Lauren Martin ARAMARK Dietetic Intern May 4 th, 2012 Emerging Trends In Dietetics Concentration Project:

 Purpose : Implement a health and wellness blog for the Main Line Health Intranet system and Community Page  Research Question: Will the implementation of a health and wellness blog for healthcare professionals and for the community enhance the healthcare professionals and community’s knowledge and application of current health and nutrition information and influence positive nutritional behaviors?

 Websites and blogs integral players in modern medicine  61% of American adults look to online sources 46% in 2000  Credibility Statistical information, testimonials, quotations, references, identification of message author

 Graduate degrees ~4x likely to search the internet 3  2009 Pew Internet HealthCare Foundation survey 85% college degree 50% high school diploma 25% less than a high school diploma  Income 82% with income >$75,000 44% with income <$30,000

 Main Line Health Hospital Network + Rehab  Community Page Access both by communities and employees

Grant permission from MLH Write, post and promote blog series Send out post survey Analyze results Grant permission from MLH Write, post and promote blog series Send out post survey Analyze results Grant permission from MLH Write, post and promote blog series Send out post survey Analyze results Grant permission from MLH Write, post and promote blog series Send out post survey Analyze results Grant permission from MLH Write, post and promote blog series Send out post survey Analyze results Research Design Program Description Host: Kentico MLH Community Page Lauren Martin Megan Kutulis, MLH Web Content Administrator Review content; post to Intranet Compose series of 8 blog posts Review and analyze results Stacey Sharpless, RD, LDN & Rebecca Stack, MPH, RD, LDN Review and edit blog posts Mark Mistysyn, Director of MLH Web Center Grant permission and oversee implementation

Lauren Martin Megan Kutulis, MLH Web Content Administrator Review content; post to Intranet Compose series of 8 blog posts Review and analyze results Stacey Sharpless, RD, LDN & Rebecca Stack, MPH, RD, LDN Review and edit blog posts Mark Mistysyn, Director of MLH Web Center Grant permission and oversee implementation

Blog Series Cheer to a Healthy 2012 Beat the Winter Blues by Eating? Heart-Healthy Foods That Can Save Your Life Super Bowel Sunday Diet Sabotages Season’s Eating's: The Importance of Seasonality Battle Allergies with Immune-Boosting Foods 10 Healthy Snacks for an Afternoon Slump Cracking the Case: Are Eggs a Healthy Choice?  January 1 st – March 23 rd  Biweekly

 Evaluation Method Pre, Mid, Post Evaluation  SurveyMonkey  Web metric Data Google Analytics: Mode  Advertised MLH Intranet Homepage MLH Facebook, Twitter  Inclusion criteria: Employees of MLH, access to Intranet Community Members, access to Internet Reguardless of age, race, gender, occupation, knowledge base  Exclusion criteria: None established

 Goal: To enhance health care professionals and the community’s knowledge and application of current health and nutrition information and influence positive nutritional behaviors  Objectives: Provide 8 blog posts by March 30 th for MLH employees and the community that contain current health and nutrition information Present potential lifestyle modification tips within each blog post Acquire at least 8 unique hits for each blog posting, for a total of 64 unique hits Obtain at least 600 unique hits for the MLH Community Page by March 30 th

 Total Hits: 4,863  Unique Hits: 3,784 Goal of 600 unique hits Goal of at least 10 hits for each post  Twitter  Facebook Six “likes” 1 post reposted 2 additional comments were made

 Total of 13 Survey’s Collected

“Very well written and informative” “Great blog- posts are a good length, not too long. I loved the post on eggs. I always thought they had too much cholesterol and were bad for me, but now I know I can eat them here and there as part of my healthy diet. I can't wait to try the Mediterranean Strata!” “I liked the recipes along with information about nutrition trends.”

 Meet 100% of project goals and objectives  4,863 total hits (162% increase)  3,784 unique hits  46% claimed the blog expanded their nutrition knowledge  38% reported more conscious of making healthy choices  0% no changes

 Supports other findings in literature  Sustainability  Strengths Credible Accomplished all goals  Weaknesses 13 responses No distinction between community vs health professionals

 Integral Role in Social Media & Technology Reliable, credible sources of information  More Research on long-term effects

 Lagu T, Kaufman EJ, Asch DA, et al. Content of Weblogs Written by Health Professionals. J Gen Intern Med. 2008; 23(10):  Fox S, Jones S. The Social Life of Health Information. The Pew Internet & American Life Project Web site. Published June, Accessed November 10,  Tu HT, Cohen GR. Striking Jump In Consumers Seeking Health Care Information. Center for Studying health System Change: Tracking Report Website. Published August, Accessed November 10,  Rains SA, Karmikel CD. Health information-seeking and perceptions of website credibility: Examining Web-use orientation, message characteristics, and structural features of websites. Computers in Human Behavior. 2009; 25 (2):  Sillence E, Briggs P, Harris PR, et al. How do patients evaluate and make use of online health information? Social Science & Medicine. 2007; 64:  Robert, K. Survey: More U.S. Adults Tap into Health Information Online. Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology. 2010; 44(2): 90.  Hu Y, Sundar SS. Effects of Online Health Sources on Credibility and Behavioral Intentions. Communication Research. 2010; 37(1):  Adams, SA. Blog-based application and health information: Two case studies that illustrate important questions for Consumer Health Informatics (CHI) research. International Journal of Medical Informatics. 2010; 79(6):  Thomas G. How to do Your Research Project. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications;  Abott Hess M. Review of Dietetics: Manual for the Registered Dietitian Exam. Hess and Hunt. 2011;

Any Questions?