Facebook Groups on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Social Media Content Analysis

Avery Apperson, Michael Stellefson, Samantha R. Paige, Beth H. Chaney, J. Don Chaney, Min Qi Wang and Arjun Mohan
Additional contact information
Avery Apperson: Department of Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Michael Stellefson: Department of Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Samantha R. Paige: STEM Translational Communication Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 679205, USA
Beth H. Chaney: Department of Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
J. Don Chaney: Department of Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Min Qi Wang: Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Arjun Mohan: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27858, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: Facebook Groups facilitate information exchange and engagement for patients with chronic conditions, including those living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); however, little is known about how knowledge is diffused throughout these communities. This study aimed to evaluate the content that is available on COPD-related Facebook Groups, as well as the communication (self-disclosures, social support) and engagement (agreement, emotional reaction) strategies used by members to facilitate these resources. Two researchers independently searched the “Groups” category using the terms “COPD”, “emphysema”, and “chronic bronchitis”. Twenty-six closed ( n = 23) and public ( n = 3) COPD Facebook Groups were identified with 87,082 total members. The vast majority of Group members belonged to closed ( n = 84,684; 97.25%) as compared to open ( n = 2398; 2.75%) groups. Medications were the most commonly addressed self-management topic ( n = 48; 26.7%). While overall engagement with wall posts was low, the number of “likes” (an indicator of agreement) was significantly greater for wall posts that demonstrated social support as compared to posts that did not ( p < 0.001). Findings from this study showed that COPD Facebook group members share specific disease-related experiences and request information about select self-management topics. This information can be used to improve the quality of self-management support provided to members of popular COPD Facebook groups.

Keywords: COPD; Facebook; social media; online community; self-management; social support (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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