This presentation, which was given by invitation at a fitness blogger summit: - highlights the huge reach of fitness and health bloggers - provides 8 tips to ensure your content is accurate - shares several new audience and outreach opportunities - reveals 8 hot topics that you should keep an eye on

1. Communicating evidence-based
health & wellness information:
8 tips + 8 hot topics
Carol E. Torgan, PhD, FACSM
www.caroltorgan.com
Twitter @ctorgan
on behalf of the
American College
of Sports Medicine
Fitness & Health Social Media Conference
September 2013

2. A full list of resources for this talk is available at:
www.caroltorgan.com
Twitter @ctorgan
www.acsm.org
PublicInfo@acsm.org
Twitter @acsmnews

3. Disclaimers
This presentation was developed in my private capacity.
The views should not be construed as an official statement of the American College
of Sports Medicine.
The views expressed in this presentation do not represent the views of or
endorsement by the United States Government or the National Institutes of Health.
The products, sites, and tools shown or mentioned are for illustrative purposes only.
I do not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes, or services.

4. What you do is really important
Tips to make sure you do what you do really well
(the evidence part)
Why your future is really bright
(the communication part)
Outline

5. What you do is really, REALLY important
Your audience is really big (and getting bigger)
Image courtesy of Alan Grinberg via Flickr Creative Commons

6. More than
1/2
of Internet users
look online
for information
about
exercise or fitness
The Social Life of Health Information, Susannah Fox, Sydney Jones, Pew Internet, June 2009
www.pewinternet.org

7. The Social Life of Health Information, Susannah Fox, Sydney Jones, Pew Internet, June 2009
http://www.pewinternet.org

8. Fitness Information Flow
YOU
Press
Release
s,
News
Publish,
Present
(Or
Perish)
Scientists
Doing
Research
Your
Audience

9. Fitness Information Flow
YOU
Press
Release
s,
News
Publish,
Present
(Or
Perish)
Scientists
Doing
Research
Your
Audience

10. Fitness Information Flow: By time invested*
You
Scientists / Research
(the work behind
what you cover)
*Not exactly to scale.
Your
Audience

11. You never get a second chance
to make a first impression.
YOU

12. You never get a second chance
to make a first impression.
YOU
Consumer
Audience
People notice:
Advice
Accuracy
Advertising
Your
Future
Employers,
Clients
Experts
whose
work
you cover
Your
Peers

13. 8 Tips to get it right
(the evidence part)
Resource: www.HealthNewsReview.org
Independent expert reviews of news stories
Image courtesy of Daniel Kulinski via Flickr Creative Commons

14. Lab Rats People
Tip 1.

15. Lab Rats People
2-3 years Life Span 79 years
250-400 bpm Resting Heart Rate 60-100 bpm
Tip 1.

16. Correlation and Association
Cause and Effect
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PiratesVsTemp_English.jpg
Huh?
Tip 2.

17. Abstract presented at scientific meeting
Paper published in peer-reviewed journal
“Research highlighted in this news release has
been presented at a professional meeting but
has not been peer-reviewed.”
Tip 3.
http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/news-releases

18. Go to the original source.
Press releases and news reports can be wrong.
Tip 4.

19. Interviewing the expert who did the research?
Interview someone else, too.
Lots of experts are available
from professional orgs:
ACSM Media Referral Network
www.acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room
Watch for conflicts of interest
Read the fine print
Tip 5.

20. Discussing a treatment, therapy, product, or device?
Help your audience understand their options!
What is the cost?
What are the
alternatives?
Are there side effects &
potential harms?
Tip 6.

21. Be humble. Know what you don’t know.
Tip 7.
Kale chips image courtesy of Melly Kay via Flickr Creative Commons

22. Tip 7.

23. Baldness, wrinkles, cellulite, shyness, muffin top …
What do these have in common?
Tip 8.

24. Baldness, wrinkles, cellulite, shyness, muffin top …
They’re normal states!
They aren’t diseases
They don’t need cures
What do these have in common?
Tip 8.

25. Why your future is really, REALLY bright
Your audience and reach can be much, much bigger
(the communication part)

26. Communication tools
to spread your message …

29. Who is your current audience?
Age
Gender
Race / ethnicity
Marital status
Health status
Education / Literacy level
Communication styles
Location / time zone
Interests
Web Platform
Who is NOT your audience?

30. Audience & Outreach Opportunities

31. What fitness communities are you part of?
#Fitness

32. Specialized communities & certification programs
ACSM http://certification.acsm.org/get-certified
ACE http://www.acefitness.org/fitness-certifications
NASM http://www.nasm.org/get-credentialed
By age and stage:
kids, tweens, moms, boomers
athletes, pregnant women, cancer survivors

33. www.23andme.com
Patient Communities

34. http://blog.23andme.com

35. http://blog.23andme.com

36. www.patientslikeme.com

37. www.patientslikeme.com

38. Caregivers
Family Caregivers are Wired for Health, Susannah Fox, Maeve Duggan, Kristen Purcell, June, 2013
www.pewinternet.org
Nearly 4 in 10 U.S. adults are caring for an
adult or child with significant health issues.
Caregivers need care, too!

39. Techies
App Developers
94% male
33 yrs median age
>70% college degree
A demographic and business model analysis of today’s app developer, Amy Cravens, Sept 2012
http://appdevelopersalliance.org/files/pages/GigaOMApplicationDevelopers.pdf

40. A demographic and business model analysis of today’s app developer, Amy Cravens, Sept 2012
http://appdevelopersalliance.org/files/pages/GigaOMApplicationDevelopers.pdf

41. Artists
http://athletesandthearts.com
Athletes and the Arts - initiative linking the sport athlete and
musician/performing artist communities

42. 80% of U.S. adults use the internet
20% do not
Nearly 9/10 adults have difficulty
using everyday health information that is
available in health care facilities, retail
outlets, media, and communities.
Do you check jargon & reading level?
Innovations in Health Literacy March, 2011 Institute of Medicine Report
www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Innovations-in-Health-Literacy.aspx
Are we reaching everyone we should?
If not, how do we reach them?

43. Future hot topics
to keep an eye on …

44. Love gadgets and data?

45. Keep an eye on … Quantified Self
http://quantifiedself.com/
www.pinterest.com/caroltpin/wearable-tech/

46. Love fashion and textiles?

47. Keep an eye on … e-textiles, wearable tech
Move, Jennifer Darmour, Electricfoxy; TeKila Dress, Shiping Toohey
Screen-printed carbon sensor arrays, Yang-Li Yang, et al.

48. Love being part of the crowd?

49. Keep an eye on … crowdsourcing
Funding www.kickstarter.com www.indiegogo.com
Data
www.nwcr.ws

50. Love world travel and changing time zones?

51. Keep an eye on …
circadian rhythm & chronobiology
What time of day do you like to exercise?
What’s your sleep / wake cycle?
Image courtesy of Jonathan Bliss via Flickr Creative Commons

52. Love sitting down?

53. Inactivity (sitting too much)
is hazardous to your health.
Sitting too much is not the same as
exercising too little.
Your next posture is your best posture.
Keep an eye on …
inactivity physiology
Hamilton MT, Hamilton DG, Zderic TW. Diabetes. 2007 Nov;56(11):2655-67.
Image: Watch Cycle of life (concept) by Andy Kurovets on Coroflot

54. Love standing up …
for someone or something?

55. Keep an eye on …
physical activity advocacy issues
Exercise is Medicine
Concussion in Youth Sports
Physical Activity Guidelines
Pre-Participation Evaluation
Anti-Doping
ACSM Advocacy Resources
http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/policy-center/advocacy-resources

56. Love crossword puzzles?
Image courtesy of acorn via Flickr Creative Commons

57. Keep an eye on …
the brain, exercise & neuroplasticity
Image courtesy of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory via Flickr Creative Commons

58. Love food?

59. The community of organisms that live
in and on us
Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses
1-3% of your body weight = 2-6 lb
(your brain weighs 3 lb)
probiotics, poop, dirt,
antibiotics, obesity
Keep an eye on … the microbiome
#microbiomeImage of human gut bacterium courtesy of www.genome.gov

60. Get involved!
Conferences
Meetups
LinkedIn Groups
Hackathons
Other blogger communities (food, science, tech)
Read outside of your area of expertise
Think globally, act locally

61. Lots of people are listening …
Help make a difference!

62. Carol Torgan, PhD, FACSM
A full list of resources for this talk is available at:
www.caroltorgan.com
Twitter @ctorgan
PublicInfo@acsm.org
www.acsm.org
@acsmnews