Hi Joyce I really enjoyed reading your post I jus want to add interactive, online health promotion campaigns for specific health issues have been shown to provide social support for behavior change. A study of health issue-specific social media sites for weight management has shown that active participation regularly sharing information and experiences, asking/answering questions – exerted a significant positive influence on weight management cessation self-efficacy, improved social capital, perception of similar or shared social norms and of feeling supported socially. A systematic review identified numerous studies reporting evidence that health promotion messages delivered via social media generated social support for patients and/or peers. The desire to connect with others in similar circumstances was another strong motivator for belonging to an online support group.
It appears that individuals not only seek health information on the internet, but also have specific health-related motives for joining interactive online support groups. As these studies show, social media is effective at providing a support to network members. They also indicate that health promotion campaigns delivered via social media have the potential to attract large numbers of participants and demonstrate a certain level of engagement with the message.
Reference: : Indian M, Grieve R. When Facebook is easier than face-to-face: social support derived from Facebook in socially anxious individuals. Personal Individ Differ. 2014;59(0):102106.
