14 DAY TRIAL // IT and social media could play an important role in promoting healthy behaviors. Researchers at the University of Southern California believe that this could be accomplished by taking on a large number of approaches, each of which tuned to the needs of a specific group or circumstance.
Already, studies have shown that obesity can spread through social networks (not online). If diseases can spread in this manner, then why not their antidotes, or measures meant to prevent them from appearing in the first place?
“If I want to go into a high school and change physical activity or other obesity behaviors, I have to understand there are cliques and subgroups of students that exhibit different risks,” USC professor Thomas W. Valente, PhD, says about the challenges associated with using online social media.
However, the problem is not designing different interventions for different groups. The main issue is figuring out a way to put an inherently free and chaotic environment such as Facebook or Twitter to good use, PsychCentral reports.