Abstract:
With the advent of increased usage of web-based tools and social technologies (such as blogs and social media networks) as well as post the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shift of health care delivery services from offline to online platforms. Many sectors (including health care) have started leveraging online communities as platforms to co-create value. Online health communities (OHCs) are a special type of online social network, wherein members interact with each other on health- or wellness-related topics to seek information, help, emotional support, and communication opportunities. Online health communities have become a popular source of information, advice, guidance, and emotional support for patients living with a range of health conditions. However, research has not commonly focused on patients living with obesity disease and their participation (activities and interactions) within computer-mediated support networks (online health communities). Hence, the aim of this study is to gain an understanding of online communication among patients through an analysis of messages exchanged within obesity disease discussion forums. Data was collected from forums under an identified OHC. ~300 posted messages (including replies) were studied and using the deductive thematic analysis, the messages were examined with reference to different categories and sub-categories of social support behaviour finalized during the study. The results of the thematic analysis strongly suggested that the ‘experiential support’ was the most prominent category of social support behaviour within the online health community, followed by the ‘informational support’ and ‘emotional support’. Limitations and future research directions have been presented toward the end.
