The role of social support in obesity online health communities. A literature review

Abstract

In the treatment of obesity, social support is considered key to successful weight loss and behavioural change, and online health communities to complement obesity treatment programmes have been shown to increase obesity treatment effectiveness. This study reviews the latest literature regarding how social support provided through an online health community can help people tackle obesity, identifying the different effects of social support on online health community members, specifically, the promotion of behavioural change and increased self-efficacy. This study also reveals how the recent literature points to both a direct and indirect relationship between social support in online health communities for obesity treatment and actual weight loss. This review is likely to provide useful insights to both healthcare professionals and social platform developers.

Self-management interventions for adults living with obesity to improve patient-relevant outcomes: An evidence map

“…In our study, self-management techniques described were mainly focused on education, monitoring and action-based behavioral change techniques. Coaching was the most reported emotional-based behavioral change technique while emotional management, motivational interviews or social support were less frequently included though they seem highly promising [41] , [42] , [43] .…”