The role of online communities in reducing urban–rural health disparities in China

Xiongfei Cao and Dan Wang

Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, 2018, vol. 69, issue 7, 890-899

Abstract: The explosive growth of social networks has the potential for online health communities to create social value for users. This study integrates online community with urban–rural health inequality in China to empirically explore whether online communities reduce health disparities between urban and rural areas in China. By collecting a unique data set from an online community in China that focuses on one disease, an exponential random graph model was used to empirically analyze the network structures and relationships formed in this community. The results indicate that technology†mediated online health communities can alleviate health disparities in China by exchanging information and improving the health capabilities of rural residents. We discuss the implications and guidelines for future research.

Date: 2018
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