Going 'viral' to stem diabetes epidemic
Researchers build on the theory that healthy behaviour is contagious
Julie Beun-Chown, Canwest News Service
Edmonton Journal, November 26, 2008

"The means to control the epidemic of adult onset Type 2 cases in North
America may come from such web 2.0 innovations as social media and viral
marketing.
Based on network analysis using data from the multi-generational Framingham
Heart Study, in which some health behaviours were found to be "contagious,"
researchers are now looking at using blogs, Facebook and Internet marketing
techniques to positively impact the health behaviours of obese and Type 2
patients.
What the analysis of Framingham showed was that if you associated with
people who quit smoking, you have a greater likelihood of quitting. If we
can build on the notion that healthy behaviour is contagious, we can take
advantage of new technology to engage people and effect change," says
researcher Diane Finegood, scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of
Health Research, Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes at Simon
Fraser University in British Columbia. "We need to look at social networking
to utilize those abilities."
...<snip>"
http://tinyurl.com/ej2008goingviral

Although much of this article deals with diabetes research, it does goes on
to talk about countering the "normalizing" affect of living in a society
where half the population is overweight or obese.


-- Jodine Chase

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome