Reciprocity in Action: Give a Little; Get a Lot

As the Nation struggles to define transparency and citizen participation, informatics offers public health practitioners the tools needed to begin mutually meaningful citizen dialogue on a mass scale never before possible. This reciprocity proof of concept explores how public health can 1) shorten traditionally long health risk assessments (HRAs) into tolerable “chunks” to 2) begin a dialogue intended and 3) give back tailored, personalized health information to 4) develop a relationship based on history and trust over time. The Tailored Information in Social Networking (THISN) is an applied research project aimed at demonstrating reciprocity in action within the online social network environment. Delivering individually tailored health information is an objective of Healthy People 2020. Recent research supports the importance of social networks in individual health and health behaviors. The presentation will discuss the methods, lessons learned and future possibilities of using publicly shared information contained in an individual's online profile(s) in social networking sites (e.g., MySpace, Facebook) to begin to populate an HRA/information application. The presenter will discuss whether these practices already being done in the private sector show promise for public health; whether lengthy health risk assessments that often impede broad engagement in health issues might be “chunked”; whether relevant and timely information and resources can be delivered anonymously through an application; and whether the application is acceptable to users. In addition, the presentation will examine issues for public health. The days where agencies take data from individuals and give little to nothing in return are ending. By adapting existing technologies, informatics can help lead the way in public health innovation through reciprocity.