Flu Near You (FNY), athenahealth, and HealthTweets.org—to determine whether these data sources, commonly used as input in influenza modeling efforts, show geographical patterns that are similar to those observed in CDC ILINet’s data. We also compared the yearly percentage of FNY participants who sought health care for ILI symptoms across geographical areas. Methods We compared the national and regional 2018-2019 ILI activity baselines, calculated using noninfluenza weeks from previous years, for each surveillance data source. We also compared measures of ILI activity across geographical areas during 3 influenza seasons, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018. Geographical differences in weekly ILI activity within each data source were also assessed using relative mean differences and time series heatmaps. National and regional age-adjusted health care–seeking percentages were calculated for each influenza season by dividing the number of FNY participants who sought medical care for ILI symptoms by the total number of ILI reports within an influenza season. Pearson correlations were used to assess the association between the health care–seeking percentages and baselines for each surveillance data source. Results We observed consistent differences in ILI activity across geographical areas for CDC ILINet and athenahealth data. ILI activity for FNY displayed little variation across geographical areas, whereas differences in ILI activity for HealthTweets.org were associated with the total number of tweets within a geographical area. The percentage of FNY participants who sought health care for ILI symptoms differed slightly across geographical areas, and these percentages were positively correlated with CDC ILINet and athenahealth baselines. Conclusions Our findings suggest that differences in ILI activity across geographical areas as reported by a given surveillance system may not accurately reflect true differences in the prevalence of ILI. Instead, these differences may reflect systematic collection and aggregation biases that are particular to each system and consistent across influenza seasons. These findings are potentially relevant in the real-time analysis of the influenza season and in the definition of unbiased forecast models.

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