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Monitoring Different Social Media Platforms to Report Unplanned School Closures Due to Wildfires in California, October and December 2017

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2022

Brittany M. Buchanan ,
Haley I. Evans ,
Ngozi P. Chukwudebe ,
Emily A. Duncan ,
Jingjing Yin ,
Bishwa B. Adhikari ,
Xiaolu Zhou ,
Zion Tsz Ho Tse ,
Gerardo Chowell  and
Martin I. Meltzer
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Brittany M. Buchanan
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
Haley I. Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
Ngozi P. Chukwudebe
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
Emily A. Duncan
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
Jingjing Yin
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
Bishwa B. Adhikari
Affiliation:
Health Economics and Modeling Unit, Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
Xiaolu Zhou
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, AddRan College of Liberal Arts, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA
Zion Tsz Ho Tse
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic Engineering, The University of York, Heslington, York, UK
Gerardo Chowell
Affiliation:
Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Martin I. Meltzer
Affiliation:
Health Economics and Modeling Unit, Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
Isaac Chun-Hai Fung*
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA Health Economics and Modeling Unit, Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
*
Corresponding author: Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Email: cfung@georgiasouthern.edu.
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Abstract

Objective:

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitor unplanned school closure (USC) reports through online systematic searches (OSS) to assist public health emergency responses. We counted the additional reports identified through social media along with OSS to improve USC monitoring.

Methods:

Facebook and Twitter data of public-school districts and private schools in counties affected by California wildfires in October and December of 2017 and January of 2018 were retrieved. We computed descriptive statistics and performed multivariable logistic regression for both OSS and social media data.

Results:

Among the 362 public-school districts in wildfire-affected counties, USCs were identified for 115 (32%) districts, of which OSS identified 104 (90%), Facebook, 59 (52%), and Twitter, 37 (32%). These data correspond to 4622 public schools, among which USCs were identified for 888 (19.2%) schools, of which OSS identified 722 (81.3%), Facebook, 496 (55.9%), and Twitter, 312 (35.1%). Among 1289 private schools, USCs were identified for 104 schools, of which OSS identified 47 (45.2%), Facebook, 67 (64.4%), and Twitter, 29 (27.9%). USC announcements identified via social media, in addition to those via OSS, were 11 public school districts, 166 public schools, and 57 private schools.

Conclusion:

Social media complements OSS as additional resources for USC monitoring during disasters.

Keywords

FacebookInternetpublic health surveillanceTwitterwildfires
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e123
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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References

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