Social media and public health professionals: A survey of social media use among users of a public health training web site

Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, can be powerful communication tools for both putting forth and receiving public health information. Consequently, social media use may promote community preparedness, response and recovery through increased communication and information sharing. Research indicates that social media is infrequently used by public health entities. The University of North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness (UNC CPHP) was interested in finding out more about the penetration of social media among public health professionals in order to guide dissemination of information about preparedness training opportunities. UNC CPHP electronically surveyed more than 21,000 individuals who subscribe to a monthly training listerv about their use of social media. The survey included questions about personal and professional use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media applications, incentives and barriers to the use of these media, and demographic factors. This presentation will present key findings from these surveys, including individual and organization adoption of social media tools, implications for future research, marketing strategies to reach public health professionals and potential social media training needs within public health preparedness.