scholarly journals SOCIAL MEDIA LOGIC AND HEALTH COMMUNICATION BETWEEN INDEPENDENCE AND CONSTRAINTS: EVIDENCE FROM ITALY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Locatelli ◽  
Alessandro Lovari
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Information Diffusion ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Public Health Communication ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Media Habits ◽  
Local Health Authorities

This paper presents the results of a study that investigated how local health authorities (LHAs) located in the most impacted areas by Covid-19 of Lombardy (North of Italy) answered to the challenges imposed by the pandemic through their official Facebook pages during the early weeks of the emergency (January-March 2020). The goal is to understand how the logics of social media affected LHAs’ communication, representing an opportunity for health institutions to enter a new phase of information diffusion and relations with stakeholders and layperson, but also a mean of constraints due to their algorithmic logics and limits of access. The originality of the approach is that, in order to understand the relationship between social media and local health authorities, the theoretical framework hybridizes health communication theories and social media studies. Empirical results showed that LHAs’ communication on Facebook was affected by the logics of programmability and popularity, and also that the institutional language was shaped by social media habits, with an intense use of visuals, hashtags and other engagement strategies. Findings highlighted also that Covid-19 related messaged triggered users’ interactions. The study pointed out the relevance of social media for healthcare communication, opening up new reflections and insights about platforms’ role on ordinary and emergency situations like the pandemic. Interdependence and tensions between public health communication and algorithmic and platform logics are critically discussed.

Social Media for Health Communication

2014 ◽  
pp. 237-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Cioni ◽  
Alessandro Lovari
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Organizations ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Local Health Authorities

The aim of this chapter is to highlight the current issues and the challenging process of the adoption of social media by Italian local health authorities (ASL). After a literature review of the role of social media for health organizations, the authors focus their attention on how social network sites are modifying health communication and relations with citizens in Italy. They conduct an exploratory study articulated in three stages: after mapping the presence of local health authorities on the most popular social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), they carry out a content analysis to describe the prevalent kinds of messages published in the official Facebook timelines; in the third phase, using several interviews with healthcare directors and communications managers, the authors investigate implementation issues, managerial implications, and constraints that influence proper use of these participative platforms by Italian public health organizations. Limitations and further steps of the research are discussed.

Public Health Communication and Engagement on Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Teichmann ◽  
Aengus Bridgman ◽  
Sean Nossek ◽  
Peter John Loewen ◽  
Taylor Owen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Health Information ◽  
National Accounts ◽  
City Governments ◽  
Public Health Communication ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Cross Platform

BACKGROUND Social media provides governments the opportunity to directly communicate with their constituents. During a pandemic, reaching as many citizens as possible with health messaging is critical to reducing the spread of the disease. This study evaluates efforts to spread healthcare information by Canadian local, provincial, and federal governments during the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE This study explores engagement patterns with government COVID-19 information shared on social media. It quantitatively evaluates platform-specific dynamics, including meta-data of posts such as account type, number of followers, type of content included, and time of post. It then performs exploratory, theory-building content analysis on outlier communications to identify previously under-examined features that contribute to engagement. METHODS We collect all health-related communications coming from government accounts on Facebook and Twitter and analyze the data using a nested mixed method approach. We first identify quantifiable features linked with citizen engagement. Then, we perform content analysis on those posts with the highest and highest negative residuals to identify content-specific engagement patterns. RESULTS We find considerable within and cross-platform heterogeneity in the relationship between embedded media type and engagement with public health information on social media. On Twitter, public health tweets containing videos receive 121 percent more engagements than those which are text-only, at P<.001. Images receive 35 percent more at P<.001. On Facebook text statuses dominate, with links receiving 39 percent fewer engagements, at P<.001, and videos a 26 percent decrease, also at P<.001. Even more, we find that who posts is more important than what is posted. Controlling for different audience sizes, tweets from the Prime Minister generate 727 percent more engagements than city governments', at P<.001. On Facebook this increases to 5640 percent, still at P<.001. The discrepancy between local and national accounts is larger on Facebook, where mayors, city governments, and local health authorities receive the least engagement. On both platforms premiers and provincial health authorities receive the second and third highest levels of engagement, highlighting the importance of sub-national officials in public health communication. All of these estimates are statistically significant at P<.001. In our qualitative analysis, we find a consistent relationship between content and over- or under performance, relative to our predicted levels of engagement. Concise messages with direct appeals are overrepresented among posts with large positive residuals, as are those which include high quality media, or which leverage pop-culture references or influencers. On the other hand, low quality video and infographics, lengthy policy descriptions, and negative news routinely generate fewer engagements than predicted. CONCLUSIONS We make two critical contributions to existing knowledge about government communication, particularly during public health crises. We identify and theorize cross-platform variations in strategy effectiveness and draw attention to specific, evidence-based practices that can increase engagement with government health information.

Platformization of healthcare communication: Insights from the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-266
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Locatelli ◽  
Alessandro Lovari
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Healthcare Communication ◽  
Local Health Authorities ◽  
The Impact

Over the past few years, public health organizations have adopted new communication practices, such as social media communication, framed by the concepts of Health 2.0 and Medicine 2.0. These concepts need to be reconsidered in the light of the transformation of social media as digital platforms. This article aims to define and critically discuss the concept of the platformization of healthcare communication, investigating the impact of social media incorporation on the local health authorities’ Facebook communication during the early phase of the COVID-19 emergency in Italy. Findings show the progressive incorporation of the mechanisms of platformization by local health authorities and the progressive shift of their Facebook pages from connectors to complementors of healthcare communication and services during the early phase of the pandemic. Conclusions critically discuss the incorporation of social media into the communication strategies of the public healthcare sector.

OBSTETRICS AND LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES

BMJ ◽  
1924 ◽  
Vol 2 (3329) ◽  
pp. 741-742
Author(s):  
J. G. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Local Health ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Local Health Authorities

scholarly journals Mobility, exposure, and epidemiological timelines of COVID-19 infections in China outside Hubei province

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Fan Liu ◽  
Xiao-Ke Xu ◽  
Ye Wu
Keyword(s):  
Hubei Province ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Travel History ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Virus Exposure ◽  
Public Disclosures ◽  
Local Health Authorities

AbstractThe 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is pseudonymously linked to more than 100 million cases in the world as of January 2021. High-quality data are needed but lacking in the understanding of and fighting against COVID-19. We provide a complete and updating hand-coded line-list dataset containing detailed information of the cases in China and outside the epicenter in Hubei province. The data are extracted from public disclosures by local health authorities, starting from January 19. This dataset contains a very rich set of features for the characterization of COVID-19’s epidemiological properties, including individual cases’ demographic information, travel history, potential virus exposure scenario, contacts with known infections, and timelines of symptom onset, quarantine, infection confirmation, and hospitalization. These cases can be considered the baseline COVID-19 transmissibility under extreme mitigation measures, and therefore, a reference for comparative scientific investigation and public policymaking.

scholarly journals Childhood Immunisation Coverage during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Italy

Vaccines ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Michela Sabbatucci ◽  
Anna Odone ◽  
Carlo Signorelli ◽  
Andrea Siddu ◽  
Andrea Silenzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
National Health System ◽  
P Value ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Rate Decrease ◽  
Rotavirus Vaccination ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Vaccine Type ◽  
Childhood Vaccine ◽  
Local Health Authorities

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected national healthcare systems worldwide, with around 282 million cumulative confirmed cases reported in over 220 countries and territories as of the end of 2021. The Italian National Health System was heavily affected, with detrimental impacts on preventive service delivery. Routine vaccination services were disrupted across the country during the first months of the pandemic, and both access to and demand for vaccines have decreased during the pandemic. In many cases, parents preferred to postpone scheduled appointments for routine paediatric vaccinations because of stay-at-home orders or fear of COVID-19 infection when accessing care. The objective of the current study was to assess the routine childhood vaccine coverage (VC) rates during the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy. We compared 2020 and 2019 VC by age group and vaccine type. The Italian Ministry of Health collected anonymised and aggregated immunisation national data through the local health authorities (LHAs). Results were considered statistically significant at a two-tailed p-value ≤ 0.05. VC rates for mandatory vaccinations decreased in 2020 compared to 2019 (range of VC rate decrease: −1% to −2.7%), while chicken pox increased (+2.2%) in 7-year-old children. Recommended vaccinations were moderately affected (range of VC rate decrease in 2020 vs. 2019: −1.4% to −8.5%), with the exception of anti-HPV in males, Men ACWY, and anti-rotavirus vaccination (VC increase 2020 vs. 2019: +1.8%, +4.7% and +9.4%, respectively). In the COVID-19 era, the implementation of coherent, transparent, and effective communication campaigns and educational programs on safe childhood vaccinations, together with the increase in the number of healthcare staff employed, is essential to support strategies to reinforce vaccination confidence and behaviour, thus avoiding health threats due to VPD during and beyond COVID-19 times.

The Public Health Police

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Hoppe
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Adherence To Treatment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Local Health Authorities

As the HIV epidemic wore on in the 2000s, public health authorities became enamored with the idea of “ending AIDS.” That is, if they could just get HIV-positive people to take their pills and stop infecting other people. Health departments began to track HIV-positive clients more closely, aiming to control their behavior and ensure their adherence to treatment regimens. This chapter explores how local health authorities ensure that HIV-positive clients behave in a manner officials deem responsible—and how they catch and punish those who do not. While the state maintains that the work of local health officials is done solely in the interests of promoting public health, their efforts to control HIV-positive clients reveal that they are also engaged in policing and law enforcement.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal distribution of a non-haematophagous bat community and rabies virus circulation: a proposal for urban rabies surveillance in Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Dias ◽  
F. Rocha ◽  
F. M. Ulloa-Stanojlovic ◽  
A. Nitsche ◽  
C. Castagna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Risk ◽  
Rabies Virus ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Positive Sample ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Passive Surveillance System ◽  
Local Health Authorities ◽  
Near Future ◽  
The City

AbstractIn Brazil, rabies surveillance is based on monitoring domestic and wild animals, although the most prevalent lineage of the rabies virus (RABV) currently diagnosed in Brazil is associated with bats, particularly non-haematophagous bats. Disease control is based on the mass vaccination of dogs and cats. We used data collected by the passive surveillance system of the city of Campinas from 2011 to 2015, to describe the temporal and geographic distributions of the bat specimens and RABV and discuss the current rabies surveillance with the advent of the declaration of canine and feline rabies-free areas in Brazil. We described the species, locations and health statuses of the collected bat specimens. Moreover, all samples were submitted for RABV diagnosis. Then, we performed a time series decomposition for each bat family. Additionally, we determined the spatiotemporal relative risk for RABV infection using the ratio of the kernel-smoothed estimates of spatiotemporal densities of RABV-positive and RABV-negative bats. From the 2537 bat specimens, the most numerous family was Molossidae (72%), followed by Vespertilionidae (14%) and Phyllostomidae (13%). The bat families behaved differently in terms of seasonal and spatial patterns. The distribution of bats varied geographically in the urban environment, with Molossidae and Phyllostomidae being observed downtown and Vespertilionidae being observed in peripheral zones. Concurrently, a significant relative risk of RABV infection was observed downtown for Vespertilionidae and in peripheral zones for Molossidae. No RABV-positive sample clusters were observed. As a result of the official declaration of RABV-free areas in southern Brazil, mass dog and cat vaccinations are expected to halt in the near future. This stoppage would make most dog and cat populations susceptible to other RABV lineages, such as those maintained by non-haematophagous bats. In this scenario, all information available on bats and RABV distribution in urban areas is essential. Currently, few studies have been conducted. Some local health authorities, such as that in Campinas, are spontaneously basing their surveillance efforts on bat rabies, which is the alternative in reality scenario of increased susceptibility to bat-associated RABV that is developing in Brazil.

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