Assessing community response to wildfire smoke: A multimethod study using social media
Julie Marie Postma1, Tara Marko1, Marissa Meyer2
1Washington State University College of Nursing, Spokane, Washington, United States.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess health-related responses to wildfire smoke on social media. We examined whether seasonal wildfire smoke is an active topic on Twitter, the correlation between fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) and Twitter search terms, and dimensions of community-level expression to wildfire smoke through tweets.
Design:
Search terms were identified using a conceptual model developed and refined by healthcare providers and public health experts. Wildfire-related tweets were downloaded from Twitter users in Spokane, Washington during the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons. PM2.5 data were correlated with the search terms. A subset of tweets was deductively and then inductively coded to identify perceptions and behavioral responses to wildfire smoke.
Results:
Seasonal wildfire smoke is an active topic on Twitter. The term "smoke" was strongly correlated with poor air quality and "unhealthy" was moderately correlated. Deductive analyses revealed a multidimensional response to wildfire smoke. Inductive analysis identified new areas of concern, such as pet and animal health.
Conclusions:
Social media is a lens through which public health professionals can assess and respond to local community needs. Findings will be used to broaden the conceptual model, enhance ongoing surveillance of community-identified health risks, and communicate protective actions.
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