Using Twitter Messaging to Reach and Engage Public Health Audiences about Topics Related to Obesity: A Case Study.

The purpose of this case-study is to evaluate the effectiveness of messaging, using Twitter, to reach and engage audiences on topics related to obesity. Messages (tweets) from the Twitter account, @CDCObesity, were collected during the period of May 6 - May 15, 2012. We used federally recommended metric categories (breadth, depth and direct engagement) to organize data in the assessment of user engagement.

Challenges in promoting joint use agreements: experiences from Community Transformation Grant awardees in North Carolina, Illinois, and Wisconsin, 2011-2014.

Community Transformation Grant awardees in North Carolina, Illinois, and Wisconsin promoted joint use agreements (formal agreements between 2 parties for the shared use of land or facilities) as a strategy to increase access to physical activity in their states. However, awardees experienced significant barriers to establishing joint use agreements, including 1) confusion about terminology and an aversion to complex legal contracts, 2) lack of applicability to single organizations with open use policies, and 3) questionable value in nonurban areas where open lands for physical activity are often available and where the need is instead for physical activity programs and infrastructure. Furthermore, promotion of formal agreements may unintentionally reduce access by raising concerns regarding legal risks and costs associated with existing shared use of land.