Dataset Information

Future-oriented tweets predict lower county-level HIV prevalence in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Future orientation promotes health and well-being at the individual level. Computerized text analysis of a dataset encompassing billions of words used across the United States on Twitter tested whether community-level rates of future-oriented messages correlated with lower human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) rates and moderated the association between behavioral risk indicators and HIV.

Method

Over 150 million tweets mapped to U.S. counties were analyzed using 2 methods of text analysis. First, county-level HIV rates (cases per 100,000) were regressed on aggregate usage of future-oriented language (e.g., will, gonna). A second data-driven method regressed HIV rates on individual words and phrases.

Results

Results showed that counties with higher rates of future tense on Twitter had fewer HIV cases, independent of strong structural predictors of HIV such as population density. Future-oriented messages also appeared to buffer health risk: Sexually transmitted infection rates and references to risky behavior on Twitter were associated with higher HIV prevalence in all counties except those with high rates of future orientation. Data-driven analyses likewise showed that words and phrases referencing the future (e.g., tomorrow, would be) correlated with lower HIV prevalence.

Conclusion

Integrating big data approaches to text analysis and epidemiology with psychological theory may provide an inexpensive, real-time method of anticipating outbreaks of HIV and etiologically similar diseases.

SUBMITTER: Ireland ME

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5621637 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Future-oriented tweets predict lower county-level HIV prevalence in the United States.

Ireland Molly E ME Schwartz H Andrew HA Chen Qijia Q Ungar Lyle H LH Albarracín Dolores D

Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association 20151201

<h4>Objective</h4>Future orientation promotes health and well-being at the individual level. Computerized text analysis of a dataset encompassing billions of words used across the United States on Twitter tested whether community-level rates of future-oriented messages correlated with lower human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) rates and moderated the association between behavioral risk indicators and HIV.<h4>Method</h4>Over 150 million tweets mapped to U.S. counties were analyzed using 2 methods o ...[more]

PMID: 26651466

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Dataset Information

Future-oriented tweets predict lower county-level HIV prevalence in the United States.

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Future-oriented tweets predict lower county-level HIV prevalence in the United States.

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