Melanie L Plinsinga|Manuela Besomi|Liam Maclachlan|Luciano Melo|Sarah R Robbins|Belinda J Lawford|Pek Ling Teo|Kathryn Mills|Jenny Setchell|Thorlene Egerton|Jillian Eyles|Leanne Hall|Rebecca Mellor|David J. Hunter|Paul W. Hodges|B. Vicenzino|Kim L Bennell
Exploring the Characteristics and Preferences for Online Support Groups: Mixed Method Study
University of Queensland|University of Queensland|University of Queensland|Sax Institute|University of Sydney|Royal North Shore Hospital|University of Melbourne|University of Melbourne|Macquarie University|University of Queensland|University of Melbourne|University of Sydney|Royal North Shore Hospital|University of Queensland|University of Queensland|University of Sydney|Royal North Shore Hospital|University of Queensland|University of Queensland|University of Melbourne
osteoarthritis oa chronic disabling prevalent disorder cure oa longterm selfmanagement paramount support groups sgs facilitate selfmanagement among people living oa understanding preferences design features sgs including online sgs osgs among people oa inform future development sg interventions conditionthe objective study investigate health care health informationseeking behavior digital literacy preferences design sgs people oa study also explored perceived barriers enablers involved osgsan online survey study conducted mixed method design quantitative qualitative individuals aged 45 years knee hip back pain 3 months recruited extant patient database institute bone joint research via email invitations quantitative elements survey included questions sociodemographic background health care health informationseeking behavior digital literacy previous participation preferences sgs osgs respondents classified 2 groups yessg nosg based previous participation interest sg group differences assessed chisquare tests significance level set 5 responses freetext questions relating preferences regarding osg engagement analyzed qualitatively using inductive thematic analysisa total 415 people oa completed survey 300415 723 females 252415 610 lived major city yessg group included 307 307415 739 participants yessg nosg groups differences sociodemographic characteristics health care health informationseeking behavior digital literacy online format preferred 126259 487 yessg group trained peer facilitators preferred trustworthiness advice information highly prioritized respondents qualitative analysis osg participation revealed 5 main themes lack time motivation main barriers identified main enablers related accessibility enjoyment experience content discussed informationthese findings highlight preferences design features content sgs osgs may assist development groups