Using digital technology to improve the public’s health: A guide for local authorities

Case studies

The digital world has transformed our daily lives. Ten years ago, for many it would have been inconceivable that we would be shopping, banking and socialising online; that we would have technologies like voiceactivated gadgets that can do everything from play music to switch on the lights in our homes; even that the way we watch television would be totally changed. Yet, for many that’s the new reality.

But what about the world of public health? One change has been the increasing popularity of health apps. A study in 2015 found there were over 160,000 on the market.

Public Health England (PHE) has been at the forefront of that with its award-winning Change4Life sugar smart app, which uses the camera on a mobile phone to scan barcodes on food, as well as Couch to 5K.

Meanwhile, social media has for some time been an essential tool for communicating with residents. Nearly all councils use Twitter and Facebook to promote the work they do, and these channels as well as platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp and even dating apps like Tinder are increasingly becoming the focus for some very innovative behaviour change marketing.

However, digital public health is about so much more than apps and social media. Up and down the country councils have been working with their partners – both public and private – to innovate and pilot new ways of working.

This includes a text messaging service for pupils to contact school nurses, wearable sensors to prevent falls and one council is even piloting using Amazon Echo to help keep people well in the community. But digital technologies are not just useful for delivering services, they can also be used to help us plan services.

Technology allows us to gather evidence and data in new, different and more comprehensive ways. PHE has a range of tools, including SHAPE, which allows users to map services against national datasets, while the Local Government Association (LGA) LG Inform service enables comparisons for a range of health data between local areas.

This report reflects a snapshot of what is going on. Five years from now the picture will look very different again. That is the nature of the fast-changing world of digital technologies. It is one we in public health cannot afford to be left behind on.