Online Forum Messages Posted by Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

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Abstract
Messages posted by adolescents with diabetes at public Web-based forums were assessed using content analysis. Messages (n = 340) from adolescents self-identified as having diabetes were collected from public online discussion and question/answer forums and coded with respect to age, gender, duration of illness, and purpose of the post. Request messages were analyzed using a constant comparative method to generate descriptive categories. Nonparametric tests assessed for differences among groups and between forum types and request topics. Most messages were from females who more often posted at discussion forums. Males posted more information requests. Six categories emerged from the analysis: life tasks, social support, medical care, factual information, management, and intrapsychic. Social support messages accounted for half of discussion forum requests; information/management requests were common in question/answer forums. Data suggest that adolescents with diabetes visit online forums for social support, information, advice, and shared experience. Females used discussion forums more frequently and males requested more information.

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