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Park A, Sayed F, Robinson P, Elopre L, Ge Y, Li S, Grov C, Sullivan PS. Health Information on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis From Search Engines and Twitter: Readability Analysis. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2023; 9:e48630. [PMID: 37665621 PMCID: PMC10507523 DOI: 10.2196/48630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is proven to prevent HIV infection. However, PrEP uptake to date has been limited and inequitable. Analyzing the readability of existing PrEP-related information is important to understand the potential impact of available PrEP information on PrEP uptake and identify opportunities to improve PrEP-related education and communication. OBJECTIVE We examined the readability of web-based PrEP information identified using search engines and on Twitter. We investigated the readability of web-based PrEP documents, stratified by how the PrEP document was obtained on the web, information source, document format and communication method, PrEP modality, and intended audience. METHODS Web-based PrEP information in English was systematically identified using search engines and the Twitter API. We manually verified and categorized results and described the method used to obtain information, information source, document format and communication method, PrEP modality, and intended audience. Documents were converted to plain text for the analysis and readability of the collected documents was assessed using 4 readability indices. We conducted pairwise comparisons of readability based on how the PrEP document was obtained on the web, information source, document format, communication method, PrEP modality, and intended audience, then adjusted for multiple comparisons. RESULTS A total of 463 documents were identified. Overall, the readability of web-based PrEP information was at a higher level (10.2-grade reading level) than what is recommended for health information provided to the general public (ninth-grade reading level, as suggested by the Department of Health and Human Services). Brochures (n=33, 7% of all identified resources) were the only type of PrEP materials that achieved the target of ninth-grade reading level. CONCLUSIONS Web-based PrEP information is often written at a complex level for potential and current PrEP users to understand. This may hinder PrEP uptake for some people who would benefit from it. The readability of PrEP-related information found on the web should be improved to align more closely with health communication guidelines for reading level to improve access to this important health information, facilitate informed decisions by those with a need for PrEP, and realize national prevention goals for PrEP uptake and reducing new HIV infections in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Park
- Department of Software and Information Systems, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Fatima Sayed
- Department of Software and Information Systems, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Patrick Robinson
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Latesha Elopre
- Division of Infectious Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Yaorong Ge
- Department of Software and Information Systems, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Shaoyu Li
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Christian Grov
- Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
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Ghahramani A, de Courten M, Prokofieva M. "The potential of social media in health promotion beyond creating awareness: an integrative review". BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2402. [PMID: 36544121 PMCID: PMC9770563 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14885-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developing strategies to change health behaviour is one of the biggest challenges of health promotion programs. Social media, as a popular and innovative communication and education tool, offers opportunities to modify health behaviour. While literature on using social media for health promotion campaigns is growing, there is a need to evaluate the approaches used to change health behaviour, rather than only creating awareness. OBJECTIVE The paper reviewed the literature on application of social media in health promotion campaigns with a particular focus on the methodologies used in assessing the outcome of the programs for behaviour change. This fills the void in collating evidence to extend health promotion campaigns to effect sustainable behavioural change. METHOD Peer-reviewed articles were identified through multiple science databases. A systematic electronic search was conducted to retrieve review and original papers published between January 2010 and April 2022. The titles and abstracts of the articles were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. All authors independently read the full texts and discussed them to reach a consensus about the themes. Concept mapping was used to present results from analysis of the included papers. RESULTS Of the 674 citations, 28 (4.1%) studies were included in this review. The methodology approaches of 18 (2.7%) papers, that aimed to evaluate the impact of social media in health promotion campaigns towards behaviour change, were analysed further using concept mapping. The results showed that 10 studies (55.5%) adopted quantitative methods and five studies (27.7%) used mixed methods and three studies (16.6%) used qualitative methods. Facebook and YouTube were used more for intervention purposes to change health behaviour. Twitter and Instagram were used more to observe the trend of changes in health behaviour. Six studies (33.3%) adopted Social Cognitive Theory and one study (5.5%) applied the Transtheoretical Model as the framework to evaluate the outcome. Overall, the results show that though social media has potential in promoting behaviour change, the estimation of this change in long-term lies outside the scope of social media health campaigns. This is also reflected in the methodologies used in existing studies to assess such sustainable changes. The employed measures usually target immediate behaviour or social media engagement rather than addressing the change on a behavioural level. CONCLUSION Evaluating the performance of social media campaigns to promote health behaviours towards a sustainable outcome is a complex process. Emerging research is focused on evaluating the potential of social media as an opportunity to create awareness. Such measures require less effort in quantifying and isolating the effect. The design of the campaigns is required to be aligned in relation to stages of the behaviour change. The study provides suggestions on how this can be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atousa Ghahramani
- grid.1019.90000 0001 0396 9544Victoria University, Business School, 300 Flinders St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia
| | - Maximilian de Courten
- grid.1019.90000 0001 0396 9544Victoria University, Mitchell Institute for Education and Health Policy, 300 Queen St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia
| | - Maria Prokofieva
- grid.1019.90000 0001 0396 9544Victoria University, Business School, 300 Flinders St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia
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Hohmuth N, Khanyaree I, Lang AL, Duering O, Konigorski S, Višković V, Heising T, Egender F, Remschmidt C, Leistner R. Participatory disease surveillance for a mass gathering — a prospective cohort study on COVID-19, Germany 2021. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2074. [PMID: 36376856 PMCID: PMC9660174 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14505-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mass gatherings (MGs) such as music festivals and sports events have been associated with a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. On-site research can foster knowledge of risk factors for infections and improve risk assessments and precautionary measures at future MGs. We tested a web-based participatory disease surveillance tool to detect COVID-19 infections at and after an outdoor MG by collecting self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and tests. Methods We conducted a digital prospective observational cohort study among fully immunized attendees of a sports festival that took place from September 2 to 5, 2021 in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Participants used our study app to report demographic data, COVID-19 tests, symptoms, and their contact behavior. This self-reported data was used to define probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases for the full “study period” (08/12/2021 – 10/31/2021) and within the 14-day “surveillance period” during and after the MG, with the highest likelihood of an MG-related COVID-19 outbreak (09/04/2021 – 09/17/2021). Results A total of 2,808 of 9,242 (30.4%) event attendees participated in the study. Within the study period, 776 individual symptoms and 5,255 COVID-19 tests were reported. During the 14-day surveillance period around and after the MG, seven probable and seven PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases were detected. The confirmed cases translated to an estimated seven-day incidence of 125 per 100,000 participants (95% CI [67.7/100,000, 223/100,000]), which was comparable to the average age-matched incidence in Germany during this time. Overall, weekly numbers of COVID-19 cases were fluctuating over the study period, with another increase at the end of the study period. Conclusion COVID-19 cases attributable to the mass gathering were comparable to the Germany-wide age-matched incidence, implicating that our active participatory disease surveillance tool was able to detect MG-related infections. Further studies are needed to evaluate and apply our participatory disease surveillance tool in other mass gathering settings. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-14505-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Hohmuth
- Data4Life gGmbH, Charlottenstraße 13, 10969 Berlin, Germany ,grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Medizinische Klinik für Gastroenterologie-, Infektiologie-, und Rheumatologie, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Anna-Lena Lang
- Data4Life gGmbH, Charlottenstraße 13, 10969 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ohad Duering
- Data4Life gGmbH, Charlottenstraße 13, 10969 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Konigorski
- grid.11348.3f0000 0001 0942 1117Digital Health Center, Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany ,grid.59734.3c0000 0001 0670 2351Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | | | - Tobias Heising
- Medizinisches Versorgungszentrum Bohmte, Bremer Str. 37, 49163 Bohmte, Germany
| | - Friedemann Egender
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Medizinische Klinik für Nephrologie und Intensivmedizin, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Rasmus Leistner
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Medizinische Klinik für Gastroenterologie-, Infektiologie-, und Rheumatologie, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
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Wood LA, Agbonlahor O, Tomlinson MM, Kerstiens S, Vincent K, McLeish AC, Walker KL, Hart JL. Readability of online e-cigarette cessation information. Tob Induc Dis 2022; 20:53. [PMID: 35795399 PMCID: PMC9175538 DOI: 10.18332/tid/149906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Given the growing awareness of the health risks associated with e-cigarettes, many users will access information about how to effectively quit using e-cigarettes, and the internet likely will be a popular source of information. However, little is known about the readability of online e-cigarette cessation information. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to assess the readability of webpage information about e-cigarette cessation. METHODS A search of webpages was conducted using the following search terms: vaping addiction, quit vaping, quit Juul, stop vaping, stop Juul, and vaping cessation. The 464 webpages identified were coded for target audience, message valence, and source, and then assessed for reading level with the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level assessment. RESULTS On average, webpage content was written at a 7th grade reading level (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Mean=7.34, SD=2.22) and less than 25% of webpages met readability guidelines (i.e. ≤6th grade reading level). There were no differences in readability by target audience, message valence, or webpage source. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that most online content related to e-cigarette cessation is not written at a level that is easily understood by general audiences. Thus, tobacco control advocates should assess the reading level of their messaging to ensure wide accessibility of information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey A Wood
- Department of Communication, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States
| | - Osayande Agbonlahor
- Department of Communication, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States
| | - Madeline M Tomlinson
- Department of Communication, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States
| | - Savanna Kerstiens
- Department of Communication, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States
| | - Kolbie Vincent
- Department of Communication, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States
| | - Alison C McLeish
- Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,American Heart Association Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science, Dallas, United States
| | - Kandi L Walker
- Department of Communication, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,American Heart Association Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science, Dallas, United States
| | - Joy L Hart
- Department of Communication, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville, United States.,American Heart Association Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science, Dallas, United States
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Mphasha MH, Mokubela G, Ramokotedi T, Kgari T. Exploratory study on factors influencing the introduction of complementary feeding amongst caregivers of children between 6 and 24 months of age in Polokwane, Limpopo province. S Afr Fam Pract (2004) 2022. [DOI: 10.4102/safp.v64i1.5522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
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Moon H, Lee GH, Cho YJ. Readability of Korean-Language COVID-19 Information from the South Korean National COVID-19 Portal Intended for the General Public: Cross-sectional Infodemiology Study. JMIR Form Res 2022; 6:e30085. [PMID: 35072633 PMCID: PMC8896563 DOI: 10.2196/30085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The coronavirus pandemic has increased reliance on the internet as a tool for disseminating information; however, information is useful only when it can be understood. Prior research has shown that web-based health information is not always easy to understand. It is not yet known whether the Korean-language COVID-19 information from the internet is easy for the general public to understand. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the readability of Korean-language COVID-19 information intended for the general public from the national COVID-19 portal of South Korea. METHODS A total of 122 publicly available COVID-19 information documents written in Korean were obtained from the South Korean national COVID-19 portal. We determined the level of readability (at or below ninth grade, 10th to 12th grade, college, or professional) of each document using a readability tool for Korean-language text. We measured the reading time, character count, word count, sentence count, and paragraph count for each document. We also evaluated the characteristics of difficult-to-read documents to modify the readability from difficult to easy. RESULTS The median readability level was at a professional level; 90.2% (110/122) of the information was difficult to read. In all 4 topics, few documents were easy to read (overview: 5/12, 41.7%; prevention: 6/97, 6.2%; test: 0/5, 0%; treatment: 1/8, 12.5%; P=.006), with a median 11th-grade readability level for overview, a median professional readability level for prevention, and median college readability levels for test and treatment. Difficult-to-read information had the following characteristics in common: literacy style, medical jargon, and unnecessary detail. CONCLUSIONS In all 4 topics, most of the Korean-language COVID-19 web-based information intended for the general public provided by the national COVID-19 portal of South Korea was difficult to read; the median readability levels exceeded the recommended ninth-grade level. Readability should be a key consideration in developing public health documents, which play an important role in disease prevention and health promotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Moon
- Department of Family Medicine, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Geon Ho Lee
- Department of Family Medicine, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Jeong Cho
- Department of Family Medicine, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
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Healthy vs. Unhealthy Food Images: Image Classification of Twitter Images. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19020923. [PMID: 35055742 PMCID: PMC8775411 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19020923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
Obesity is a modern public health problem. Social media images can capture eating behavior and the potential implications to health, but research for identifying the healthiness level of the food image is relatively under-explored. This study presents a deep learning architecture that transfers features from a 152 residual layer network (ResNet) for predicting the level of healthiness of food images that were built using images from the Google images search engine gathered in 2020. Features learned from the ResNet 152 were transferred to a second network to train on the dataset. The trained SoftMax layer was stacked on top of the layers transferred from ResNet 152 to build our deep learning model. We then evaluate the performance of the model using Twitter images in order to better understand the generalizability of the methods. The results show that the model is able to predict the images into their respective classes, including Definitively Healthy, Healthy, Unhealthy and Definitively Unhealthy at an F1-score of 78.8%. This finding shows promising results for classifying social media images by healthiness, which could contribute to maintaining a balanced diet at the individual level and also understanding general food consumption trends of the public.
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McCausland K, Maycock B, Leaver T, Wolf K, Freeman B, Jancey J. "Is it banned? Is it illegal?": Navigating Western Australia's regulatory environment for e-cigarettes. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2021; 94:103177. [PMID: 33713966 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Australia, there is no Federal legislation that directly applies to e-cigarettes, instead, several existing laws relating to poisons, therapeutic goods and tobacco control apply. Across all Australian States and Territories, it is illegal to sell nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, however, users can legally import nicotine-containing vaporisers through the Personal Importation Scheme. Western Australia differs from other Australian States and Territories in that products which resemble tobacco products are banned, effectively prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes. This study aimed to understand how e-cigarette users navigate Western Australia's regulatory environment to access vaping products and the health and safety issues encountered. METHODS Working from a constructionist epistemology and a symbolic interaction framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 37 current (89%) and former (11%) adult vapers (70% male, mean age of 32.5). Data was analysed via thematic analysis. RESULTS Vape retailers were said to be circumventing Western Australia's e-cigarette restrictions by selling the components of 'open system' devices that do not resemble a tobacco product when sold individually. Participants were unsure of the legality of importing, accessing and using nicotine and e-cigarettes, however, the majority continued to use nicotine-containing vaporisers and implemented strategies in an attempt to avoid detection and safeguard their health. The internet facilitated access to desired products, information on health and safety, and discussions of personal experiences. CONCLUSIONS The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration has recently (21 December 2020) confirmed that from 1 October 2021 smokers who have tried quitting with other approved cessation pharmacotherapies will be required to obtain a prescription for nicotine-containing vaporiser products from a registered medical practitioner. The results of this study suggest further consideration of regulatory measures are however required to support the different characteristics of vapers and to mitigate the health and safety concerns experienced by e-cigarette users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kahlia McCausland
- Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia.
| | - Bruce Maycock
- Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Tama Leaver
- School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Katharina Wolf
- School of Marketing, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Becky Freeman
- School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jonine Jancey
- Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
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Park A, Conway M. Tracking Health Related Discussions on Reddit for Public Health Applications. AMIA ... ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS. AMIA SYMPOSIUM 2018; 2017:1362-1371. [PMID: 29854205 PMCID: PMC5977623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We use Reddit to demonstrate social media's potential for public health applications. First, we employ a lexicon-based approach to track the prevalence of keywords indicating public interest in Ebola, electronic cigarette, influenza, and marijuana. Second, to better understand the public reactions, we use the Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm, to identify either the general themes or motivations for extreme changes in the volume of discussion over time. We observe that discussions related to Ebola and influenza, infectious diseases of public health interests, surged when the first case of Ebola was diagnosed and a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus was confirmed in the United States. We also observed that discussions of a controversial health topic like marijuana increased with the announcement of a major change in United States federal policy. Discussions of electronic cigarette highlighted opportunities for better health education. Lastly, we discuss the implications of our findings for utilizing Reddit data for public health applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Park
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Mike Conway
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Park A, Conway M. Harnessing Reddit to Understand the Written-Communication Challenges Experienced by Individuals With Mental Health Disorders: Analysis of Texts From Mental Health Communities. J Med Internet Res 2018; 20:e121. [PMID: 29636316 PMCID: PMC5915669 DOI: 10.2196/jmir.8219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 12/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are common, incapacitating, and have the potential to be fatal. Despite the prevalence and gravity of mental disorders, our knowledge concerning everyday challenges associated with them is relatively limited. One of the most studied deficits related to everyday challenges is language impairment, yet we do not know how mental disorders can impact common forms of written communication, for example, social media. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to investigate written communication challenges manifest in online mental health communities focusing on depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, as well as the impact of participating in these online mental health communities on written communication. As the control, we selected three online health communities focusing on positive emotion, exercising, and weight management. METHODS We examined lexical diversity and readability, both important features for measuring the quality of writing. We used four well-established readability metrics that consider word frequencies and syntactic complexity to measure writers' written communication ability. We then measured the lexical diversity by calculating the percentage of unique words in posts. To compare lexical diversity and readability among communities, we first applied pairwise independent sample t tests, followed by P value adjustments using the prespecified Hommel procedure to adjust for multiple comparison. To measure the changes, we applied linear least squares regression to the readability and lexical diversity scores against the interaction sequence for each member, followed by pairwise independent sample t tests and P value adjustments. Given the large sample of members, we also report effect sizes and 95% CIs for the pairwise comparisons. RESULTS On average, members of depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia communities showed indications of difficulty expressing their ideas compared with three other online health communities. Our results also suggest that participating in these platforms has the potential to improve members' written communication. For example, members of all three mental health communities showed statistically significant improvement in both lexical diversity and readability compared with members of the OHC focusing on positive emotion. CONCLUSIONS We provide new insights into the written communication challenges faced by individuals suffering from depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. A comparison with three other online health communities suggests that written communication in mental health communities is significantly more difficult to read, while also consisting of a significantly less diverse lexicon. We contribute practical suggestions for utilizing our findings in Web-based communication settings to enhance members' communicative experience. We consider these findings to be an important step toward understanding and addressing everyday written communication challenges among individuals suffering from mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Park
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Mike Conway
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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