Jake-Schoffman DE, Carrera Seoane M, Cooper K, Rajoria M, McVay MA. Engaging adults with obesity in organic online communities to support weight loss: a mixed methods pilot study.
Psychol Health 2022:1-20. [PMID:
35726546 DOI:
10.1080/08870446.2022.2087073]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Organic online communities have shown potential for aiding weight loss, but few adults use them. We sought to test strategies to encourage adults to select and engage in online communities for weight loss.
DESIGN
4-week single-arm, mixed-methods pilot.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Quantitative and qualitative data on selection of online community, engagement with community, and engagement and satisfaction with tasks.
RESULTS
On average, participants (n = 25) were female (80.0%) and white (68.0%), 45.2 ± 18.1 years old, with a BMI of 36.2 ± 6.5 kg/m2. Selection of online community varied across participants (13 MyFitnessPal, 5 Facebook, 5 Reddit). In qualitative analyses, reasons for selection included experience with community, privacy considerations, and seeking people similar to them. Most tasks were fully or partially completed by a majority of participants (>80.0%). For most tasks, ∼50% of participants felt the task helped them with weight loss support. Variability in response was observed, especially between tasks that requested reading compared to posting/commenting in the community. Frequent reading of community content throughout the study was reported by >70.0% of participants, though posting/commenting was less frequent. Barriers to further engagement included concerns about privacy, judgement, and misinformation.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides insights about strategies for engaging individuals in online health communities.
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