Twitter as a Potential Data Source for Cardiovascular Disease Research.
OBJECTIVE
As society is increasingly becoming more networked, researchers are beginning to explore how social media can be used to study person-to-person communication about health and health care use. Twitter is an online messaging platform used by more than 300 million people who have generated several billion Tweets, yet little work has focused on the potential applications of these data for studying public attitudes and behaviors associated with cardiovascular health.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the volume and content of Tweets associated with cardiovascular disease as well as the characteristics of Twitter users.


METHODS
We used Twitter to access a random sample of approximately 10 billion English-language Tweets originating from US counties from July 23, 2009, to February 5, 2015, associated with cardiovascular disease. We characterized each Tweet relative to estimated user demographics. A random subset of 2500 Tweets was hand-coded for content and modifiers.


METHODS
The volume of Tweets about cardiovascular disease and the content of these Tweets.


RESULTS
Of 550 338 Tweets associated with cardiovascular disease, the terms diabetes (n = 239 989) and myocardial infarction (n = 269 907) were used more frequently than heart failure (n = 9414). Users who Tweeted about cardiovascular disease were more likely to be older than the general population of Twitter users (mean age, 28.7 vs 25.4 years; P < .01) and less likely to be male (59 082 of 124 896 [47.3%] vs 8433 of 17 270 [48.8%]; P < .01). Most Tweets (2338 of 2500 [93.5%]) were associated with a health topic; common themes of Tweets included risk factors (1048 of 2500 [41.9%]), awareness (585 of 2500 [23.4%]), and management (541 of 2500 [21.6%]) of cardiovascular disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Twitter offers promise for studying public communication about cardiovascular disease.
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia2Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Lauren
L
Sinnenberg
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia2Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Christie L
CL
DiSilvestro
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia2Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Christina
C
Mancheno
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia2Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Karl
K
Dailey
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia2Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Christopher
C
Tufts
Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia4Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Alison M
AM
Buttenheim
Department of Family Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia6Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Fran
F
Barg
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia7Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia8Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Lyle
L
Ungar
Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
H
H
Schwartz
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia2Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Dana
D
Brown
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia9Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
David A
DA
Asch
Penn Medicine Social Media and Health Innovation Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia2Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Raina M
RM
Merchant
J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2006 Jan-Feb;13(1):24-9
16221948
PLoS One. 2013 Sep 25;8(9):e73791
24086296
Psychol Sci. 2015 Feb;26(2):159-69
25605707
Methods Inf Med. 1993 Aug;32(4):281-91
8412823