Details:

Alternative Title:
Digit Health
Personal Author:
Naslund, John A ; Aschbrenner, Kelly A ; Marsch, Lisa A ; Bartels, Stephen J ;
Naslund, John A ; Aschbrenner, Kelly A ; Marsch, Lisa A ; Bartels, Stephen J ; Less -
Description:
Objective Elevated obesity rates are a major contributor to the significantly reduced life expectancy impacting people with serious mental illness. With over 1.5 billion Facebook users worldwide, this platform may afford opportunities for reaching individuals with serious mental illness outside professional settings and fostering social support for adopting healthier behaviors. In this mixed methods pilot study, we explored the feasibility and acceptability of using Facebook to support a group lifestyle intervention for weight loss among obese adults with serious mental illness. Methods Nine of eleven participants enrolled in a six-month lifestyle intervention delivered through a community mental health center agreed to join a private Facebook group to support their healthy eating and exercise goals. We measured participants’ use of the Facebook group and collected post-intervention feasibility and acceptability questionnaires followed by in-depth qualitative interviews to elicit participants’ perspectives and recommendations for improving the use of Facebook. Results Of 188 posts to the Facebook group, the majority (79%) were from participants compared to study staff (21%). Participants also posted 186 comments, 299 likes, and recorded 1316 page views. Participants were positive about opportunities to interact and support each other outside group sessions, found content posted by other participants to be helpful, and indicated that the Facebook group was safe to use. Participants provided constructive feedback, including recommendations for more detailed instructions for accessing the group and posting content, finding ways to encourage more interaction within the group, and tips for responding to notifications or alerts directly from the Facebook website. Conclusions These findings suggest that Facebook may be feasible for supporting health promotion efforts targeting people with serious mental illness. Participants provided valuable feedback that can inform the use of Facebook for future health promotion efforts targeting this high-risk group.
Subject:
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Article
Community Mental Health
Facebook
Feasibility Study
Health Promotion
Mental Health
Obesity
Serious Mental Illness
Social Media

Source:
Digit Health. 2 ;
Pubmed ID:
28367321
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC5370548
Document Type:
Journal Article ;
Funding:
P30 DA029926/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MH089811/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; U48 DP005018/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United States ;
P30 DA029926/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MH089811/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; U48 DP005018/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United States ; Less -
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:418b2c7618a600ccb186801c1bf9d57e9298689e1dde6b5e9b9c8a1879981bf6
File Type:

Supporting Files

• nihms810056.nxml

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