Braydon Schaible

Chinese social media reaction to the MERS-CoV and avian influenza A(H7N9) outbreaks

BackgroundAs internet and social media use have skyrocketed, epidemiologists have begun to use online data such as Google query data and Twitter trends to track the activity levels of influenza and other infectious diseases. In China, Weibo is an extremely popular microblogging site that is equivalent to Twitter. Capitalizing on the wealth of public opinion data contained in posts on Weibo, this study used Weibo as a measure of the Chinese people’s reactions to two different outbreaks: the 2012 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak, and the 2013 outbreak of human infection of avian influenza A(H7N9) in China.MethodsKeyword searches were performed in Weibo data collected by The University of Hong Kong’s Weiboscope project. Baseline values were determined for each keyword and reaction values per million posts in the days after outbreak information was released to the public.ResultsThe results show that the Chinese people reacted significantly to both outbreaks online, where their social media reaction was two orders of magnitude stronger to the H7N9 influenza outbreak that happened in China than the MERS-CoV outbreak that was far away from China.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate that social media could be a useful measure of public awareness and reaction to disease outbreak information released by health authorities.

Chinese Social Media Reaction to Information about 42 Notifiable Infectious Diseases

This study aimed to identify what information triggered social media users’ responses regarding infectious diseases. Chinese microblogs in 2012 regarding 42 infectious diseases were obtained through a keyword search in the Weiboscope database. Qualitative content analysis was performed for the posts pertinent to each keyword of the day of the year with the highest daily count. Similar posts were grouped and coded. We identified five categories of information that increased microblog traffic pertaining to infectious diseases: news of an outbreak or a case; health education / information; alternative health information / Traditional Chinese Medicine; commercial advertisement / entertainment; and social issues. News unrelated to the specified infectious diseases also led to elevated microblog traffic. Our study showcases the diverse contexts from which increased social media traffic occur. Our results will facilitate better health communication as causes underlying increased social media traffic are revealed.

Urban vs. rural differences in insurance coverage and impact on employment among families caring for a child with cerebral palsy

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to examine urban vs. rural differences on the relationship between family contextual variables and adequacy of insurance coverage and impact on employment for among families with a child with Cerebral Palsy from a nationally representative sample. Methods: A retrospective, observational study was carried out using data from the National Survey of Children with Special Healthcare Needs. Results: A total of 744 participants reported as having a child with a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy and were included in the sample. Logistic regression analyses, adjusting for urban and rural setting revealed different predictors of adequacy of insurance coverage and impact on employment. Among urban respondents, three variables with odds ratios ranging from 1.33 to 1.58 served as protective factors, increasing the likelihood of adequate insurance coverage. Four variables with odds ratios ranging from 1.41 to 1.79 decreased the likelihood of negatively impacting employment. Among rural families, there was only one significant protective factor for adequacy of insurance coverage (odds ratio 1.80) and one for decreasing the chances of impact on employment (odds ratio 2.53). Conclusion: Families in rural areas caring for a child with CP have few protective factors for adequate insurance coverage and impact on familial employment.

Comparing impact on the family and insurance coverage in children with cerebral palsy and children with another special healthcare need

BACKGROUND Families and caregivers of children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) often experience financial difficulties, have unmet physical and mental health needs, and are at increased risk of marital problems due to the stress caused by carrying for their child. Within the larger population of CHSCN, young people with cerebral palsy (CP) have more unmet needs due to the complexity and potential severity of the disability. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with differences in insurance coverage and impact on the family of children with CP and other CHSCN. METHODS The data were taken from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, which was designed to examine state- and national-level estimates of CSHCN. Three variables examined differences in insurance coverage between those children diagnosed with CP versus all other CSHCN: insurance coverage for the previous year, current insurance coverage, and adequacy of insurance coverage. Four variables representing different indicators of family impact were used to assess differences between children with CP versus all other CSHCN: out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare, family financial burden, hours per week that family members spent caring for the child, and impact on family work life. RESULTS The results of this study showed significant differences between households with a child with CP and a child with another health special need in terms of insurance coverage, indicating a tendency of children with CP to be insured the entire year. As for the impact on the family in households with children with CP versus other CSHCN, there were significant differences in all four variables that were analysed. CONCLUSIONS There is limited evidence highlighting differences between the impact of caring for a child with CP and caring for other CSHCN. Caring for a child with CP has a significant impact on the family, despite insurance coverage.

Urban Versus Rural Differences in the Effects of Providing Care to Children With Cerebral Palsy on Family Member's Employment

focuses on personal and family unmet needs and support preferences. Results: Several themes emerged from the focus groups, and needs differed by phase of care (initial vs ongoing). Isolation and coping with trauma were themes of both care phases, with some unique features. Immediately after injury, caregivers spoke of isolation from close family members and friends and an overwhelming gulf of emotions coping with the trauma of the injury. After this initial phase, caregivers spoke of experiencing isolation from others living with SCI, for both themselves and their child. They also reported persistent emotional challenges for themselves and their family that peak and wane. Further, they described challenges balancing caregiving with other family roles and maintaining their physical and emotional stamina. Caregivers desired more support from professionals during both the initial and ongoing phases of care. Early on, they reported needing help finding appropriate pediatric SCI rehabilitation centers and processing the large amount of information and emotions. They also wanted more orientation and preparation for specialty care needs and secondary conditions. Care coordination and help navigating benefits and insurance were reported as ongoing needs. Caregivers were unanimous in the need for more peer support as soon as possible and over the “long haul.” They spoke of the power of hearing and receiving support from others who have “been there and done that.” Having formal and informal opportunities to connect with others living with SCI was highly desired. Conclusions/Significance: Results indicate that additional peer and professional social support is needed in order to help caregivers navigate the different phases of caring for their child with SCI. Support: The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, Grant #288993. SP 48 Urban versus rural differences in the effects of providing care to children with cerebral palsy on family member’s employment B SCHAIBLE, G COLQUITT, L LI, N MOREAU, M CACIULA Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA; ACSM, NAK, ISB, Statesboro, GA, USA; Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Southern University, New York, NY, USA Background and Objective(s): Context (urban vs rural) can mediate the impact on the family among other childhood populations with special healthcare needs. To date, few studies have examined the role of context in caring for a child with CP; therefore, we analyzed data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). Study Design: Cross-sectional. Study Participants & Setting: Participants were parents of children (< 18y old) with CP. Children’s mean age of rural respondents was 10.17 (SD=4.69), while 73% were white, 13.5% Hispanic, 11% black, and 2.5% other (non-Hispanic). Among rural families, 33.05% were living in households with incomes below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). For those respondents living in urban areas, children’s mean age was 9.74 (SD=4.50) and 63% were white, 13% Hispanic, 16% black, and 8% other (non-Hispanic). Overall 21.1% of urban families lived in households with incomes below the FPL. Materials/Methods: The NS-CSHCN was designed to examine stateand national-level estimates of CSHCN. A national random-digit-dial sample of US households were screened for children with special healthcare needs aged 0–17 years. Households reporting a CSHCN participated in an interview for one randomly selected child with a special healthcare need. Of 40 242 completed interviews from 2009 to 2011, 744 reported as having a child with a diagnosis of CP and were included in the sample. We performed logistic regression analyses, in the context of multiply imputed data to address missing data concerns, modeling the probability that family member’s employments were unaffected by the child’s health. Results: Our analysis indicated significant differences between families with children with CP living in an urban environment and those living in a rural setting concerning the impact that the child’s health had on family member’s work lives. There were six significant variables impacting the employment of family members for families living in an urban setting categories relating to missed school days, financial burden, and