Hwang Kevin O, Etchegaray Jason M, Sciamanna Christopher N, Bernstam Elmer V, Thomas Eric J
The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Internal Medicine, and The University of Texas-Memorial Hermann Center for Healthcare Quality and Safety, Houston, TX, USAPenn State College of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Hershey, PA, USAThe University of Texas School of Biomedical Informatics, Houston, TX, USA.
Health Expect. 2014 Jun;17(3):345-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1369-7625.2011.00759.x. Epub 2012 Jan 2.
Online weight loss programmes allow members to use social media tools to give and receive social support for weight loss. However, little is known about the relationship between the use of social media tools and the perception of specific types of support.
To test the hypothesis that the frequency of using social media tools (structural support) is directly related to perceptions of Encouragement, Information and Shared Experiences support (functional support).
Online survey.
Members of an online weight loss programme.
The outcome was the perception of Encouragement (motivation, congratulations), Information (advice, tips) and Shared Experiences (belonging to a group) social support. The predictor was a social media scale based on the frequency of using forums and blogs within the online weight loss programme (alpha = 0.91). The relationship between predictor and outcomes was evaluated with structural equation modelling (SEM) and logistic regression, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, BMI and duration of website membership.
The 187 participants were mostly female (95%) and white (91%), with mean (SD) age 37 (12) years and mean (SD) BMI 31 (8). SEM produced a model in which social media use predicted Encouragement support, but not Information or Shared Experiences support. Participants who used the social media tools at least weekly were almost five times as likely to experience Encouragement support compared to those who used the features less frequently [adjusted OR 4.8 (95% CI 1.8-12.8)].
Using the social media tools of an online weight loss programme at least once per week is strongly associated with receiving Encouragement for weight loss behaviours.
在线减肥计划允许成员使用社交媒体工具来给予和获得减肥方面的社会支持。然而，对于社交媒体工具的使用与特定类型支持的认知之间的关系，我们知之甚少。
检验以下假设，即社交媒体工具的使用频率（结构支持）与鼓励、信息和共同经历支持（功能支持）的认知直接相关。
在线调查。
一个在线减肥计划的成员。
结果变量是对鼓励（激励、祝贺）、信息（建议、提示）和共同经历（归属感）社会支持的认知。预测变量是基于在线减肥计划中使用论坛和博客的频率的社交媒体量表（α = 0.91）。通过结构方程模型（SEM）和逻辑回归评估预测变量与结果变量之间的关系，并对社会人口学特征、体重指数（BMI）和网站会员时长进行了调整。
187名参与者大多为女性（95%）和白人（91%），平均（标准差）年龄37（12）岁，平均（标准差）BMI为31（8）。SEM得出的模型显示，社交媒体的使用可预测鼓励支持，但不能预测信息或共同经历支持。与使用这些功能频率较低的参与者相比，每周至少使用一次社交媒体工具的参与者获得鼓励支持的可能性几乎是其五倍[调整后的比值比（OR）为4.8（95%置信区间为1.8 - 12.8）]。
每周至少使用一次在线减肥计划的社交媒体工具与获得减肥行为的鼓励密切相关。
