Health


Challenge

Misinformation regarding the health effects of vaccinations has caused fear to spread throughout communities in the U.S., leading to the rebirth of previously eradicated diseases such as Measles.

Answer

Parents receive and share information and opinions on social media related to their children’s health. Using social data and machine-learning algorithms, UCIPT researchers have developed tools that can analyze anti-vaccination behavior and predict where such sentiment is likely to continue to grow.
 

Impact

Predictive insights into where health risk behaviors are spreading can inform the public and allow policymakers to prepare and prevent a health catastrophe from occurring. For example, school districts can use these insights to guide school closure where low vaccination may be an issue.