Health tweets: an exploration of health promotion on twitter.

Twitter® is a popular microblogging site that allows users to disseminate information in 140 characters of text or less. A review of literature indicated that, to date, there has been little inquiry into the health based discussions conceptualized and enacted within and among Twitter users. Methods for this qualitative study included a directed content analysis, guided by the Public Health Agency of Canada's Determinant of Health (DOH) framework was completed to explore health based discussions on Twitter. A 24-hour cross-section of tweets (N=2400) containing the word or hashtag 'health' were collected for analysis. Findings revealed predominant themes of health services, personal health practices, and education. Many of the tweeted messages reflected existing political and social issues publicized within the global mass media. This study also considered the evolving dynamic behind the conceptualization of health and how it is co-constructed through news media, advertising, and social network technologies. Discussion of the emerging themes and implications for practice are presented.