Background. Researchers have used traditional databases to study public health for decades. Less is known about the use of social media data sources, such as Twitter, for this purpose.
Objectives. To systematically review the use of Twitter in health research, define a taxonomy to describe Twitter use, and characterize the current state of Twitter in health research.
Selection criteria. We searched for peer-reviewed original research studies that primarily used Twitter for health research.
Conclusions. We identified a new taxonomy to describe Twitter use in health research with 6 categories. Many data elements discernible from a user’s Twitter profile, especially demographics, have been underreported in the literature and can provide new opportunities to characterize the users whose data are analyzed in these studies. Twitter-based health research is a growing field funded by a diversity of organizations.
Read More: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303512a
Via Giuseppe Fattori