The Altmetric era in eating disorder research: Assessing the association between Altmetric scores and citation scores for articles in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The dissemination and uptake of scientific findings is of critical importance. While broader research suggests that an article's Altmetric score may predict subsequent citation scores for scientific manuscripts, the potential relationship between online dissemination and the broader scientific uptake of findings has not been explored in eating disorder research. METHOD: We identified 310 manuscripts published between 2017 and 2018 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, and assessed (a) Altmetric scores, (b) the composition of Altmetric scores (i.e., Facebook posts, Twitter posts), and (c) overall citation scores. RESULTS: Higher Altmetric scores were associated with higher citation scores. Multivariate analysis of separate Altmetric components indicated a higher number of Facebook mentions was uniquely associated with higher citation scores. DISCUSSION: Altmetric scores may offer a viable and relatively rapid metric of the likely uptake and impact of manuscripts. Ultimately, these findings represent preliminary evidence of the benefits of widespread dissemination of eating disorder research beyond traditional academic methods. Future research should focus on expanding our preliminary findings to include a larger examination of articles to show evidence for or against the relationship between higher Altmetric scores and higher citation scores.

Community-Based Public Health Vaccination Campaign (VaccinateLA) in Los Angeles' Black and Latino Communities: Protocol for a Participatory Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected Los Angeles County and disproportionately impacted Black and Latino populations who experienced disparities in rates of infection, hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality. The University of Southern California (USC), USC Keck School of Medicine, Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Annenberg School for Journalism and Communication, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles will launch a collaborative public health campaign called VaccinateLA. OBJECTIVE: VaccinateLA will implement a community-based, community-partnered public health campaign that (1) delivers culturally tailored information about COVID-19 and available vaccines; and (2) addresses misinformation and disinformation, which serves as a barrier to vaccine uptake. The campaign will be targeted to communities in Los Angeles with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection and the lowest vaccination rates. Using these criteria, the campaign will be targeted to neighborhoods located in 34 zip codes in the Eastside and South Los Angeles. The primary aim of VaccinateLA will be to design and deliver an evidence-based multimedia public health campaign tailored for Black and Latino populations. A secondary aim will be to train and deploy community vaccine navigators to deliver COVID-19 education, help individuals overcome barriers to getting vaccinated (eg, transportation and challenges registering), and assist with delivering vaccinations in our targeted communities. METHODS: We will use a community-based, participatory research approach to shape VaccinateLA's public health campaign to address community members' attitudes and concerns in developing campaign content. We will conduct focus groups, establish a community advisory board, and engage local leaders and stakeholders to develop and implement a broad array of educational, multimedia, and field-based activities. RESULTS: As of February 2023, target communities have been identified. The activities will be initiated and evaluated over the course of this year-long initiative, and dissemination will occur following the completion of the project. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging the community is vital to developing culturally tailored public health messages that will resonate with intended audiences. VaccinateLA will serve as a model for how an academic institution can quickly mobilize to address a pressing public health crisis, particularly in underrepresented and underresourced communities. Our work has important implications for future public health campaigns. By leveraging community partnerships and deploying community health workers or promotores into the community, we hope to demonstrate that urban universities can successfully partner with local communities to develop and deliver a range of culturally tailored educational, multimedia, and field-based activities, which in turn may change the course of an urgent public health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/40161.

Framing clinical and translational science: Examining the strategic social media communications of NCATS-funded CTSAs.

INTRODUCTION: Many Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) focus their energy on operational aspects of running their hub, but may not devote enough energy and resources toward branding and effective communication. However, CTSAs have an important mission when it comes to communicating effectively with their stakeholders through social media. Using framing theory as the underpinning, the purpose of this content analysis is to investigate the ways in which CTSAs use Twitter to communicate with their various stakeholders, the type of content they post, and the type of engagement their tweets garner. METHODS: We examined 349 tweets posted from January 2019 to January 2020 from 19 CTSA Twitter accounts (sampled from a total of 35 CTSA accounts). A thematic codebook was generated using tweets randomly chosen from the sample. Content analysis was performed on the entire tweet sample by four coders using the codebook (alpha = 0.89). RESULTS: CTSAs tweeted the most about events (29.8%), and the least about study recruitment (2.01%). Most tweets included images (59.31%) and hashtags (51.29%), but received little user engagement on the average post (average: 4.38 likes and 1.94 retweets). CTSAs tweeted most from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PST and received the most engagement. Most CTSAs had a dedicated person (e.g., manager, coordinator) handling their communications. DISCUSSION: Our analysis shows multiple opportunities for CTSAs to engage with stakeholders and the public, as well as standardize and improve their Twitter communications to effectively reach a broader audience.

A content analysis of Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) strategies for communicating about clinical research participation online.

INTRODUCTION: There is a dearth of literature providing guidance on how to effectively communicate about clinical research (CR). METHODS: Using the transactional model of communication, a content analysis of the investigator (n=62) and participant (n=18) Web sites of institutions funded through the National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) was conducted to identify their strategies (e.g., messages) for communicating about CR participation. RESULTS: CTSAs targeted investigators with CR participation content across the main Web sites, although most CTSAs (n=55; 88.7%) also included CR participation content for participants. In total, 18 CTSAs (29%) hosted participant Web sites. Participant sites included 13 message types about CR participation (e.g., registry enrollment) and 5 additional channels (e.g., email, phone number) to communicate about CR. However, many CTSA participant Web sites excluded information explaining the CR process and offered CR content exclusively in English. CONCLUSION: CTSAs should identify their target audience and design strategies (e.g., messages, channels) accordingly.