Post on 29-Mar-2015
Using the Internet for Health Promotion with Youth
Cameron D. Norman, PhD
Assistant ProfessorDalla Lana School of Public Health
Director of EvaluationPeter A. Silverman Global eHealth Program
Principal Investigator & Managing PartnerYouth Voices Research Group
What if?What if we could create opportunities to support young leaders in developing innovative strategies for transforming our social system to promote better health?
What if we could leverage the power of information technology to connect researchers, community-based programs, and the public together in a dialogue about health issues from around the world?
What if we could translate the knowledge gained from research to people who could use it in real time, wherever they are, using technologies that are free and widely available?
What if we could connect public health with the business sector and civil society leaders to develop models for addressing chronic disease prevention, food security, public safety & environmental health together?
What if we could make this model sustainable and adaptable to meet the public health challenges of thefuture?
What if?
And what if we could do it today?We can
Global Youth Voices
The Youth Voices Research Group
http://www.youthvoices.ca
Background
• The Youth Voices Research Group (YVRG), a research and social innovation unit based at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto
• Initially formed as the TeenNet Project by Harvey Skinner in 1995 with a focus on using new technologies to engage young people in health promotion
• In 2006, transformed into the Youth Voices Research Group under the direction of Cameron Norman
• Focus on developing accessible, responsive, and health promoting systems for youth and young adults.
• Use of ICT’s in context
• Evaluation
Youth Engagement Systematic Review
• Using Hart’s Ladder of participation
• Young people & adults share decision-making; Young people lead & initiate action; Adult-initiated, shared decisions with young people
• Youth taking on an active role (as leaders, decision-makers, planners, etc.) in a structured activity/project/program that has a focus outside of her/himself (i.e., connecting that young person to the outside world)
Emergence
Feedback
Dynamic
Networks
Adaptation
Diversity
Coordination
Creativity
Youth Voices Research Group
Health Literacy as a Foundation
• Training on the use of technologies for health promotion with health professionals
• Education and awareness with the public and health professionals about the importance of literacy in facilitating use of ICT’s for health
• eHealth Literacy Scale: Short assessment of skills and confidence in using ICT to make health decisions
• Norman & Skinner (2006) J Med Internet Res
Food4Health
A Youth Engagement Project to Support Food Systems Transformation & Population Health
Food4Health: Goals & Activities
• 10-week pilot project / proof-of-concept : February - April 2009
• To optimize current projects working in the area of youth engagement on issues related to food and health
• Evaluation & Networking
• To develop a platform for evaluation and coordination of multiple programs aimed at promoting health and wellbeing
• To form a strategy for creating and sustaining partnerships between public health and agrifood communities
• Blending online with offline strategies to engage youth in health promotion
Stomach this!
GRUB: Growing Reflections, Understanding Bites
http://www.tigweb.org/tiged/projects/grub/index.html
Food4Health : Student Life
Engagement Projectstudentlife-engagement.ning.com
Science Communication
Disaster Planning & Response
Chronic Disease Prevention & Management
Global Health
Research Coordination
Student Engagement
Youth Voices Research GroupDalla Lana School of Public Health
www.youthvoices.ca www.food4health.ca
• Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto 416.978.1242
• cameron.norman@utoronto.ca
• @cdnorman
• censemaking.wordpress.org
• www.youthvoices.ca / www.publicehealth.org
• http://www.youtube.com/user/YouthVoicesResearch
CONTACT: Cameron Norman, PhD