Social Media for Health Behavior Change

P R E S E N T E D B Y

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www.ideafit.com

Social Media: The New Behavior

Change Model

Biray Alsac-Seitz, M.S.

© 2013 IDEA Health & Fitness Association. All Rights Reserved.

Can Twitter Help Clients Lose Weight?



• Univ. S. Carolina’s Arnold’s School of PH

• Use of social media has been used to study health-trends and fitness discussions, but this was the first study to use Twitter as part of the intervention

• 96 overweight & obeses men/women

• 6-months

• Podcast-only and Podcast+Mobile (Twitter) were effective in producing a 2.7% decrease in body weight in 6 months.



• 2630 Twitter posts

• 75% were informational (of which 81% were participant updates)

• 6.6% Emotional support through listening

• 4.6% Esteem support through compliments

• Every 10 posts to Twitter corresponded to about 0.5% weight loss

http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/can-twitter-help-clients-lose-weight


Social Media for Marketing

• Brand awareness

• Increasing traffic (greater visibility)

• Providing marketplace insight

“83% of business owners thinkit is important to their business.”


Social Media Snapshot


Social Media Saturation

• Increased “noise”

• Reduced visibility

• Smart apps have gotten smarter

• Increased need for social media management

• Competitive technologies are entering the landscape


How does this impact our efforts?

• Decreases the effectiveness of our marketing

• Reduces opportunities for client-trainer engagement

• Increases the chances of behavior relapse in clients


Other ways to use Social Media?

Take off Social Media

Marketing Hat

Look at Social Media through the lens of

Health Behavior Change


Health Behavior Change Models


HBC versus SM

Education

Emotional Impact

Monitoring

Countering

Helping Relationships

Challenges

Rewards


EDUCATION

• 81% of U.S. adults who use internet, 72% have looked online for health information in the past year (2012).

• Eight in ten online health inquiries start at a search engine.

• Education should be relevant to the behavior.

“Education is first step in behavior change.”


EDUCATION

• Blogs

• Newsletters

• Facebook posts

• Twitter posts

• IDEA FitnessConnec “Client Share”

• Online Courses

• Other Learning Spaces


EMOTIONAL IMPACT

• Make the most of photos and videos (increase visibility/rank in Facebook)

• It can motivate people to seek further information

“Emotional reactions can motivate behavior.”


EMOTIONAL IMPACT

• Quotes

• Photo Captions

• eCards

• Facebook ‘Inspiration’ pages

• Pinterest boards

• Twitter waterfalls (walls)


MONITORING

• 7 out of 10 U.S. adults track a health indicator for themselves or for a loved one

• 13,600+ mobile apps for health and fitness

• 19% of smartphone owners have at least one health app on their phone.

“Quantified Self.”- WIRED


MONITORING: What are people tracking?


What does this mean for FitPros?

• Can data be exported?

• Would clients like assistance in interpreting their own data?

• Should you recommend effective monitoring or tracking sites or apps?

• Is there a social component to these tools? If so, should you use them?

“Empowered patient in health care.”


HELPING RELATIONSHIPS

• Friend is obese risk of obesity = 45%

• Friend’s friend is obese risk of obesity = 25%

• Friend’s friend’s friend is obese risk = 10%

“Obesity can spread from

person to person.”


HELPING RELATIONSHIPS

• Likes & Comments (compliments) for healthy behaviors

• Social Motivations

• Recognitions

• Support through tracking (mobile apps)


CHALLENGES

• Some people are motivated by competition.

• Gamification is the process of integrating game thinking and game mechanics in a non-game environment (more than just PBLs)

• (Not to be confused by exergame)

“Gamification of fitness.”


CHALLENGES

• IDEA Challenge Loop

• Build in Game components

• Leverage game-related apps


CHALLENGES


REWARDS

• Positive reinforcements can come in the form of recognition (@Twitter)

• Most effective immediately after a positive behavior

• Tangible reinforcements should be used sparingly

“Reinforcements are helpful in motivating

behaviors.”


COUNTERING

• Substituting unhealthy ways of acting and thinking with healthy ways.

• Offer options


Social Media for HBC

1. Consider approaching program marketing from a health behavior change perspective.

2. Take a comprehensive approach to promoting a program. (What do clients need to know/do before, during, after a program or session?)

3. Consider using social media tools appropriately to enhance your efforts and support health behavior change.


Google Me

Biray Alsac-Seitz, [email protected]

@befittLinkedIn

Documents

Social Media for Health Behavior Change