Can online social networks encourage improved health behavior? GE Healthcare recently commissioned consumer research related to this topic and convened a global panel of experts to discuss it, as well.

The collective results show that engagement is notable but there’s work to do to convert conversations into changes in behavior.

The survey found out that 26 percent of U.S. online adults have discussed health information online—through social media, online communities, message boards or forums—in the past 12 months. It also found that a conservative 30 percent of those who had discussed health information online have changed a health behavior, such as a change in diet or fitness, as a result.

According to the survey, many online adults agreed that others knowing about their diet, health and fitness, and/or specific medical condition(s) is the top concern to discussing health information online (46 percent).

However, during the GE Healthcare virtual roundtable on social networking in health, held in October 2012, actively followed on Twitter, the panel of global experts stressed that accuracy of information should be even more top of mind for consumers (vs. privacy).

See on newsroom.gehealthcare.com