The Exchange of Social Support on Online Bariatric Surgery Discussion Forums: A Mixed-Methods Content Analysis

Abstract

Bariatric surgery patients often experience physical and psychosocial stressors, and difficulty adjusting to significant lifestyle changes. As a result, social support groups that provide patients with support, coping skills, and nutritional information are valuable components of bariatric care. Support group attendance at bariatric centers is associated with greater post-surgery weight loss; however, several barriers hinder attendance at in-person support groups (e.g., travel distance to bariatric centers). Consequently, online support forums are an increasingly utilized resource for patients both before and after surgery. This study examined and described the type and frequency of social support provided on a large online bariatric surgery forum. A total of 1,412 messages in the pre- (n = 822) and post-surgery (n = 590) sections of the forum were coded using qualitative content analysis according to Cutrona and Suhr's (1992) Social Support Behavior Code model (i.e., including informational, tangible, esteem, network, and emotional support types). The majority of messages provided informational and emotional support regarding: a) factual information about the bariatric procedure and nutrition; b) advice for coping with the surgery preparation process, and physical symptoms; and c) encouragement regarding adherence to surgical guidelines, and weight loss progress. Network, esteem, and tangible support types were less frequent than informational and emotional support types. The results inform healthcare providers about the types of social support available to bariatric patients on online support forums and, thus, encourage appropriate referrals to this resource.

Application and effectiveness of eHealth strategies for metabolic and bariatric surgery patients: A systematic review

“…Only two studies included a theoretical/conceptual framework, Discursive Psychology 34 and the Social Support Behavioral Code Model. 35 Reviews A total of six reviews were found in the literature search that discussed various eHealth strategies targeting MBS patients including telemedicine, web-based media, smartphone apps and wearables to track activity levels. In general, most reviews concluded that eHealth strategies can assist patients undergoing MBS in both pre-and post-operative acquisition of health information and knowledge as well as personal feedback to assist them with weight loss and improved lifestyle habits.…”

“Support is What Really Helped Me Get Through”: Understanding Athletes’ Online Disclosures about Pursuit and Receipt of Social Support During Concussion Recovery

“…The codes were established based on the categories of Xu and Burleson's (2001) typology. This method allows researchers to analyze manifest and latent meaning of communication, and to systematically code and categorize data using a validated theoretical framework (Atwood, Friedman, Meisner, & Cassin, 2018). The sentence in each blog post served as the unit of analysis.…”

‘The only chance of a normal weight life’: A qualitative analysis of online forum discussions about bariatric surgery

“…The study by Koball et al, on the contents of Facebook support groups, was performed using a quantitative approach, meaning that the most common topics of conversation could be identified by frequency and proportion, but not analysed in any deeper or qualitative manner [ 27 ]. A study by Atwood et al used the Social Support Behavior Code to categorise posts on a bariatric support group discussion forum, and found that informational and emotional support posts were the most common categories [ 44 ]. Both of these previous studies were conducted using material from the US, meaning that the results are influenced by the specific political and healthcare policy-related circumstances of that country.…”