Viewpoint
Social Media and Nutrition Education: The Food Hero
Experience
Lauren N. Tobey, MS, RD1; Melinda M. Manore, PhD, RD2
ABSTRACT
Social media can be a quick, low-cost, direct way for nutrition educators to broaden the scope of their targeted programs. The authors’ viewpoint is that for social media to be effective, strategies for its use should
follow ‘‘best practices’’ guidelines. This viewpoint suggests social media best practices based on experience
gained from the Food Hero social marketing campaign. Understanding of how nutrition educators can
take advantage of social media as a new mechanism for reaching their target audience is needed, including
best practices for implementation, management, and evaluation.
Key Words: Internet, social marketing, low-income, health communication, social networks (J Nutr Educ
Behav. 2014;46:128-133.)
INTRODUCTION
Social media can be a quick, low-cost,
direct way for nutrition educators to
broaden the scope of their targeted
programs. However, the authors'
viewpoint is that for social media to
be effectively used within nutrition
education, it should follow some
‘‘best practices’’ guidelines to ensure
that educators are successful and the
educational venue of social media is
truly vetted.1 This viewpoint suggests
social media best practices based on
experience gained from the Food
Hero social marketing campaign.
Visit any popular social media site,
such as Facebook or Twitter, and
search for ‘‘nutrition.’’ The number
of responses will be overwhelming.
This level of interest and following
makes it is easy to see why social
media is appealing to nutrition educators. However, to use this resource
effectively, it is important to understand how to provide timely and
evidence-based nutrition and health
information to the public.
First, this viewpoint will give an
overview of social media, describing
1
users and giving examples of how social media is used to promote health.
Second, 5 practice-based suggestions
are provided on how to effectively
create and manage a social media
project; these suggestions are taken
from the Food Hero social marketing
campaign experience.
Social Media Overview
Social media is a fast-growing
medium, yet it still lacks a common
definition. In general, social media is
a method of communication used
to facilitate social interaction on
Internet-based sites, including mobile
sites. Ahlqvist et al define social media
as ‘‘a means of interactions among
people in which they create, share,
and exchange information and ideas
in virtual communities and networks.’’2 Currently, 3 of the most popular social media sites, all free of cost,
are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
(Table 1).
Social media requires access to the
Internet. In the US, online usage
depends primarily on age (eg, being
# 65 y old), followed by level of edu-
Nutrition, Extension Family and Community Health Program, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, OR
2
Nutrition, School of Biological & Population Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis,
OR
Address for correspondence: Lauren Tobey, MS, RD, Extension Nutrition Education Program, 106 Ballard Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331; Phone: (541) 737-1017; Fax: (541) 737-0999;
E-mail: [email protected]
Ó2014 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2013.09.013
128
cation (eg, at least a high school
degree), and household income.7,8
Currently, gaps in each of these
categories are shrinking. For example,
for US adults with a household
income of < $30,000/y, the percentage who are online has grown
from 28% in 2000 to 67% in 2012
and was reported to be 76% in 2013.7-9
In contrast, 79% of US adults with a
household income of > $75,000/y
were online in 2000 compared with
96% in 2013.8,9 Finally, researchers
now report that language preferences
may also be predictors of online usage
(eg, those who prefer survey interviews
in English vs Spanish).8
Overall, 67% of US adults who are
online use social networking sites.9
For low-income households, Facebook is the most popular social media
site (68%), followed by Twitter (16%)
and Pinterest (10%); these numbers
are similar for adults of higher income
levels, at 67%, 16%, and 15%, respectively.3 Those segments of the population found to be using social
networking sites the most include
adults < 50 y (77%–83%), those with
a household income < $30,000/y
(72%), and women (71%).3
Research indicates that between
55% and 67% of US adults go online
for health and wellness information,
and half of all online health inquiries
are made on behalf of someone
else.10-12 In addition, social media is
used by 20%–34% of those searching
for health-related topics.10,13 Public
health professionals and health care
providers are using social media in a
number of ways. Social media is
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014
Tobey and Manore 129
Table 1. Description of 3 Popular Social Media Sites
Social Media
Platform
Description
Active Users
Top User Demographics3
US Adults
Using Site (%)3
Facebook
Users share and interact
with stories, images
and video
845 million users, resulting
in 100 billion friendships4
Women, especially ages
18–29 y
67
Pinterest
Online pinboards on which
users collect and group
photos of interest, each of
which links to the Web
site source
48.7 million5
Women, adults under 50 y,
whites, those with some
college education
15
Twitter
Microblogging: users send
messages of # 140
characters
555 million; 40% do not
tweet themselves but
watch others tweet6
18- to 29-year-olds, African
Americans, urban
residents
16
being used by care professionals to
improve delivery and availability of
health care and to communicate
with peers. For example, it is used to
facilitate social support groups,
deliver educational programs, recruit
for services, train students, and help
with communication between other
health care professionals through
workplaces, coalitions, and organizations.14-18 Public health professionals
also use social media for similar
functions, including electronic-based
education and communication for the
public; recruitment to programming;
training students; and tracking and
analyzing data on the group or population of interest.19-26
Food Hero Social Media Project:
Background for the Authors’
Best Practice Recommendations
Food Hero is a multichannel social
marketing campaign created in 2009
by the Oregon State University (OSU)
Extension Nutrition Education Program (NEP) to increase the amount
and variety of vegetables and fruit
consumed by Oregonians. Thus,
Food Hero is delivered to the target
audience through a number of
different ways (eg, channels) that are
strategically interrelated, yet focused
on meeting behavioral goals. At the
initiation of this campaign, only 26%
of Oregonians consumed 5 or more
servings of fruits and vegetables per
day.27 The target audience is limitedincome mothers with young children
living in the home, who speak English
and/or Spanish, and who use the
Internet. Their children are a secondary audience. The goal of Food
Hero is to distribute evidence-based
research using a learner-centered focus
and to provide actionable messages
through multiple channels and partners. Core campaign topics include
meal planning, shopping, cooking,
and safely storing food, and campaign
channels include a Web site, community programming kits, purchased
media, and a monthly message package within the Food Hero project. A
primary objective of Food Hero,
beyond the target audience and their
family eating more vegetables and
fruit, is to empower the targeted audience to share information and champion Food Hero messages within
their networks of family and friends.
This objective is promoted via all
Food Hero channels, including social
media. Social media is also used by
the Food Hero development team to
engage with NEP educators and
encourage them to be Food Hero
champions.
THE AUTHORS’ VIEW ON
BEST PRACTICES
Current technology makes it easy to
host a social media site. Simply visit
a social media site, register for an
account, and begin connecting with
others. This simple strategy may be
successful, but it may not lead to
optimal results. Food Hero created a
successful social media campaign by
collecting and incorporating participant feedback into the project and
searching the research literature to
see what has worked for others. Below
are 5 key practice-based suggestions
learned from the Food Hero experience.
Practice Suggestion #1: Conduct
a Needs Assessment
Food Hero was first funded to create a
social marketing campaign to increase
fruit and vegetable intake within
the limited-income population of
Oregon. As with any nutrition education intervention, the first step of
this process was an extensive needs
assessment, including a careful examination of the relevant research literature. This step was followed by
collecting data from the target audience using 8 focus groups (n ¼ 50)
and a phone survey (n ¼ 1498). Each
of these steps informed the campaign
channels employed, including the
social media project.
A major finding from the focus
groups was that participants valued
recipes and cooking information and
used online resources to get this information. The focus groups also selected
the logo and helped identify and
settle on the term ‘‘Food Hero’’ as a
way to empower mothers and their
children (Figure). The phone survey,
which asked to survey the person in
the household who does most of the
grocery shopping and cooking, provided a more specific picture of the
target audience's needs. Results
showed that 86% were female, they
wanted information via the Internet
about health and eating (53%), and
130 Tobey and Manore
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014
made when needed. These same
themes could be used by others
engaging in social media work.
Practice Suggestion #2: Select
Social Media Sites
Figure. Food hero logo.
they were currently finding useful
cooking tips and ideas from family,
friends, or the Internet (53%). Finally,
47% of
participants identified
themselves as mothers who did the
shopping and dinner preparation
without help, hence the desire for recipes that were simple to prepare.
Using the data from the needs
assessment, the Food Hero development team created campaign communication strategies that focused on
actionable tips and tools. For
example, based on data from the
phone survey and focus groups,
the authors focused on the importance of serving healthy meals vs
eating more fruits and vegetables or
the drawbacks of not eating them.
The results also showed that mothers
wanted healthy recipes to overcome
the time and cost barriers they faced
in feeding healthy food to their
families. The strategy was strongly
reinforced in the research literature,
including several online federal
education toolkits that emphasized
the
importance
of
providing
actionable information in plain
language.28-33
The Food Hero strategy was
developed using 6 reoccurring themes
that emerged from the needs assessment: (1) identify the target audience
and provide clearly focused messages;
(2) provide actionable information in
small segments explaining what the
user can do and how to do it; (3) write
for lower literacy in plain language;
(4) be positive and realistic in writing
style; (5) provide research-based information; and (6) track social media
measurement data so changes can be
The social media sites strategically
selected by Food Hero are Facebook,
Twitter, and Pinterest.21 These sites
are used to post information related
to the Food Hero campaign because
they effectively reach the target
audience and can be managed with
current staff. Facebook was selected
by the Food Hero team because it is
the social media site used most by
limited-income users, is popular with
women, and can be used as a social
networking site for building online
communities in which the target audience can talk to each other and with
Food Hero educators.3,13 Facebook
users are actively engaged with their
friends and family. Hampton et al
estimate that at least 1 or 2 days a
week, 53% of Facebook users, who
average 229 friends each, comment
on other users' statuses, and 49%
comment on a photo contributed by
another user.34
Twitter was selected as the site to
reach NEP educators and stakeholders
with actionable messages they can
deliver within targeted communities.
Twitter limits postings to 140 words,
thus, the messages are short and on
point. A Twitter feed was placed on
the NEP staff homepage to provide
quick and easy access to this information and promote the Food Hero
messages.
Finally, a Pinterest site was created
based on the emphasis Pinterest
places on sharing and organizing
photos onto pin boards and that an
account is not required to view content. Using this site, Food Hero topic
areas could be highlighted and promoted in a simple, yet visual way.
The intended audience for Pinterest
is NEP staff and the target audience.
All of Food Hero's social media sites
continue to increase in membership
and engagement. The authors track
this growth each month, which helps
to determine return on investment in
social media staffing. For example, in
the past year, the Facebook community has grown 47% and referrals
from Pinterest to FoodHero.org have
increased by 98%. Data from these
sites are helping the Food Hero team
to organize and strategize within the
campaign (Table 2).
Practice Suggestion #3: Create a
Plan
Creating a theory-based posting plan
encourages meaningful interactions
and relationship building with the
target audience.21,35 Much like offline
relationships, regular and meaningful
communication is necessary to build
a social media relationship; researchers
report that online health promotion
interventions based on theory have
greater impact.36-39 In social media,
thoughts and feelings about one's
daily lives are shared with others,
thus, nutrition education posts need
to be timely, pleasant, and meaningful
to resonate with users, not simply
communicate information. Furthermore, at the heart of social media is
the 2-way exchange of information,
ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Thus,
postings must be fresh and engaging,
and the content open ended and
actionable to encourage conversations
and interest. For example, with Food
Hero, recipe photos have been effective
in encouraging engaging conversation
among followers. Besides posting,
follow-up responses to comments and
regular engagement with champion
followers is required for success.
Listening to members of the target
audience is an effective way to
determine what is pleasant and fresh
to them, which will vary for different
communities and topics. The Food
Hero social media project regularly
communicates with the target audience with a goal of being pleasant,
friendly, and empowering in a way
that encourages the building of relationships and a community. Finally,
at the core of all Food Hero channels
are principles from the social cognitive and marketing exchange theories.40,41
The timing of posting is also a key
determent of social media success
and is best gauged by tracking and
analyzing a social media project's
measurement data (Table 2). For
example, Facebook Insights, a measurement data-tracking tool, compiles
data on the days and times followers
are online and shares this information
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014
Tobey and Manore 131
Table 2. Social Media Measurement Data Examples From the Food Hero Campaign
Analytic Source
Social media sites
Tracked Analytic
Registered followers per site
Potential Use or Output
Site growth trends
Google Analytics, an online service that
tracks data and provides summary
statistics associated with assigned
web based content such as a Web
site/s, blog, Facebook page, or RSS
feed. The service is free for Web sites
with < 10 million visitors/mo.
Number of Web site visits referred from
various social media sites
Tracks trends in Food Hero; sending
traffic to FoodHero.org
Identification of top landing pages on
Web site referred from social media.
Specific social media pages that
endorsed Web site content and a link
to the content.
Tracks social media based popular Web
site content.
Tracks organizations or groups that are
championing FoodHero.org and what
content they find to be important.
Facebook Insights, a free service of
Facebook to users who have page
accounts and > 30 likes. Personal
timeline and group Facebook
accounts do not include Insights.
Reach: total general reach/post and total
reach/post by site followers.
Engagement: the number of unique
people who clicked anywhere on a
post.
Virality: the percentage of people who
created a story from a post (such as
liking, commenting, or sharing) of
those who saw it.
Tracks trends in popular posts, such as
recipe ingredient type, time of day, day
of the week, or season.
Pinterest Analytics, a free service of
Pinterest accounts that have verified
Web site connected to them.
Reach daily average: average number of
people who saw pins on Pinterest from
a specific Web site.
Repin daily average: average number of
times pins from a specific Web site
were repinned on Pinterest.
Links to most-repinned and most-liked
content, and content that has gotten
the most click-throughs back to the
Web site.
Site growth trends relative to successfully
pinning engaging content.
with page account holders. These data
are not available to those with personal or group accounts. Frequent
postings increase the likelihood of
connecting with existing social media
followers by increasing the chance
they will see a post and demonstrating
an active presence to potential followers.21 However, there may be an
upper limit to frequency of posting,
as at least 1 report indicates that the
number of followers dropped off
with too many posts.42 The goal of
Food Hero is to post at least once daily
on all campaign sites and during times
when the target audience is thought
to be most active. Social media and
Web site data-measurement programs
provide user activity data and help
determine when followers are most
likely to visit FoodHero.org and
what content they find interesting
(Table 2). The Food Hero development team uses HootSuite, a social
media aggregator, to reduce staff
burden by automatically uploading
prewritten posts at strategically set
dates and times.
Practice Suggestion #4:
Integrate the Social Media Team
The Food Hero social media team is
made up of the coordinator, campaign
recipe manager and recipe testing
team, graphic designer/photographer,
Web designer, media buyer, and students who post content. All team
members are integrated into the social
marketing campaign through regular
interactions and the sharing of
content.
Comprehensively shows the most
popular pins from FoodHero.org,
which helps define popular topics,
photo styles, and characteristics of
successful pin descriptions.
Team members also understand
the project goals, the role of each
team member, and that they are the
‘‘face and personality’’ of Food Hero.
This is especially the case for those
team members who generate the online social media communications
that are posted daily. For example,
the graphic designer, recipe manager,
and photographer seek to create content that is desirable on multiple
campaign channels, including the social media sites. This strategy repurposes content, which leads to rich
social media content and increases
the likelihood that the Food Hero
target audience might see messages
several times and at increased dosage,
and then change their behavior.36,43
Two important tools improve
social media team communication:
(1) a project management online
132 Tobey and Manore
program (ie, Basecamp); and (2) a
collaborative and detailed ‘‘live and
learn’’–based Food Hero Social Media
Guidebook. This Guidebook is used
to document and share information,
feedback, and guidelines among social
media team members (eg, the best
time to post information, which
photos can and cannot be posted).
The guidebook is protected from public view and housed on a Wiki (ie,
Google Sites), making it editable by
all team members.
Practice Suggestion #5:
Regularly Collect, Track, and
Use Social Media Measurement
Data
Use social media measurement data to
understand the demographics of followers, how to best engage with and
learn about followers' wants and
needs, and to keep a project fresh
and relevant. Site data measurement
programs instantly compile data
points as connections occur with the
target audience.
Food Hero uses collected data to
track whether program objectives are
being met and to investigate interesting findings (Table 2). For example,
social media data measurement tools
informed the Food Hero team that
the Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese
Skillet Meal recipe was being pinned
thousands of times on Pinterest. Tools
were also able to identify the original
pinners of the recipe and where and
when it was pinned. This information
provided data that the recipe might be
effectively promoted in other channels of the campaign. In support of
that finding, social media measurement data from Food Hero indicated
that chicken-based recipes are the
most popular Food Hero recipe category, making them good choices to
promote in all channels of the
campaign. The gathering of social media measurement data is helping the
Food Hero team make informed decisions related to content management
and long-term planning.
IMPLICATIONS FOR
RESEARCH AND
PRACTICE
Understanding about how nutrition
educators can use social media as a
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 46, Number 2, 2014
new and creative mechanism for connecting with their target audience is
needed, including best practices for
implementation, management, and
evaluation. Based on the Food Hero
experience, incorporating social media into a nutrition program requires
being strategic in the approach,
consistent in creating and maintaining the social media project, and making sure the format in which
information is shared is done effectively and is relevant to the target
audience. A simple way to begin
contemplating the integration of social media into a nutrition education
project is to explore different nutrition and public health–focused social
media sites that relate to the project,
listen to conversations on those sites,
and start engaging on them to learn
more about how your target audience
interacts.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Oregon Department of Human
Services and USDA SNAP-Ed funded
portions of this project.
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