Web 2.0 Strategies to Deliver Health Information: Widgets and Personalized Podcasts

Widgets, also sometimes referred to as gadgets, are tools that users can add to a blog, social network profile or other Web page. Widgets contain information related to a specific topic and allow users to perform interactive functions within the tool without leaving the host website.  Using widgets, public health organizations can create engaging new channels for disseminating and interacting with health information. Innovative uses of widgets for health information delivery will be presented including those used during the seasonal influenza campaign, podcast player widgets, and others.
Another Web 2.0 technology, podcasting, may appear to be less innovative, with a large number of organizations currently utilizing this technology to deliver information. However, CDC is exploring a new strategy for tailoring content -- the personalized podcast, which allows for specific, targeted health information to be delivered to the user.  This segment of the presentation will explore the application of the Transtheoretical Model for tailored health information delivery via podcasting.  Specifically discussed will be ways in which Web 2.0 strategies can be used to assess the stage of behavior change each user inhabits and to deliver personalized health information that is appropriate for that stage of change.