Hi there, I’m Sonya, a social and behavior change specialist who admittedly, loves data. Without data, how would we understand people’s perceptions on various public health issues? How would we know what people do and whether current practices put their health and the health of others at risk? Without data, how would we decide on actions to ensure children, families, and communities have the information they need to make informed decisions?
Digital technology enables us to collect and analyze social and epidemiological data at record speeds to support decision making when time can mean the difference between life and death. Digital tracking systems support public health surveillance which until recently, was done through phone calls or home visits and relied on people’s ability to recall.
That said, I know data is not a magic bullet and has the potential to be misappropriated and misused, even when intentions are altruistic. In this blog, I will explore the use of data in public health and through my posts discuss the good, the bad and ugly with hopes of using this space to learn and ultimately inform my own work and influence the work of others.
