Researchers use search engines, social media to predict syphilis trends

UCLA-led research finds that internet search terms and tweets related to sexual risk behaviors can predict when and where syphilis trends will occur. Two studies from the UCLA-based University of California Institute for Prediction Technology, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, found an association between certain risk-related terms that Google and Twitter users researched or tweeted about and subsequent syphilis trends that were reported to the CDC. The researchers were able to pinpoint these cases at state or county levels, depending on the platform used.

2016's Biggest Medical Science Revolutions

Pennsylvania: In the grand scheme of things, it can seem like progress in science and medicine moves pretty slow. For example, we still aren’t sure what causes premature birth, or why racial disparities exist in certain conditions. And, for all intents and purposes, Alzheimer’s is still a big black box. But in reality, when you put science and medicine under the microscope, you find that a single year can bring big, meaningful gains and exciting advances. So, as we welcome a brand new year, let’s pause to reflect on some of Penn Medicine’s biggest newsmakers from the last 12 months.

Depression Risk Grows With Use of More Social Media Sites

Pittsburgh: Compared with the total time spent on social media, use of multiple platforms is more strongly associated with depression and anxiety among young adults, the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health (CRMTH) found in a national survey.The analysis, published online and scheduled for the April print issue of the journal Computers in Human Behavior, showed that people who report using seven to 11 social media platforms had more than three times the risk of depression and anxiety than their peers who use zero to two platforms, even after adjusting for the total time spent on social media overall.

Internet Use in Class Tied to Lower Test Scores

Psychological Science: College students who surfed the internet in class had lower scores on the final exam than their peers who didn’t go online in class, according to findings forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Michigan State University researchers studied laptop use in an introductory psychology course and found that the average time students spent browsing the web for non-class-related purposes was 37 minutes. Students spent the most time on social media, reading email, shopping for items such as clothes, and watching videos. And their academic performance seemed to suffer as a result. Internet use was a significant predictor of students’ final exam score even when their intelligence and motivation were taken into account, said researcher Susan Ravizza, associate professor of psychology and lead author of the study.

Social media shots affect body image because we only show our best side

TheConversation: Many modern celebrities are known for being excessive sharers on social media. For instance, the Kardashians are notorious for posting daily glamorous and often lingerie clad images on Instagram that attract several million likes. But it’s not just images of attractive celebrities that flood social media. Friends, acquaintances and strangers post images of themselves too, often editing them to disguise face blemishes, make cheeks rosier or to make their nose look smaller. When people look at these attractive images on social media, research shows they often compare their own appearance to those images and think they’re less attractive than the images they see.

How to be a healthy user of social media

TheConversation: We can learn a lot about people through how they use social media. For example, Twitter language can be used to predict the risk of dying from heart disease. Analyses of Facebook updates show women tend to be warmer than men, but just as assertive, and people high in extraversion tend to express positive emotions, whereas those with neurotic tendencies are more likely to write about being lonely and depressed. Concerns exist about the negative effects social media can have on mental health, especially for young people.

Social networking by doctors may save patients' lives.

Ann Arbor: To get the best results for patients, it may pay for their doctors to heed the words of legendary University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler: the team, the team, the team. A new study finds that heart surgery patients’ chances of survival depends in part on the overall level of teamwork among all the physicians who cared for them across their surgery preparation, operation, hospitalization and recuperation. The finding was made by a team of researchers at the U-M Medical School, just a few miles away from the stadium where Schembechler once coached.

Creative Minds: Do Celebrity Endorsements Influence Teens’ Health?

NIH: Marie Bragg is a first-generation American, raised by a mother who immigrated to Florida from Trinidad. She watched her uncle in Florida cope effectively with type 2 diabetes, taking prescription drugs and following doctor-recommended dietary changes. But several of her Trinidadian relatives also had type 2 diabetes, and often sought to manage their diabetes by alternative means—through home remedies and spiritual practices.

Smartphones and tablets 'disrupt children's sleep'

NHS: "Streaming instead of dreaming: Using phones and tablets before bed stops kids from sleeping and can lead to health issues" is the rather poetic headline from the Mail Online. A review of previous data found significant links between media devices like smartphones and tablets, and disrupted sleep in children.Researchers looked at data from more than 125,000 children and found a clear association between using media devices and sleep problems, such as not getting enough sleep at night, reduced sleep quality and daytime sleepiness.

“That pizza was #delish!” What Do Tweets Say About Our Health?

Utah: "Coffee" was the most tweeted food in the continental U.S. between mid-2014 to mid-2015 followed by "beer" then "pizza". Besides hinting at which foods are popular, tweets may reveal something about our health. Communities that expressed positive sentiments about healthy foods were more likely to be healthier overall. Scientists at the University of Utah surveyed nearly 80 million Twitter messages - a random sample of one percent of publicly available, geotagged tweets - over the course of one year. They then sorted through the 4 million tweets about food for ones that fell on opposite ends of the health spectrum: tweets mentioning fast food restaurants, or lean meats, fruits, veggies or nuts.

Relationship Seen Between Cyberbullying and Depression

JAMA: The median percentage of children and adolescents who reported being bullied online was 23 percent and there appears to be a consistent relationship between cyberbullying and reports of depression in a review of social media studies, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics. Social media is a presence in the lives of young people, with reports indicating 95 percent of American teenagers use the Internet and that 81 percent of them use social media. But these online interactions can coincide with potential risks and safety concerns regarding social media, including cyberbullying.

Facebook and Twitter could be used to help people quit smoking

NHS: "Using social media to kick the [smoking] habit means you're 'TWICE as likely to succeed'," the Mail Online reports. A study of a Canadian social media campaign aimed at helping young people quit smoking found it was twice as successful as telephone helplines. The Break It Off (BIO) campaign compared stopping smoking to getting out of a toxic relationship with a terrible boyfriend or girlfriend, and allowed participants to share their progress on Facebook.

Research reveals social media skews drinking habits

Sydney: Social media is a cause, and a solution to young people's binge drinking habits according to new research from the University of Sydney. The study reveals that exaggerated 'boozy' Facebook profiles are exacerbating drinking habits in young people, but correcting these misperceptions among peer groups can reduce drinking by up to 50 per cent.

Alcohol brands breach advertising codes online

FARE: New research shows alcohol brands continue to regularly breach industry advertising codes on Facebook and has drawn further attention to the inadequacies of the current self-regulatory system. The study found the Facebook pages of Australia’s most popular alcohol brands are filled with highly inappropriate content that glamorises and encourages excessive drinking and features crude and offensive language, and derogatory, vilifying and sexist remarks.

How Twitter Can Help Predict Emergency-Room Visits

Arizona: A UA-led team of researchers created a model that was able to predict with 75 percent accuracy how many asthma-related emergency room visits a hospital could expect on a given day. Twitter users who post information about their personal health online might be considered by some to be "over-sharers," but new research led by the University of Arizona suggests that health-related tweets may have the potential to be helpful for hospitals.

Is #Dadbod craze just a big fat lie?

Queensland: It’s whipped social media into a lather, yet a University of Queensland body-image expert is warning the ‘Dad bod’ craze is probably a load of baloney. The hashtag #dadbod has been trending solidly for weeks, drawing attention to a supposed trend for women to be attracted to men with unsculpted, but fit, fairly natural bodies. School of Psychology PhD candidate Andi Alperin says research in fact shows opposite attitudes pervade.

Adoration and abuse: how virtual maltreatment harms athletes

UWS:  Athletes are increasingly viewed as celebrities and adored by millions. This adoration takes place not only within sports grounds, but now also in online environments. However, the increased virtual presence of athletes continues to have a darker side. A recent study by anti-racism in football group Kick It Out into the social media abuse of English Premier League clubs and players revealed that there had been approximately 134,000 discriminatory posts between August 2014 and March 2015. This equates to an average of almost 17,000 abusive posts per month.

Can a tweet or a status update indicate suicide risk?

UNSW researchers at the Black Dog Institute are using digital technologies to target groups most at risk of mental illness, including young people and those living in regional, rural and remote areas. Nearly 60% of Australians with symptoms of mental illness fail to seek formal treatment. UNSW researchers at the Black Dog Institute are hoping to reduce that burden by delivering mental health programs using digital technology such as apps and social media.

Mental health problems: There's an app for that!

Glasgow: SafeSpot, a new app and educational programme designed to help young people manage mental health problems is being launched; SafeSpot uses digital technology to put vital coping strategies and support in the pockets of those most at risk and utilises social media to increase Mental Health Awareness in young people.

TripAdvisor for Alzheimer

Newcastle: A ‘TripAdvisor’-style app is being launched which allows carers to locate and rate dementia-friendly places so they are better able to get out and about with their loved-ones. Triggered by Dr Katie Brittain, the Dementia Friendly Places project is one of the first to use the App Movement platform to collectively develop an app that meets a community need.